Sumit Nagal EXCLUSIVE: ‘Breaking into the top-100 has been on my mind for a lot of years’

Sumit Nagal achieved a career-high ranking of World No 98 after clinching the ATP Challenger Tour title in Chennai.

Sumit Nagal won his fifth ATP Challenger Tour level title on Sunday. The win was made special due to multiple reasons: it came in front of a packed and loud Chennai crowd. Secondly, it propelled him to a career-high of World No 98. The 26-year-old became the first Indian to enter the top-100 since Prajnesh Gunneswaran in 2019.

Nagal didn’t drop a set all week en route to winning on home soil, where he downed Luca Nardi 6-1, 6-4 in the final.

Sumit rose 23 spots in the latest ATP Rankings to become World No 98, becoming just the 10th Indian to reach the top-100. The foray inside the top-100 means more money from the pool that gets distributed to the players by ATP. Equally importantly, he doesn’t have to play the qualifying rounds or rely on wildcards for Grand Slam tournaments.

“Means a lot for breaking the top-100. It has been on my mind for a lot of years. Especially to do it in india, in front of my home crowd, in front of my coaches who have been involved in this journey for many years. It was very emotional. Means a lot to me,” said Nagal in an exclusive conversation with Firstpost.

The rise in rankings has been outstanding. Two years ago, Nagal was returning to professional tennis after undergoing hip surgery. He was ranked outside the Top-500, even falling to No. 638 in October 2022.

The comeback, however, has not been without its dramatics and topsy turvy ride. Having not played for six months with the hip surgery, he suffered a tear in his left oblique and a month after suffered a double bagel (6-0, 6-0) defeat in qualifying of a Challenger.

Three Challenger titles in the past nine months have been the light at the end of a very dark tunnel for Sumit. It has propelled him more than 400 spots in the ATP Rankings.

2024 has been exceptional thus far. Nagal qualified for the Australian Open main draw and then upset Alexander Bublik in the first round. It was the first win for an Indian singles player against a seeded opponent since 1989. With the title in Chennai, his win-loss has improved to 9-2.

“All titles are different. Every title means something to a player. So I cant complain. Very happy with the win and the way I played this week. Look forward to the next tournaments,” said Sumit when asked if titles in India feel different.

Despite the staggering start to the season, Nagal is keeping his feet grounded. He hopes to stay fit, inside the top-100 and play the Paris Olympics for the country.

Nagal was emotional, trying to soak in the moment of winning another title, and more importantly finding himself in the elite club of the top 100 players in the world. “Feeling very emotional now. I could not have asked for a better place to win the title. It has been tough for the past few years (getting surgery done, not having financial support and ranking outside the top-500) with a lot of ups and downs. I am very happy that I have found a way to push every single day and give myself a chance to be here,” Nagal said.

“I have never seen (in my career) such a big crowd for a Challenger event in India. I am thankful to the people who came to support me. Further, I would like to thank all the people who have been supporting me. Somdev Devvarman has been involved in the set-up for a long time and one of the reasons I like working with him is, he is very calm, and I am on the opposite side. I am learning to stay calm and patient which will help me in becoming a better player,” Nagal added.

And after five years, Nagal will enter the coveted mark. “It is such a proud feeling and I hope this win can push m ore people to pursue singles careers,” Nagal, who made the Australian Open second round in January, said.

With Thanks Reference to: https://www.firstpost.com/sports/tennis-news/sumit-nagal-interview-chennai-open-title-13721722.html and https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tennis/top-stories/sumit-nagal-breaks-into-top-100-after-winning-5th-challenger-title/articleshow/107616668.cms