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

Tennis - U.S. Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - September 8, 2026 Emma Navarro of the U.S. in action during her quarter-final match against Jessica Pegula of the U.S. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

Sept 30 (Reuters) - Former U.S. 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.

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."

(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Purulia, IndiaEditing by Toby Davis)

Thank you for your report!

网球——美国网球公开赛——美国纽约法拉盛草地——2026年9月8日，美国选手艾玛·纳瓦罗在与美国选手杰西卡·佩古拉的四分之一决赛中比赛。（路透社/爱德华多·穆尼奥斯摄）

9 月 30 日（路透社）——前美国网球公开赛半决赛选手艾玛·纳瓦罗透露，过去三年她一直饱受 RED-S（运动相对能量不足）和桥本甲状腺功能减退症的困扰，并提前结束了 2026 赛季，以便研究药物和营养补充方案。

这位25岁的美国选手本月初打进了她家乡大满贯赛事的四分之一决赛，她在周三的Instagram帖子中表示，她的目标是明年重返澳大利亚网球公开赛。

她写道：“我明白了，体重秤上的数字或四肢的纤细程度，都比不上你的健康和幸福。”

“我打算利用今年剩下的时间调整我的用药和营养方案，希望能够恢复到100%的状态。”

RED-S 是一种导致身体无法获得足够能量以进行运动员典型的剧烈体力活动的疾病，而桥本甲状腺功能减退症是一种自身免疫性疾病，免疫系统会攻击甲状腺，导致新陈代谢减慢。

纳瓦罗两年前曾达到职业生涯最高的世界排名第八位，她说自 2023 年以来，她一直感到饥饿感加剧，免疫系统也逐渐减弱，但她仍然坚持参赛，以跟上繁忙的网球赛程。

在2025年澳大利亚网球公开赛打入四分之一决赛的过程中，她一直忍受着头痛、头晕和极度疲劳的折磨，直到同年11月医生确诊后才弄明白是什么原因造成的。

“所以在过去的一年里，我全力以赴。改变饮食习惯，增加能量摄入……虽然花了一段时间才开始感觉好转，但我逐渐取得了进步，”纳瓦罗写道。

“是的，我今年体重增加了一些。但我也重新找回了生活。我有足够的精力去把握每一天，去努力训练或比赛，去享受网球之外的生活。”

（Chiranjit Ojha 驻印度普鲁利亚报道，Toby Davis 编辑）

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