Every player dreams to at least be in top 100: Nagal after winning Chennai Open Challenger

Sumit Nagal is set to be the first Indian man in five years to make his Top 100 debut when the latest ATP Rankings release on Monday.

The 26-year-old broke the Top 100 barrier after beating Italy’s Luca Nardi on Sunday to win the Chennai Open title, an ATP Challenger Tour event.

After a tough 2022 season, the Indian was ranked outside the Top 500 and needed a wildcard to even enter the qualifying round of the same event last year.

“The summer of 2022 was probably the worst time because I had just started playing tennis again after six months off (due to a hip surgery). I played three tournaments and I got injured again, which put me out for another two-three months. That was one of the hardest times,” said Nagal in the post-match press conference.

However, three titles and two-runner up finishes on the Challenger Tour in the last 12 months have helped him make the big jump.

“Every tennis player’s dream is to at least be in the Top 100. The last few years have been tough with being ranked 500, getting surgery done and not having financial support. I’m very happy that I found a way to push every single day and gave myself a chance to be here,” he said.

Somdev Devvarman (right) along with Milos Galecic, Sumit Nagal’s fitness trainer, during the presentation ceremony after Nagal won the singles event at the ATP Challenger Chennai Open on Sunday.
| Photo Credit:
PTI

Apart from his fitness trainer Milos Galecic, Nagal also had Somdev Devvarman in the player box in every match in Chennai. Devvarman, former World No. 62, has been Nagal’s mentor for the past few years and gave him a tight hug after Sunday’s win. “The one reason I really like working with him is that he is very calm and I’m on the opposite side. I try to learn from him, how to be calm on certain points that can help me to be a better player,” he said.

Many Top-100 players usually travel to tournaments with support staff other than the main coach, something which Nagal aims he can also achieve soon. “It costs a lot to have two-three people involved with you. If you want to travel with two or three people, you’re talking about maybe more than two Rs 2-2.5 crore per year. That’s big money. As of now, I don’t have that luxury but if I keep performing well, I hope one day I can do that,” said Nagal, who received Rs 15,13,090 in prize money as the champion.