She couldn’t help herself. In the New York Rangers’ locker room at Madison Square Garden, the helmets were right there, perched on the top shelves of lockers belonging to NHL players.

“I put on one of the helmets and played a little tennis hockey around the locker room,” said Emma Navarro. “But I got in trouble. I think we weren’t supposed to put the helmets on. Which is fair.”

The helmet heist was one of few missteps of a remarkable year on the WTA Tour for the rising pro tennis star from Charleston.

The 23-year-old graduate of Ashley Hall School put together a season that included her first WTA Tour singles title, a berth on Team USA for the Paris Olympics and attention-grabbing major runs at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

She capped the year with an exhibition victory over seventh-ranked Jessica Pegula earlier this month at Madison Square Garden and by being named the WTA Tour’s Most Improved Player for 2024.

Navarro, a former NCAA singles champion at Virginia who turned pro in 2022, was ranked No. 143 on tour two years ago. By the end of 2023, she had climbed to No. 38, and this year rocketed into the top 10, now at a career-best No. 8.

Most improved, indeed.

“It’s a cool award to receive,” said Navarro, who has been training at LTP Mount Pleasant as she readies for the 2025 season, which will begin for her at the Adelaide International in Australia on Jan. 6, leading into the year’s first major at the Australian Open.

“I think it shows the progress that I’ve had over this year,” she said. “There’s been a lot of hard work that’s gone into it, and I feel like I have improved a lot. So it’s cool just to kind of get that validation.”

The validation began early in 2024 with her first WTA title at the Hobart International, a 250-level event in Australia. She beat Elise Mertens in three sets for her first WTA trophy and winner’s check.

She hugged her mom, Kelly, and thanked coach Peter Ayers.

“I think it’s our eighth year together. There’s been ups and downs, but I definitely would put this at the top of an up,” Navarro said of her coach. “Thanks for sticking with me all these years.”

There would be more tops to achieve, including on the grass at Wimbledon. There, Navarro defeated former No. 1 Naomi Osaka and then-No. 2 Coco Gauff on the way to the quarterfinals.

Two weeks later, Navarro was on the red clay at Roland Garros for the Olympic Games, where she won two matches before losing to eventual gold medalist Qinwen Zheng in the round of 16.

She bettered that run in September at the U.S. Open in New York, city of her birth. A charge to the semifinals included wins over Gauff and Paula Badosa before a loss to another eventual winner, Aryna Sabalenka.

“When you talk about improvement, you can’t ignore Emma,” said Bob Moran, tournament director of the Credit One Charleston Open, where Navarro is slated to play in April 2025.

“She’s taken every challenge in stride and continually raised the bar. Whether it’s her physical conditioning, her mental toughness or her ability to perform under pressure, she’s proven that she belongs at the top of the sport. She’s the perfect example of what happens when talent is paired with relentless dedication.”

Navarro also is learning how to deal with the spotlight, which often includes attention on her father. Ben Navarro is a successful businessman and philanthropist and also a growing influence in pro tennis as owner of the Charleston Open and the Cincinnati Open, a combined ATP and WTA event.

“I used to feel overwhelmed at times,” she said. “Just by the crowd and feeling like everybody’s looking at me, everybody cares so much about what I’m doing. But I kind of realized, maybe people care at the moment when I’m playing, but it’s not that important in the big picture.

“I’ve kind of come to terms with being in the spotlight and a bit more comfortable just being myself in those moments.”

If 2024 is any indication, there are plenty of those moments to come.