| Name | Sumit Nagal |
| Date of Birth | 16th August 1997 |
| Hometown | Jhajjar, Haryana |
| Height | 5’10 |
| Weight | 76 Kgs |
| Coach | Mariano Delfino |
Early Life:
Sumit Nagal was born on 16th August 1997 in Jaitpur Village in Haryana. His mother was a housewife, and his father was a teacher. Nagal did not have a sports background, and like any normal Indian kid was indulged in cricket as a child. However, his father wanted Nagal to do something different from the crowd. Therefore, he took him to a local sports academy where Nagal first noticed the game of Tennis. His father endorsed him into Tennis at the age of eight, and Nagal started playing regularly.
Turning Point:
Sumit Nagal’s life took a turn two years later when he was shortlisted for Bhupathi’s ‘Mission 2018’ program. The program started with the aim of producing a singles grand slam winner from India by the year 2018. Sumit caught the eye of Bhupathi when he uttered the famous words, “Mr. Bhupathi, can you please look at my game?”
Sumit Nagal was one of the three players selected from thousands of Tennis players in India to train under the Mission 2018 program. He moved to Bangalore to train under Bhupathi. His journey to greatness started soon after. He moved to Toronto in Canada at the age of 13. The famous coach Bobby Mahal took Nagal under his wings, and Bhupathi continued to mentor him even when the player was in Canada. Sumit moved to Germany in four years, where Mariano Delfino, the Argentine coach, trained him for the Singles event.
The journey towards professionalism and Setback:
Sumit Nagal created history in 2015 when he won the doubles title at Junior Wimbledon. He partnered with Lý Hoàng Nam of Vietnam to script the history. Nagal became the first player after Sania Mirza to win the title at Junior Wimbledon. Mirza won the title in 2003. India was ready to welcome its latest star, and his hard work all seemed to fall in place. Nagal was selected in the Davis Cup squad of India.
However, he received a setback in 2017 when he was dropped from the Davis Cup squad. The team management cited his disciplinary issues as a reason to drop him from the team. However, Somdev Devvarman later revealed that Nagal was dropped due to poor fitness. The event was a significant setback for Nagal.
Comeback and the History:
Sumit Nagal made a comeback the same year when he won the Singles title in 2017 Bangalore Open. The Bangalore Open was his first ATP tour win. Nagal soon started challenging for various titles and became a regular name on the ATP tour.
The best moment of Nagal’s life came in 2019 when he qualified for the US Open, his first-ever Grand Slam. He turned the eyes of the entire World towards him in the US Open when he defeated Roger Federer in one set. Nagal forced the World as a whole to sit and take him into account as a future star. Though he lost the game 4-6.6-1,6-2,6-4, Nagal certainly proved that he has the potential to perform at the highest level.
A lot is expected of Nagal, and it would be interesting to see how he performs in 2020.
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