India, Top 100, Bhupathi: Everything you always wanted to know about Sumit Nagal (but never had time to find out) – updated with top 80 ranking
Sumit Nagal has become only the 10th player from India to break into the world’s top 100. Here’s all you need to know about the Indian tennis star
Sumit Nagal at the 2024 Australian Open
Image Credit: Action Plus / Panoramic
Who is Sumit Nagal?
Sumit Nagal is a tennis player from India who competes on the professional tennis circuit.
What did Sumit Nagal accomplish at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters?
In the first round of the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters, Nagal defeated world No 38, Matteo Arnaldi 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 in two hours 37 minutes to become the first Indian to win an ATP 1000 series match on clay.
Prior to that, the Indian won two matches in the qualifying draw to secure a spot in the main draw of tournament. Nagal had defeated Italy’s Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 6-3 and then world No 55 Facundo Diaz Acosta 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 in the qualies.
In the process, he became the first Indian player in 42 years to progress to the main draw of the prestigious clay court event, the last one being Ramesh Krishnan in 1982.
Nagal went down to seventh seed Holger Rune in three sets with the Dane winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 to end the Indian’s run in the tournament.
Why is Sumit Nagal in the news?
In February 2024, Sumit Nagal broke into the top 100 of the world rankings for the first time in his career. This made the 26-year-old only the 10th player from India to become a top 100 singles player.
When was Sumit Nagal born?
Nagal was born on August 16, 1997 in Haryana, India. That makes him 26 years old currently.
Who all are in his family?
Sumit’s family includes father Suresh; mother Krishna and sister Sakshi Shokeen.
How tall is Sumit Nagal?
According to his profile on the official ATP Tour website, Nagal is 5ft10in or 178cm.
How many ATP Challenger titles has Nagal won?
Nagal has won five ATP Challenger titles in his career so far. These include two at home – Bengaluru in 2017 and Chennai in 2024.
Who is Nagal’s coach?
Nagal trains at the Nensel Tennis Academy and is coached by Sascha Nensel and Milos Galecic. Former India No 1 Somdev Devvarman also helps him through the year.
Is Mahesh Bhupathi a mentor to Nagal?
Yes, the former world No 1 doubles player and 12-time Grand Slam doubles champion has played an instrumental role in Nagal’s career.
The two first met in 2008 in Delhi during a trial for Bhupathi’s Apollo Mission 2018 project which aimed to identify and nurture young tennis talent in India. Nagal approached Bhupathi personally to ask him to watch him play and Bhupathi was impressed with what he saw and offered to take Nagal under his wings.
What did Sumit Nagal do at the 2019 US Open?
Nagal won three matches in qualifying to make his Grand Slam main draw debut at the 2019 US Open. He faced Roger Federer in the first round and took the first set off the Swiss champion before going down in four sets.
What is Nagal’s best performance at a Grand Slam?
Nagal reached the second round at a Grand Slam for the first time at the 2020 US Open, where he beat Bradley Klahn in the first round to become the first Indian to win a Grand Slam singles match since Devvarman did the same at the 2013 US Open. The Indian was defeated in straight sets by the second seed and eventual winner, Dominic Thiem, of Austria in the second round.
Nagal also reached the second round at the 2024 Australian Open, where he upset 31st seed Alexander Bublik to become the first Indian to knock out a seed player in a Grand Slam singles event since Ramesh Krishnan upset then world No. 1 and defending champion Mats Wilander at the 1989 Australian Open. Nagal went down to Shang Juncheng in the second round.
What is Nagal’s highest ranking?
Nagal’s highest ranking has been No 80 in singles which he achieved for the first time on April 15, 2024. You can find his current ranking and rankings history on his ATP Tour profile page.
How much prize money has Nagal earned in his career?
According to the ATP Tour website, Nagal has earned $999,554 in career prize money as of April 15, 2024. You can see his latest prize money stats on his ATP Tour profile page.
Was Nagal a good junior?
As a junior, Nagal peaked at No 23 in the ITF world junior rankings. His best singles performance at a junior Grand Slam was reaching the last 16 at the 2015 Australian Open but he did win the Wimbledon boys doubles title with Vietnamese partner Ly Hoang Nam, beating Reilly Opelka and Akira Santillan in the final. This made Nagal the sixth Indian to win a junior Grand Slam title.
Is Nagal active on social media?
Yes. Sumit Nagal regularly posts on Instagram, where he more than 67,400 followers, on Twitter, where he has 20,400 followers, and on Facebook where he has more than 12,000 followers.
