Sumit Nagal

Sumit Nagal demands $50, 000 to represent India, calls it standard practice

The All India Tennis Association on Thursday claimed that Sumit Nagal demanded an annual fee of USD 50,000 to play Davis Cup ties for India but the country's top singles player defended himself, saying it is "standard practice" for athletes to be paid for their services. Nagal had opted out of the recent Davis Cup tie against Sweden, citing a back strain that also forced him out of the US Open men's doubles competition last month. It was India's best chance to beat Sweden in their own backyard but competing without a singles specialist, the team received a 0-4 hammering. Packed with doubles players and debutants, the team could not even win a set in the World Group I tie. AITA, on Tuesday, made its displeasure clear by saying that the country's top players, including Nagal, Yuki Bhambri and Sasikumar Mukund, refused national duty. Nagal had entered the ATP 250 Hangzhou Open and was scheduled to play on Thursday but withdrew citing the same back issue. "You tell me why should a pla

Sumit Nagal injures his back, withdraws from Davis Cup tie against Sweden

India's top singles player Sumit Nagal on Monday pulled out of the upcoming Davis Cup tie against Sweden due to a back injury. Nagal recently lost his first round singles contest to Tallon Griekspoor at the US Open. The indoor hard-court contest in Stockholm will be played on September 14-15. "I was really looking forward to representing in the upcoming Davis Cup tie against Sweden," Nagal wrote on social media. "However, due to a back issue that's been bothering me for the past few weeks, doctors have advised me to rest for the next two weeks, leaving me without enough time to prepare and compete in Sweden. This same issue also led to my withdrawal from the US Open doubles "I'm deeply disappointed to be missing this tie, but I have to listen to my body to prevent the back from worsening, so that I can finish the season strong and healthy. Good luck to the Indian team - I'll be cheering for you all from home!" he added. Nagal reached a career-high ranking of 68 in July but has dr

Nagal on the rise, enters the final of Perugia ATP Challenger event

In the final, Nagal will take on the winner of Luciano Darderi of Italy and Germany's Daniel Altmaier

French Open 2024: Sumit Nagal breaks Khaachanov, but eventually crashes out

It was a Grand Slam debut for the 26-year-old Nagal who became the first Indian after Prajnesh Gunneswaran in 2019 to play in the French Open Men's Singles

Nagal takes a set off world number 7 Rune before Monte Carlo Masters exit

Putting up a brave fight, India's Sumit Nagal took a set off world number seven Holger Rune before losing his rain-hit second round match of the Monte Carlo Masters, here Thursday. In an impressive show of grit and gumption, Nagal threatened to spoil Rune's party by taking the second set after the second round match, which was suspended due to rain on Wednesday, resumed. However, he lost his serve twice in the final set. The Indian qualifier was behind 1-2 against seventh seed Rune in the second set, when the heavens opened up. He lost 3-6 6-3 2-6 after battling hard for two hours and 11 minutes in the prestigious clay court event. Nevertheless, it was a memorable tournament for him as he became the first Indian to win a singles main draw match at a Masters event on clay. Nagal had taken a set off the great Roger Federer at the 2019 US Open. The 26-year-old Nagal dropped his serve in the second game of the final set to fall behind but broke back immediately and held his own serve

Nagal first Indian to enter Monte Carlo Masters MS main draw in 42 years

Sumit Nagal became the first Indian to enter the Monte Carlo Masters singles main draw in 42 years, beating Facundo Diaz Acosta of Argentina in a three-setter in the final qualifying round here on Sunday. Nagal, ranked 95th in the world, defeated his world number 55 rival 7-5 2-6 6-2 in a gruelling match that lasted two hours and 25 minutes. In the first round of the main draw, he will meet world number 35 Matteo Arnaldi of Italy in the clay court tournament. The 26-year-old Nagal was following the footsteps of the legendary Ramesh Krishnan, who had made it to the main draw of the same tournament in 1982. Nagal had beaten world number 63 Flavio Cobolli of Italy 6-2 6-3 in the first round of qualifying event. "Absolutely thrilled to have made it to the main draw in Monte Carlo! Really appreciate the support and well wishes from India and around the globe. Can't wait for my next match!," Nagal tweeted after the win. Nagal has been in the spotlight since making it to the main draw o

Pune Open 2024: Poonacha stuns top seed Sumit Nagal in Pune ATP Challenger

Indian wildcard entry Niki Poonacha pulled off a stunning victory over top seed and compatriot Sumit Nagal to move to the quarterfinals of the ATP Challenger 100 international tournament here on Thursday. Poonacha joined Sasikumar Mukund in the quarterfinals after he defeated the much-fancied Nagal 6-4, 6-3, their clash lasting over one hour and nine minutes. In the contest played at the Mahalunge Balewadi Stadium, Nagal was leading 4-2 in the first set before Poonacha came back fighting to level the scores and eventually clinch a famous win for himself to make his first-ever quarterfinal at this level. In the quarterfinals, Poonacha, who made his debut in India's recent Davis Cup fixture against Pakistan in Islamabad, will take on seventh-seeded Dave Sweeny from Australia. Sweeny defeated Poland's Maks Kasinowski 6-4, 6-1. Two Indian pairs qualified for the doubles semifinals. The duo of Arjun Kadhe and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan notched up a 6-4, 7-6 win over Jakob Schnaitter and Ma

Pune Open Challenger: Nagal, Ramanathan advance to pre-quarterfinals in

Top seeded Sumit Nagal and wildcard Ramkumar Ramanathan on Tuesday entered the pre-quarterfinals of the ATP Challenger 100 international tournament after winning their respective round of 32 matches here on Tuesday. Nagal defeated Chinese Taipei's Yu Hsiou Hsu 7(6)-6, 6-4 at the centre court at the Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Stadium. Nagal, who won the ATP Challenger in Chennai and reached the semifinals in Bengaluru, came back from a break down in the second set to record his win in two hours and five minutes. On the other hand, in a thrilling contest which lasted one hour and 55 minutes, Ramanathan scored a 7-6(5) 7-6(5) win over 160th ranked Stefano Napolitano, who won the Bengaluru Open last week. The 101-ranked Nagal will now take on compatriot Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha for a spot in the quarterfinals, while Ramanathan will lock horns with Russia's Alexy Zakahrov. Also moving to the round of 16 was Australia's Adam Walton, who recorded a 7-6 (1), 6-2 win over Belgian qualifier ..

Bengaluru Open: Nagal out in semis, Ramkumar-Saketh pair wins double title

Sumit Nagal could not handle the cunning approach and nerve of Italy's Stefano Napolitano as the second seeded Indian bowed out of the Bengaluru Open with his semifinal defeat here Saturday. Napolitano, the seventh seed, overwhelmed Nagal 7-6 (2), 6-4 after an intense 2 hour and 17 minutes match. He will face ninth seed Seongchan Hong of South Korea in the title clash on Sunday. In the first semifinal match, Hong defeated eighth seed Spaniard Oriol Batalla 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. India's Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni clinched the doubles crown after defeating Maxime Janvier and Constantine Kouzmine of France 6-3, 6-4 in the final. It was the second title in a row for Ramkumar and Saketh as they had won the title in Chennai last week. As is his wont in this tournament, Nagal began the match with an early break in the second game to establish a 2-0 lead in the opening set, which he soon swelled into 4-1 after holding his serve in the third and fifth games. Everything was functioning

Top-100 dream realised, Indian ace Sumit Nagal eyes Olympic glory next

His dream of being inside the global top-100 has been realised but Sumit Nagal is nowhere close to being a content man as the Indian tennis ace says he now faces the challenge of improving or holding on to his standing for direct entry into Grand Slams and the Paris Olympics. Nagal's victory in the recent Chennai Open propelled him to a career-high world No. 98, and he is the first Indian to achieve the feat since Prajnesh Gunneswaran did that in 2019. "Every tennis player dreams about being in the top 100. I have dreamt about being in the top 100 from a very young age and it felt very good when it happened. It was certainly an emotional day after working for years," Nagal told PTI in an interview after his first-round win in the Bengaluru Open on Tuesday night. The 26-year-old, who is seeded second here, entered the second round of the tournament with a breezy 6-2, 6-2 win over Frenchman Geff Blancaneaux. But he is not ready to rest on his laurels and has set his eyes on bigger ..

Nagal jumps 23 places to break into top-100 of ATP singles rankings

India's leading singles player Sumit Nagal on Monday jumped 23 spots to break into the top-100 of the ATP singles rankings for the first time in his career. The win at the Chennai Open challenger event on Sunday pushed Nagal to 98th in the latest singles rankings led by Serbian Novak Djokovic. Last month, Nagal had become the first Indian to beat a seeded player at a Grand Slam in 35 years when he upset then world no.27 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in the first round. He eventually lost to China's Juncheng Shang in the second round. Nagal is the first Indian to feature in the top-100 since left-handed Prajnesh Gunneswaran made the cut in 2019. "I'm very emotional. You know, every tennis player's dream is to be top 100 at least. And like I said earlier, to win this match in front of the home crowd in your own country, I don't think I could have asked for a better place," Nagal said after his victory in Chennai on Sunday. "I don't think there were words, everyone was crying. Less

India's Sumit Nagal wins Chennai Open, set to enter top-100 ATP rankings

India's top singles player Sumit Nagal on Sunday won his fifth Challenger-level singles title, outplaying Italian Luca Nardi in the final of the Chennai Open -- an achievement which will propel him into the top-100 for the first time in his career. Nagal's 6-1 6-4 win is likely to take him to 98 when the fresh rankings will be issued on Monday. Nagal will be first Indian to feature in singles top-100 since left-handed Prajnesh Gunneswaran made the cut in 2019. It has been a terrific start to the 2024 season for the 26-year-old Indian, who qualified for the Australian Open main draw and knocked out top-30 player Alexander Bublik in the first round. Nagal has been in tremendous form as he won the Chennai Open without dropping a set.

Nagal and Ramkumar draw French rivals in opening round of Bengaluru Open

Indian ace Sumit Nagal is pitted against Geoffrey Blancaneaux, while wild card entrant Ramkumar Ramanathan will face Maxime Janvier in the men's singles main draw of the Bengaluru Open beginning here on Monday. World ranked 121 Nagal will aim to extend his dominance over Blancaneaux, whom he has beaten three times, including in the Australian Open Qualifiers. India No 2 Ramkumar has a 1-1 head-to-head record against Janiver and if he clears the first round hurdle, he is likely to run into top-seed Italian Luca Nardi, who has been drawn to meet a qualifier in his opening round. Australian Adam Walton has been seeded third and will open his campaign against Indian wild card entrant Prajwal Dev. In the doubles main draw, Frenchman Dan Added and Korea's Yun Seong Chung have been given the top billing and will clash with the Australian pair Tristan Schoolkate and Adam Walton. Australia's Christopher Matthew Romios and Poland's Piotr Matuszewski are seeded second and will take on Taipei

India's Davis Cup heroes to headline Bengaluru Open tennis tournament

Fresh from their Davis Cup win over Pakistan, four Indians including Ramkumar Ramanathan and N Sriram Balaji will be in action in the Bengaluru Open slated to be held from February 12-18. India's top singles player Sumit Nagal, who opted out of the Davis Cup, will also be seen in action, having earned a direct entry by virtue of his 137th rank. The cut-off for the Bengaluru Open was 257. At the Australian Open last month, Nagal had knocked out world number 27 Alexander Bublik in the first round of the main draw. In the doubles, Ramkumar has partnered big-serving compatriot Saketh Myneni, while Balaji has teamed up with Germany's Andre Begemann. Ramkumar and Myneni won the doubles title in 2022. World Ranked 78 Balaji and Begeman (WR 201) will be the third-seeded team in the 16-team draw with a combined rank of 279. Myneni (WR 107) and Ramkumar (WR 210) are the sixth-best team in terms of their combined rank of 317. The top-ranked team in the event will be of Frenchman Dan Added

Staying fit and breaking into top-100 Nagal's focus ahead of Paris Olympics

Ace Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal on Tuesday said staying fit and breaking into top-100 in world rankings will be his focus ahead of the Paris Olympics later this year. The 26-year-old from Haryana has had his share of brushes with injuries in the past, having missed qualifying for the 2018 US Open due to an injury. In 2021, he suffered a hip injury before undergoing surgery in November of that year. "Staying fit would be the highest priority. The second (goal) would be to play in the Olympics, which would be a nice feeling. But for that, you need to be within the top 100," Nagal responded to a PTI query in an interaction during the ongoing Chennai Open ATP Challenger event, where he is through to the pre-quarterfinals. Currently ranked 121 in the ATP singles, Nagal is confident of breaking into the top 100. "It (Olympic qualification) would only be possible if I keep winning the matches. I have to focus on upcoming matches and not wonder about what's going to happen in the nex

Chennai Open 2023: Sumit Nagal to spearhead Indian men's singles challenge

Sumit Nagal, who recently became the first Indian to beat a seeded player in a Grand Slam tournament, will spearhead the Indian challenge in the men's singles competition of the Chennai Open ATP Challenger 100 tournament beginning Sunday. The 26-year-old Nagal had entered the second round of the Australian Open last month after beating world no. 27 and number 31 seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan. He is currently ranked 121 in the world. Ramkumar Ramanathan and Mukund Sasikumar will the other Indians in the fray in men's singles as they were among three players who were handed wild cards for the main draw. Luca Nardi of Italy has been given the top billing as players from 14 countries will be taking part in the tournament here. Last year's winner Max Purcell of Australia will not be competing this time as he is featuring in other ATP events. In the doubles category, India's Arjun Kadhe and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan are the top seeds. The tournament is the first of the four Challenger

Chennai Open: It is better to play Challengers at home feels Vijay Amritraj

Indian tennis players must concentrate on the Challengers at the moment and will be better off playing regularly at home than going overseas, the country's former star Vijay Amritraj suggested on Thursday. Amritraj, who beat legends such as Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Rod Laver in his heyday, spoke to PTI ahead of next week's Chennai Open Challenger. He said the tournament gives the Indian players a great opportunity to earn ranking points. "It's give them an opportunity. If you don't get the opportunity, you can't even try. You're better off playing in India than going somewhere else to get points. The cost, competition and home turf -- all these things matter," Amritraj said. "For us (Indians), we don't need to stretch that far. First, we need to get into a tournament. If we can't get into the Challengers, no point talking about Grand Slams. "You expect someone like Sumit (Nagal) and Mukund (Sasikumar) to perform better than he could have fared overseas. So, localised tournamen

Davis Cup: Team India begin preparations for arch-rivals Pakistan tie

Braving cold conditions, the Indian Davis Cup team began its preparatory camp for the upcoming grass court tie against Pakistan, keen to find a second singles player in the absence of top-ranked Indian Sumit Nagal. Country's top singles players -- Nagal (ranked 137) and Sasikumar Mukund (ranked 463) -- have pulled out of the tie February 3-4 tie in Islamabad. Their absence means that Ramkumar Ramanathan is the only singles specialist player in the team. Captain Rohit Rajpal has to choose between Yuki Bhambri and N Sriram Balaji to play the second singles. Bhambri, at 61 in the ATP doubles list, is the team's highest ranked player and will certainly play the doubles rubber as well. Veteran Rohan Bopanna, who is India's best doubles player, has retired from Davis Cup. Niki Poonacha is also an option but he is ranked as low as 783 and the team may not field him in singles. Both Bhambri and Balaji took a day off since they travelled straight from Melbourne after competing in the ...

Australian Open 2024: Nagal bow out; Bopanna-Ebden pair moves to 2nd round

Chinese tennis prodigy Juncheng Shang blunted Sumit Nagal's challenge at the Australian Open to halt the Indian's impressive run at the first major of the season here on Thursday. Coming into the match after an inspiring win over a top-30 player, Nagal began in the same dominating fashion but the 18-year-old wild card entrant got better as the game progressed to walk out a winner with a 2-6 6-3 7-5 6-4 scoreline. The second round contest lasted two hours and 50 minutes and it was clear that Nagal had run out of steam in the fourth set. In contrast, Shang began to serve well from the third set onwards and was at ease in pocketing his service games despite being troubled by high backhand balls in the match. Nevertheless, the 26-year-old Nagal, who hails from Jhajjar in Haryana, will exit the Melbourne Park with cherishable memories, having made the main draw through the Qualifiers and scripting a win over world number 27 Alexander Bublik. Nagal will take home AUD 180,000 (nearly 98

History created at Australian Open: All you need to know about Sumit Nagal

Sumit Nagal, the man from Jhajjar, will next play China's 18-year-old wild card entrant Juncheng Shang on Thursday (January 18). Shang is ranked 140th in the ATP rankings.