Navarro ends 2026 season early, reveals long-running health struggles

Former US Open semi-finalist Emma Navarro has revealed that she has been struggling with RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport) and Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism for the ​last three years, and ended her 2026 season early to work ‌on medication and fueling protocols.

The 25-year-old American, who reached the quarter-finals of her home Grand Slam earlier this month, said in an Instagram post on Wednesday that she aims to ​be back for next year’s Australian Open.

“I have learned that there ​is no weight on the scale or leanness in your limbs ⁠that is more valuable than your health or your well-being,” she wrote.

“I am ​taking the rest of this year to work on dialing in my medication ​and fueling protocols so that I can hopefully feel back to 100% again.”

RED-S is a condition that leads to the body not receiving enough energy for heavy physical activities typical ​for athletes, while Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system ​attacks the thyroid gland, causing slower metabolism.

Navarro, who reached a career-high ranking of world number ‌eight ⁠two years ago, said she had been experiencing increased hunger and a weakening immune system since 2023 but pushed through it to keep up with the busy tennis calendar.

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She fought through headaches, dizziness and heavy fatigue during her run to ​the quarter-finals of ​the 2025 Australian ⁠Open, and did not figure out what was causing them until doctors diagnosed her in November that year.

“So over the ​past year, I have gone all in. Changing my ​diet, increasing ⁠my energy intake… although it took a while to start feeling better, I gradually made progress,” Navarro wrote.

“So yeah. I gained some weight this year. But I also ⁠gained ​my life back. I have enough energy to ​seize every day, to train or compete as hard as I want to, and to live ​a life outside of tennis.”