In November 2023, a brief 23-second clip of Sumit Nagal’s profitable match-point in opposition to Italian Stefano Travaglia within the semifinals of the Helsinki ATP Challenger was having an unusually lengthy shelf life on X (previously Twitter). As an alternative of being sucked into the social media vortex, it was broadly shared, for Nagal was on the cusp of breaking into the coveted ATP top-100.
Beneath the put up, although, was an innocuous remark that learn: “Best Indian male singles participant of all time? Who’s near him up to now?” To the typical Indian sports activities fan, the query would have been borderline blasphemous, for the nation has produced stalwarts equivalent to Ramanathan Krishnan, Vijay Amritraj and Ramesh Krishnan, to call a couple of.
A deeper malaise
Seen otherwise, the ignorance may have additionally been indicative of a deeper malaise that has bothered Indian males’s singles tennis. If one has to time-travel greater than three a long time to seek out the final nice, how do you count on spectators to be engaged and educated?
Over the past 4 months nevertheless, Nagal has taken small, however encouraging, steps in the direction of erasing this story of maximum apathy, being extra than simply an object of curiosity and offering that emotional hook for a lot of an Indian tennis fan.
The 26-year-old has damaged into the top-100 for the primary time, crushed two top-40 gamers, together with the then World No. 27 Alexander Bublik within the first spherical of the Australian Open, and has certified for 2 ATP Masters in Indian Wells (fortunate loser) and Monte Carlo.
The win over Bublik was the primary by an Indian over a seeded participant at a Slam since Ramesh Krishnan beat World No. 1 Mats Wilander on the 1989 Australian Open. Nagal even received a spherical in Monte Carlo, overcoming World No. 38 Matteo Arnaldi in three units — which is ready to hold him into the top-80, a brand new career-high — earlier than shedding a tricky three-setter to World No. 7 Holger Rune.
To be honest, Nagal’s exploits aren’t a patch on what is taken into account top-draw in international tennis parlance. What has excited Indian followers nevertheless is his rise from the sporting abyss during the last 12 months and a half — he started 2023 ranked 502 on this planet — and his new-found consistency.
“The previous few years I’ve misplaced a lot time, that is one of the best I may ask for,” Nagal mentioned in Monte Carlo. “I’ve been taking part in quite a lot of matches and I’m very pleased that I’ve performed the tournaments I wish to play in.”
Nagal first shot into the limelight manner again in 2015 when he received the Wimbledon junior doubles title. In 2017, he secured his first Challenger title, on the Bengaluru Open, and in 2019 got here his second, in Buenos Aires. And when he certified for the 2019 US Open and took a set off Roger Federer on his Main debut beneath the glitzy New York night time sky, he appeared set to succeed in for the celebrities.
However a number of bouts of Covid and a hip harm that required surgical procedure in November 2021 set him again, and in 2022 he misplaced extra matches than he received (18 to 17).
Rising from darkness
“I used to be in a really darkish place the place I used to be not having fun with tennis,” Nagal informed ATPTour.com final Might. “I used to be at all times asking myself, ‘Why me? I didn’t play for seven or eight months, then I performed once more for 4 weeks and I’m out once more for six weeks. What else do I must do?’ I couldn’t discover solutions.”
Issues ultimately fell into place in 2023, when he put collectively a full season, reached 4 Challenger finals and received two (Rome and Tampere). He even overcame a monetary crunch, and this February, he triumphed on the Chennai Challenger, defeating the extremely rated Italian Luca Nardi — who went on to beat Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells — to enter the top-100.
“The most important factor is that he has labored rather a lot on his health,” says India’s Davis Cup coach Zeeshan Ali, in a dialog with The Hindu. “He at all times had the tennis, the massive photographs; and over a time frame, he has labored on his serves and turn into much more aggressive from the baseline.
“[But] the entire hitting comes from being bodily stronger. And the outcomes are displaying. He’s older now, much more mature and is aware of his recreation rather a lot higher. So all issues mixed, he’s having one of the best season of his life.”
Discovering a manner: At 5’10”, Nagal is brief by tennis requirements. However what he lacks in top, he makes up for together with his fluid motion and groundstrokes. | Photograph credit score: Getty Pictures
At 5’10”, Nagal is brief by tennis requirements. What he lacks in top, and by extension a booming serve, he makes up for together with his fluid motion and groundstrokes. That’s maybe why he loves clay, is adept on onerous and doesn’t want grass.
Somdev Devvarman, who peaked at No. 62 in singles greater than a decade in the past and was of an identical construct, tells The Hindu that Nagal doesn’t need to reinvent his recreation to excel.
“There have at all times been quantity of brief gamers who’ve made it,” reckons Devvarman, who has taken up a mentorship function with Nagal. “I’m not even speaking in regards to the prime prime gamers, however a Dudi Sela, Radu Albot, Diego Schwartzman, Sebastian Baez, and so on.
“Nagal simply has to discover ways to maintain serve in easier trend. It additionally involves the type of factors that you just’re establishing. And secondly, all these guys do extremely nicely on return. So that they preserve themselves alive by ensuring they’ve a couple of alternatives to interrupt each set. And that may preserve any participant imbalanced.”
Realising his potential: Nagal has had his harm struggles, however the final season-and-a-half has proven what he’s able to when his thoughts and physique are in sync. | Photograph credit score: Getty Pictures
Cautionary tales
Indian tennis, although, is replete with cautionary tales. The final two males to interrupt into the top-100, Yuki Bhambri and Prajnesh Gunneswaran, didn’t keep there for lengthy, hampered as they have been by persistent accidents. Nagal has additionally been injury-prone, however the final season-and-a-half has proven what he’s able to when his thoughts and physique are in sync.
“For somebody like Sumit, the very first thing that any teaching workers will deal with is to maintain the man injury-free,” opines Devvarman. “When that occurs, you will notice issues standing out — he’s serving to a spot, staying aggressive and being very energetic across the courtroom. On return video games, he’ll put quite a lot of balls again. So he simply begins utilizing his recreation very well to guarantee that the forehand, his largest weapon, has the flexibility to shine.”
World tennis can also be an unforgiving place. The rolling 52-week rating system requires gamers to match earlier 12 months’s outcomes simply to keep up their standing. Then comes the development in performances, which makes the game relentless and grinding.
“Firstly, I’ll give him quite a lot of credit score for hanging in there as a result of he’s been taking part in on the circuit for 8-10 years and it’s solely now that he’s beginning to see success,” says Zeeshan. “Now it’s a query of constructing from the place he’s. It’s [going to be] a unique degree of tennis, taking part in the Masters occasions the place each match might be in opposition to a top-100 man.
“He must have one or two actually good tournaments the place he wins a few rounds. If he’s shedding within the first spherical, it received’t assist him bounce very excessive. To crack the top-50, it is advisable to do extra than simply play these tournaments. That’s what Sumit goes to be aiming for.”
