Mariano Navone is tearing through the US Open draw and dragging his private life into the spotlight with him.
The 24-year-old Argentinian stunned the tennis world earlier in the week by knocking out Novak Djokovic in the first round, then backed it up with a composed win over Matteo Berrettini in round two. Next up is a showdown with compatriot Tomás Martín Etcheverry on September 4, the biggest match of Navone’s career at a tournament where he had never previously gone this deep.
With every upset, curiosity around the man behind the results has grown. Navone arrived in New York as a relative unknown to casual fans, without a Grand Slam title and without the aura that usually surrounds the sport’s elite. Now he’s one of the stories of the tournament – and people want to know who’s in his corner when the cameras are off.
A quiet confirmation on a loud night
After his seismic win over Djokovic, Navone allowed a brief glimpse into his personal life. In the middle of the chaos of that first-round victory, he revealed he is in a relationship.
“I don't want to get too emotional, but… it's going to be quite a night,” he told reporters. “In a little while, I'll call my sisters, my girlfriend, everyone. It's just crazy, but I'm truly happy, so happy about this.”
No big reveal. No orchestrated social media moment. Just a young player, overwhelmed by the biggest win of his career, listing the people he couldn’t wait to share it with.
Who is Julieta Villarreal Cerezo?
The woman Navone referenced is Julieta Villarreal Cerezo.
Scroll through his Instagram and you mostly see the usual fare for a rising pro: training clips, match shots, tournament travel. Hidden among the forehands and fist pumps, though, is a softer post from February 2025, a birthday tribute to Cerezo.
Written in his native language, the message roughly translates to a declaration of “unconditional love,” calling her a unique companion and praising, of all things, her chocotorta. He finishes by saying he loves her very much and toasting to more coffee and little trips together.
It’s not the first time she has appeared there. Navone also posted a birthday message for her in February 2024, a quiet indication that this relationship has been in place at least since then, even if the exact start date remains unknown.
A career built around sport, just not on court
Cerezo’s own career keeps her close to the world Navone now occupies.
According to her LinkedIn profile, she works as a senior communications analyst in the marketing department at Asociación Argentina de Polo, a role she has held since 2024. Before that, from 2019 to 2024, she worked in press and communications for Asociación Argentina de Tenis.
Those years inside Argentine tennis circles may well have provided the setting for their first meeting. The same ecosystem, different roles: he on court, she behind the scenes, shaping how the sport is seen and heard.
Now, as Navone prepares for his third-round clash with Etcheverry and chases a first Grand Slam title, that support system stretches from the player box in New York to a communications office back home. The results are suddenly global. The relationship, by choice, remains low-key.
The tennis world will see soon enough how far his run in New York can go. The calls to his sisters and his girlfriend after each match might be the only part of this story he isn’t ready to share with everyone else.
