Indian Tennis Daily

Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal sat down with Sports Today for an interview. The video link is given below.

Sports Today (ST): Sumit, congratulations on your highest-ever ranking! How does it feel?

Sumit Nagal (SN): Thank you for having me. Looking from where I’ve come the last few years, you know, not being able to play a week in and out for three years almost to be having this opportunity to play in the last 15 to 16 months, I think that’s the best part I could ask for. Ranking wise, I kind of always believed in myself that if I can somehow play the season or two seasons without getting injured, I do have enough capability of breaking top 100. And I felt like that was the biggest change that happened in the last four years.

ST: You were outside of the top 500 a year ago. Just tell us a bit more about that journey, you know, the tough times that you went through, what kept you motivated and how did you then make this comeback?

SN: Right. Beginning of last year ranked 503. So yeah, outside 500, even 505, whatever. See, tennis is a funny sport. If you don’t play, you don’t make points. You know, it’s how it is. One of the greatest players right now, Rafa, if he’s not playing, he’s ranked out at 600. I think the 2022 summer was the toughest for me just because I had come back from a surgery. I started playing and after five weeks, I got injured again, which was where I was pretty comfortably winning the match. And I think just running for a ball broke something in my body or tore something. And that was an emotional day. I cried on the court while shaking hands. And that six to eight weeks off plus trying to come back after was one of the darkest hours, darkest days. But I think I so wanted to be done with 2022. I went to South America in September. I was there for eight or nine weeks. And then actually last two tournaments was like, I just want to be home. I’m thankful to my friends, family, coaches for pushing me because I think when the time is tough, you go to your loved ones, the ones who believe in you. And that was the case in my in my in my life.

ST: There was talk about you having only 800 euros. How’s the bank account looking now? Enough to take care of your traveling, coaching, etc. for the next two years?

SN: I mean, yeah, I mean, you know, everything right now is just investing, investing in yourself. You know, the bigger budget you have, the more people you get involved. Now, I’m majority trying to travel with a tennis coach and a fitness coach or sometimes even a physio or a mental trainer. So we just bills are getting bigger and bigger now.

ST: So, you know, as you improve, as you go higher, I think it even gets tougher. It gets even bigger.

SN: Exactly.

ST: But I like that line of yours, you know, you need to invest in yourself.

SN: So, of course, of course, of course, because these are the years, you know, because these years won’t come back. So this is the opportunity you have. If you can improve by three percent every six months, you take it, you know, because the margin is so small in tennis and the majority of the matches you win or lose by two or three points. That’s it.

ST: You’ve beaten 20 of the current top hundred players. Does that give you hope that top 50 is not too far off?

SN: Yeah, sure. And I know I’m capable of doing it. I mean, I’ve realized it last few weeks. If just, you know, sometimes like last match talking about last match, I realized the mistake I made. I was I went for a little too much or a little too less. And I think sometimes I’m still trying to find the balance because the stage is still very new to me, you know, playing on central courts in Monte Carlo, dealing with the pressure, playing with people who are top 10. You know, when you’re not used to it, you sometimes still come as a surprise. And I felt like the last match when I played the first set was a surprise to me. I played not even 30 percent of what I could do. But these are the I think these are the most important parts on this level now to, you know, to get used to it, keep improving, keep pushing, keep knocking doors. And then, like I said, the best thing I could do is week in and out perform. Win or lose doesn’t matter. Just keep improving.

ST: Your thunderous forehand and on-court movement have been highlighted. Do you think clay could be the surface where you could bring out your best.

SN: Yeah, always. I’ve always performed the best on clay. So I grew up on clay as well. So I guess that’s one of the reasons why I feel comfortable playing on it.

ST: Have you had any interactions with top players like Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal in the locker room?

SN: See, Roger has not been in a locker room for a while now. You know, the only chat I had was around the match when I played him in 2019 when he came and he said, Hi, I’m Roger. I’m like, no shit. Sorry. And with Rafa, it’s just, hi, hello. He’s very much, you know, in his own aura. Djokovic, it’s also, hey, how’s it going? You know, we spoke about an Olympic match in Tokyo. He was watching it and he was asking how hard is it? I said, man, it’s very hard. It was 40 degrees, something, playing again. He’s like, wow, blah, blah, blah. Great match. Good win. And then just like quick chat, you know, nothing, nothing too deep. I would say where we’re sitting down and having a continuous back and forth chat that that hasn’t happened yet.

ST: Your visa issues all sorted as far as Wimbledon is concerned?

SN: Yeah, just I’m still waiting, still waiting to get the passport back. Yeah, hopefully, hopefully I get it.

ST: Does Virat Kohli (from the Virat Kohli Foundation) follow your career? Do you sometimes have a chat? Does he know what you’re up to?

SN: Maybe once or twice a year, you know, just basic congratulations, vice versa. But, yeah, that’s what I would say. Not, not much. It’s tough because, you know, you play, our tour is so different comparing to theirs, you know, we are so heavily European based tour. America and so Asia, maybe a bit of UK, West Indies based tour. So very tough to even flash dates. You know, if that happens, I think it would be, it would be really nice.

ST: How’s it been having Somdev Devvarman around your side?

SN: Always been fun. You know, I learned a lot from him. The way he played tennis was very different comparing to me. He’s been on and off helping me since 2016-17, to be honest. Great, great, great thanks to him. By when I broke top 100, he was around. He was in Chennai. And it was a very emotional day for all of us.

ST: What do you think needs to be done to bring Indian tennis back to its glory days?

SN: I think the quality in tennis has gone down comparing to 20 years back. I’ve always said a few things about it. One would be having a guidance, having a support, a system where, you know, hey listen, if you’re under 12-14, you’re going to work with this coach. 14-16, you’re going to work with this coach. These are the tournaments you’re going to play. This is the ranking we’re looking at. You know, just a system like every other country has. You go to Canada, US, France. Sure, I’m comparing to slam countries, but even if you go to, let’s not talk about a slam country. Look at Austria, look at Slovakia. Slovakia has maybe seven players and 10 coaches. Such a small country, you know, everyone has a personal coach. They have the ranking system, the association pays for the coach. But as you can see, they’re performing better than us. And Slovakia is not even half of Delhi, just to let you know.

So, you know, things can be done. Support with good staff is very important. Having tournaments on all surfaces in India is very important with good, good condition. You can find a tennis court in a random place in India. But, you know, that shouldn’t be the scenario. You have to look at, hey, listen, we want to provide the best courts for our players so they can play, get used to the rallies and then go to the next level. What happens in India so often is the courts are so fast that the rallies are two balls, three balls. And then you go outside India, then you’re like, hey, what do I do after three balls? Because I’m used to finishing the point in three rallies.

ST: Is that also a way of showing us the big difference? Like China was never a tennis powerhouse. But the kind of input that they’re having.

SN: Yeah, the budget they have is insane. Look at Zang, Triple Z, you know, the guy who won the gold medal in Asian Games. I’ve been traveling with three, three players from past six years, three, three people. So, of course, having a budget is very, very important. Having guidance is very important. And if these few things can be sorted, there is no reason for you to not succeed unless, of course, you don’t want to play or you go through injuries that I can understand. But other than that, there should be no reason.

ST: What are your immediate plans?

SN: I’ll probably take another week off. You know, I’ve been playing a lot from past 15, 16 months, to be honest. So take another week off, practice two more weeks and then start playing again. Maybe Rome, maybe end of Rome week. So early on, I will see how the body is feeling and then take it from there.