In November 2023, a brief 23-second clip of Sumit Nagal’s profitable match-point towards Italian Stefano Travaglia within the semifinals of the Helsinki ATP Challenger was having an unusually lengthy shelf life on X (previously Twitter). Instead of being sucked into the social media vortex, it was extensively shared, for Nagal was on the cusp of breaking into the coveted ATP top-100.
Underneath the publish, although, was an innocuous remark that learn: “Greatest Indian male singles player of all time? Who is close to him in the past?” To the common Indian sports activities fan, the query would have been borderline blasphemous, for the nation has produced stalwarts reminiscent of Ramanathan Krishnan, Vijay Amritraj and Ramesh Krishnan, to call a number of.
A deeper malaise
Seen in a different way, the ignorance might have additionally been indicative of a deeper malaise that has troubled Indian males’s singles tennis. If one has to time-travel greater than three many years to search out the final nice, how do you count on spectators to be engaged and educated?
Over the final 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, overwhelmed 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 gained 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 dropping a troublesome three-setter to World No. 7 Holger Rune.
To be honest, Nagal’s exploits are usually not a patch on what is taken into account top-draw in world tennis parlance. What has excited Indian followers nevertheless is his rise from the sporting abyss during the last yr and a half — he started 2023 ranked 502 on the earth — and his new-found consistency.
“The last few years I have lost so much time, this is the best I could ask for,” Nagal stated in Monte Carlo. “I have been playing a lot of matches and I am very happy that I have played the tournaments I want to play in.”
Nagal first shot into the limelight manner again in 2015 when he gained 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 Major debut below the glitzy New York night time sky, he appeared set to succeed in for the celebrities.
But a number of bouts of Covid and a hip damage that required surgical procedure in November 2021 set him again, and in 2022 he misplaced extra matches than he gained (18 to 17).
Emerging from darkness
“I was in a very dark place where I was not enjoying tennis,” Nagal informed ATPTour.com final May. “I was always asking myself, ‘Why me? I didn’t play for seven or eight months, then I played again for four weeks and I’m out again for six weeks. What else do I need to do?’ I couldn’t find answers.”
Things ultimately fell into place in 2023, when he put collectively a full season, reached 4 Challenger finals and gained 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 biggest thing is that he has worked a lot on his fitness,” says India’s Davis Cup coach Zeeshan Ali, in a dialog with The Hindu. “He all the time had the tennis, the large pictures; and over a time frame, he has labored on his serves and develop into much more aggressive from the baseline.
“[But] all of the hitting comes from being physically stronger. And the results are showing. He is older now, a lot more mature and knows his game a lot better. So all things combined, he is having the best season of his life.”
Finding a manner: At 5’10”, Nagal is brief by tennis requirements. But what he lacks in top, he makes up for together with his fluid motion and groundstrokes. | Photo credit score: Getty Images
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 is maybe why he loves clay, is adept on laborious and doesn’t favor 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 should reinvent his sport to excel.
“There have always been a good amount of short players who have made it,” reckons Devvarman, who has taken up a mentorship position with Nagal. “I’m not even speaking in regards to the high high gamers, however a Dudi Sela, Radu Albot, Diego Schwartzman, Sebastian Baez, and many others.
“Nagal just has to learn how to hold serve in simpler fashion. It also comes to the style of points that you’re constructing. And secondly, all these guys do incredibly well on return. So they keep themselves alive by making sure they have a few opportunities to break every set. And that can keep any player imbalanced.”
Realising his potential: Nagal has had his damage struggles, however the final season-and-a-half has proven what he’s able to when his thoughts and physique are in sync. | Photo credit score: Getty Images
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 had been by power 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 someone like Sumit, the first thing that any coaching staff will focus on is to keep the guy injury-free,” opines Devvarman. “When that happens, you will see things standing out — he’s serving to a spot, staying aggressive and being very lively around the court. On return games, he will put a lot of balls back. So he just starts using his game really well to make sure that the forehand, his biggest weapon, has the ability to shine.”
World tennis can also be an unforgiving place. The rolling 52-week rating system requires gamers to match earlier yr’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 a lot of credit for hanging in there because he’s been playing on the circuit for a good 8-10 years and it’s only now that he’s starting to see success,” says Zeeshan. “Now it’s a query of constructing from the place he’s. It’s [going to be] a special stage of tennis, enjoying the Masters occasions the place each match might be towards a top-100 man.
“He needs to have one or two really good tournaments where he wins a couple of rounds. If he is losing in the first round, it won’t help him jump very high. To crack the top-50, you need to do more than just play these tournaments. That’s what Sumit is going to be aiming for.”