Player of the Day: Carla Suarez Navarro

WATCH: Sloane Stephens edges past Carla Suarez Navarro to move into Roland Garros' second round.

Carla Suarez Navarro may have lost to Sloane Stephens on Tuesday, but simply playing (and playing very well) in her first match back after beating Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, she is more than deserving of our Player of the Day nod. Suarez Navarro’s resiliency and fight is an inspiration to all.

Suarez Navarro blew all expectations out of the water, and actually won more total points than Stephens, serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set. It was Suarez Navarro’s first match since February of 2020, and her lack of competitive match play unfortunately (and understandably) cost her during the key moments.

It would have been nice to see the Spaniard end her Roland Garros career with a win, but the result does not make her performance any less valiant.