Tennis
Sumit Nagal secures spot in the US Open main draw
After a five-year gap, an Indian singles player will now play in all four Grand Slam events in single calendar year.
Sumit Nagal lost to Borna Coric of Croatia in the first round of the Winston-Salem Open. (Photo credit: X)
Indian tennis star Sumit Nagal has officially confirmed his US Open main draw spot, marking a significant milestone in his career.
This achievement makes him the first Indian since Prajnesh Gunneswaran in 2019 to make an appearance in all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single calendar year.
Milestones aplenty
With this inclusion Nagal is set to be the second Indian after Somdev Devvarman to compete in more than three US Open main draws.
This will also be Nagal’s seventh appearance in a Grand Slam main draw and the third at the US Open. The Indian also secured his career best ATP ranking of 68 in the latest rankings.
Rising through the ranks
Sumit Nagal’s journey has been resolute, marked by numerous challenges along the way.
After sustaining a hip injury in 2021, he underwent surgery to regain normalcy. It wasn’t until 2023 that he made a roaring comeback, winning two Challenger titles.
The start of 2024 has been nothing short of banger for Sumit Nagal.
He upset the World No. 27 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan at the Australian Open, and thereafter, went on to win his fifth ATP Challenger title at the Chennai Open.
Subsequently, he clinched the Heilbronn Challenger in Germany and the Perugia Challenger in Italy, and reached the finals of the Geneva Open narrowly missing the title.
At the Wimbledon, Nagal put up a spirited performance against the higher-ranked Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia but fell short of victory.
Nagal, who is currently competing at the Nordea Open in Sweden on clay courts, will gain valuable match practice ahead of the Olympics to be played at clay courts of Roland Garros starting in the next 10 days.
