Riya Navani on Perseverance, Balance, and the Importance of Role Models

  Riya Navani is a young model of elegance, athletic prowess, and inspiration. At only seventeen years old, Navani has been ranked #1 in the girls under 11, girls under 13, and girls under 17 divisions; #3 in the girls under 15 division; and currently holds the #2 spot for girls under 19. In addition, Navani was named a 2022-2023 High School All-American and has represented the US on multiple occasions, including in the esteemed British Junior Open and World Junior Championships tournaments. 

Navani recently added another accomplishment to her list of successes, specifying this particular one as one of her most cherished squash memories and experiences. At the end of September in the first round of the Southwestern Open in Houston, Texas, Navani, playing as a wildcard in her second PSA Gold event, beat world number 45 Nour Aboulmakarim in a roller-coaster five game battle. Navani won the first two games, at the verge of a clean defeat, before Aboulmakarim came back to take the match to the fifth game. Navani reflected on how the win was a manifestation of her hard work, perseverance, and a step towards her dreams and goals: “It hadn’t been an easy phase, there’s so many ups and downs emotionally…I think a big win like this kind of changed a lot for me, it made me feel a lot more hopeful. It was a huge accomplishment to win a PSA match like that and so that was just one of my cherished memories because it was a culmination of seeing all the hard work pay off and plus it’s my dream to be on that stage.” 

Navani’s squash journey began when she was eight years old after following her older brother to the courts and trying the sport for herself at a kids’ summer camp. She remembered her connection with squash as “a love at first sight kind of thing.” 

Over the near-decade Navani has played squash, she’s developed a deep understanding of the multifacetedness of the sport. One of her favorite parts about squash is the social aspect, especially due to the small, tight knit community: “You can just meet so many people and these are relationships you’re going to have for the rest of your life. You can go from absolutely competing with someone at the highest level to going out to lunch with them the next hour.” 

Another notable aspect for Navani is the life lessons that she has learned throughout her career, including “the resilience you have to have to keep on pushing when things are not easy.” Navani expressed the difficulty that comes with fearing that “you’re stagnating a bit,” and “not improving or winning anymore.” However, she has learned that perseverance, taking each step one at a time, and accepting each and every part of the journey has allowed her to keep chasing after her goals: “I try not to fake it and tell myself, ‘No, I am improving.’ No, even if I’m not, just embracing it and understanding that it’s okay. It doesn’t have to be perfect every single day, I don’t always have to feel amazing, but just knowing that I’m doing what’s right and as long as I’m working hard, I know that moment will come.”

Navani has also grown to understand the importance of maintaining balance in her life, especially while juggling the demands of being a student, athlete, and teenager. Navani reflected how she avoids making squash the sole aspect of her life because “it gets so difficult then if you put everything into one thing. Then, when I have a bad day at practice or something, as everyone does, it literally will ruin the rest of my day and the rest of my week honestly!” As she grew older, Navani realized the significance of involving herself in other activities she loves, such as socializing with her friends and playing other sports, like tennis, pickleball, and track. 

When asked to share any words of advice to women and girls involved in squash, Navani highlighted the importance of focusing on one’s own individual journey and striving to be one’s best self: “It could be so easy to fall into a trap where you’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself and comparing yourself a lot, but honestly the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that it’s not about any one else in this journey. It’s about just making sure you want to be the best version of yourself, and that’s what you should wake up and want to do everyday when you’re playing.” Additionally, Navani highlighted the impact of role models to build a community of trust and inspiration: “If you ever feel like you’re just starting and you’re not sure how to deal with the emotions you’re feeling through squash, just be comfortable enough to reach out to people who have been through it, maybe older, who have more experience.”

Already a young inspiration and role model herself, Riya Navani doesn’t plan to stop any time soon. She is currently a senior in high school, and plans to continue her squash career in a different environment as part of a college team after graduating. She also plans to pursue squash professionally on the PSA world tour, while continuing to “embrace women and the strength and the power that we have.” 

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