Indian-origin American pro Govind Nanda (USA, PR 371) is back on the ATP Challenger Tour this week after stepping away from professional tennis for over 1 year due to chronic injuries and burnout. Fresh off winning the KPSF Open title in San Francisco in his 1st tournament back last month, the 25-year-old faces Daniel Milavsky (USA, 315) in the opening round of the Fort Worth Challenger.
In a candid short documentary titled “I Quit Tennis. Now I’m Back.” shared on Instagram and produced by Tennis Way of Life, the former UCLA standout opened up about the hidden physical and mental toll that pushed him to walk away from the sport in 2025, and why he decided to give professional tennis a 2nd chapter.
Nanda reached a career-high singles ranking of 339 in October 2022, but he explained that fans looking at his results from the outside never saw the constant physical pain behind the scenes. From his junior years through college at UCLA and onto the pro circuit, his body absorbed one setback after another.
“They did not see all the pain I was going through honestly. From a pretty young age I struggled with lower-back issues, hip stuff, a stress fracture in my foot, partially torn ligaments in my ankle, partially torn ligaments in my hip, and a partially torn labrum. It kind of made me hate the sport a little bit.”
— Govind Nanda (USA, PR 371) on the injury toll behind his hiatusWhy pro tennis began to feel like a prison
Years of stop-start rehab eventually wore down Nanda’s enjoyment of competing. He admitted that toward the end of his first stint on tour in mid-2025, he started breaking rackets on court, something he had never done earlier in his career, out of sheer frustration with how little control he felt over his body and situation.
In the video, Nanda described how all-consuming life on the lower rungs of the professional tour becomes when injuries strike. Every setback forces a player to spend both time and personal savings just to get healthy enough to chase unguaranteed ranking points again.
“Tennis is kind of like a prison. You cannot really do anything else when you are playing it and pursuing it. When injuries happen, you have to spend your time and money getting healthy to give yourself a chance to go for something super unguaranteed still. It is a losing proposition, not a smart thing to do trying to pursue being a tennis player.”
When Nanda finally decided he was done with tournament tennis after July 2025, his first feeling was relief. He spent more than 1 year away from the pro tour, filling his days with coaching and playing padel while letting his body recover without the weekly pressure of travel and points.
That time away ultimately reshaped his perspective. Nanda said he came to the realization that simply making money for the sake of making money was not the most fulfilling path, and that he still wanted to discover how high his tennis level could reach if his body stayed healthy.
Govind Nanda’s comeback timeline
Climbs to a career-best singles ranking of 339 (and 497 in doubles) after winning his 1st KPSF Open title in San Francisco and capturing 4 ITF singles trophies.
Plays his last ATP Challenger match in Tyler in June 2025 and steps away from professional tennis after July 2025 due to mounting injuries and burnout.
Takes a complete break from tournament play, spending over 12 months coaching and playing padel while healing physically and mentally.
Returns at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and wins the KPSF Open title in his 1st event back, rallying past top seed Theodore Dean (USA, 871) 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the final.
Enters the Fort Worth ATP Challenger main draw on his protected ranking of 371 to face Daniel Milavsky (USA, 315) in the Round of 32.
Winning his 1st event back and returning to Challenger play
Nanda tested his comeback last month at the Kunal Patel San Francisco Open (KPSF Open) at the Golden Gate Park Tennis Center, an event he had previously won 4 years earlier in 2022. Showing zero rust after more than 12 months away from competitive matches, he powered through the draw, including a 6-1, 6-0 quarterfinal win, to reach the championship match.
In the final on 27 September 2026, Nanda rallied from 1 set down to defeat top seed and defending champion Theodore Dean (USA, 871) 3-6, 6-2, 7-5. That title convinced him he was ready to step back onto the ATP Challenger Tour this week in Fort Worth, Texas, using his protected ranking of 371.
“This was my 1st tournament back in over a year, and I won. I really do believe I can get to a pretty high level if I can stay healthy, so I kind of want to see what that level is.”
— Govind Nanda ahead of his ATP Challenger return| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| F | Govind Nanda (USA, PR 371) d. [1] Theodore Dean (USA, 871) Title | 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 | Rallied from 1 set down against the defending champion to win his 1st event in over 1 year. |
| Round | Match | Court | Scheduled Start Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| R32 | Govind Nanda (USA, PR 371) vs Daniel Milavsky (USA, 315) | Court TBA | 12:30 AM IST (Tue, 20 Oct) |
Watch Govind Nanda’s comeback reel on Instagram (@govindoncourt & @hydracourttennis), produced by Tennis Way of Life (@tenniswayoflife), with the full documentary on his YouTube channel (@govindnanda01).