Rising Star: Sumit Nagal’s Journey to Success in Professional Tennis

Indian tennis player, Sumit Nagal (Australian Open)

It was a hot August 1997 in Jahjjar (India) when Sumit Nagal came into the world. Son of a humble family, his father was his teacher and his mother was a housewife, he started playing tennis at the age of eight. As a junior, he won a Grand Slam title and soon, in 2015, he made the leap to professional tennis. From when he jumped to the elite until he began to be a recurring member of the Indian Davis Cup team only three years passed. Although he holds two Challenger titles, his decisive year was 2019, when he managed to qualify for the main draw of the US Open and win a set against Roger Federer in the first round.

The first victory in a major tournament came in 2020, when he defeated Arthur Ashe in New York and beat Bradley Klahn (he was the first Indian since Somdev Devvarman -2013- to win a match in the main draw of a Slam). In the second round, he was defeated by Dominic Thiem (top seed and winner of the tournament). This participation allowed him to reach his best position in the ranking (122).

However, like a good wine, its growth has improved over time. Four years later and in a different Grand Slam (Australian Open), Sumit defeated Aleksandr Búblik, the tournament’s top seed. “Proud to be able to be classified to play at this high level. I have had a very good feeling these two weeks. It is difficult to play tournaments of this importance and I am already looking forward to playing the next one,” Nagal acknowledged in an interview with Infobae Spain, in which he announced that his next tournaments will be in India: “I will play one in Chennai and another in Bangalore.”

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What a battle out there today ????????

Delighted to make the main draw of the @AustralianOpen ???? pic.twitter.com/x8kyebziys

— Sumit Nagal (@nagalsumit) January 12, 2024

Sumit was in one of the best moments of his career. He had become the second highest ranked Indian tennis player in the individual ranking, a true reference in his country. But he soon suffered something he was not expecting: a hip injury. “It took me many months of recovery,” recalls a fully recovered Nagal since the summer of 2022. This pause caused his fall in the ranking. “If you don’t play, it’s normal, look Rafa, he hasn’t played in a year and he has fallen in the rankings,” says the current 137th in the world, who highlights that “the most important thing is to stay healthy to be able to participate in tournaments.”

Just when he seemed to find his competitive tone again, Sumit’s life suffered a setback again. This time in relation to economic issues. He was forced to ask for help through The Time of India, claiming to have “$900” in his bank account. “That’s the same amount as at the beginning of the season. A coach costs about 80lakh a year ($90,000),” lamented the tennis player. After beating Bublik and moving to the Australian second round, the Indian pocketed 180,000 Australian dollars (approximately 100,000 euros). “It is in the Grand Slams and in the Masters 1000 that you make money. If not, your income is minimal or you lose money,” adds Nagal, who obtained help from the Maha Foundation and the fuel company IOCL, who paid him a monthly payment so that he could continue fighting in tennis.

Sumit confirmed that to reduce costs he traveled without a physio to the matches, making use of the tournament physio if needed. “In tournaments like Australia, where we are 128 players, with 50% or less of the tennis players using the physio, the treatment and time with him becomes difficult. If you have a personal physiotherapist you can have access to as many hours as possible, while you only go to those at the ATP when you really need that assistance,” he says.

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Sumit Nagal celebrates his victory against Alexander Bublik in the first round of the Australian Open (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Despite all these setbacks, Sumit was clear about his goal and did not give up along the way: “I stay in my tunnel and continue to focus, pursuing the things I want to pursue.” Sumit is clear about the reasons that make him not give up: “Your goals, your visions, your dreams, your family. All the people who support you and assure you that you are on the right path.”

This good start to the season motivates him to, who knows, represent India at the Paris Olympics this summer. “It would be great to play the Olympic Games on a clay court. “I think it’s a fantastic opportunity,” reflects Sumit, being aware that “ranking position will count.” “The cut will surely be above the Top-90, so I will do everything possible to be up there, give myself a chance and represent the country.”

Rohan Bopanna has been the latest tennis player to make history in India. He is 43 years old, plays in doubles and his victory this Wednesday, along with Matthew Ebden, in the Australian quarterfinals, has propelled him to number one in the ATP Rankings in the doubles category. Until now, the Indian media focus is on this discipline, but Nagal hopes that his performance “will motivate people to continue focusing on the individual.” “Many things still have to change in the country to give them a chance,” he says, referring to “organizing tournaments, having better facilities and better coaches.” “Once these things are changed, there will be more chances for many players to participate in the individual draws,” says Sumit Nagal.

2024-01-25 04:00:00
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