At the Asian Games, lawn tennis is a discipline that has consistently won India medals. Sumit Nagal goes into the Asian Games as India’s highest-ranked men’s singles tennis player. His current ATP ranking is 247, but he has seen better days. The 29-year-old was ranked 68th back in 2024. At the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, India won two medals in lawn tennis: gold in mixed doubles (Rohan Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale) and silver in men’s doubles (Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan).
Before the Asian Games, NDTV caught up with Nagal.
Sumit Nagal goes into the Asian Games as India’s highest-ranked men’s singles tennis player
Talking about myself, I have lost two close quarter-finals to players who turned out to be very good. If you look at my last quarter-final in China, I lost to Zhe Zhang, who ended up winning gold. And before that, I lost in doubles against Bublik, who has also become a very good player.
Q: How do you see India’s current team? You are there, Yuki Bhambri is there, and Rutuja Bhosale is also there, who has the experience of winning an Asian Games medal. Sumit Nagal: I think there is a good chance. Everybody is a skilled player. I have been playing tennis for a while. Obviously, I would like to do more. I wouldn’t say try, but obviously I would hope that luck goes my way. Talking about Yuki, he is a very good player. If he is in form, it is very tough to play against him. I do believe he is going to be one of the favourite players to win a medal. The same goes for Rutuja. Sumit Nagal: Whether it is the Asian Games, Davis Cup, ATP Tour events, Grand Slams, or anything else, pressure is always going to be there. You just have to keep your head down, narrow your focus, and concentrate on the things that are going to matter on those days. Try not to let your thoughts wander and focus on the simple things. That’s all you can do. Sumit Nagal: For me, the Asian Games are going to be the first focus. I have to put everything into them. I am not too worried. I just want to enjoy myself. I want to play good tennis and give myself the best chance of winning every match. If it is in my hands, I want to do everything I can to the best of my ability. That’s it.
Like I said, pressure is a privilege. Obviously, as you said, there will be ATP events to finish the season.
