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Australian Open 2024: Sumit Nagal finally makes the Grand Slam cut again
His entry among the elite at Melbourne Park will be the first time an Indian will feature in a singles main draw of any Major in three years
After seeing a few match points come and go, Sumit Nagal flung his racquet and crouched with his hands on knees as Alex Molcan double-faulted facing another match point. It’s a feeling Nagal hasn’t experienced for a while, and which he did in Melbourne on Friday while booking his place in the main draw of the 2024 Australian Open beating Molcan 6-4, 6-4 in the third and final qualifying round.
Nagal’s entry among the elite at Melbourne Park, where he will take on world No. 31 Alexander Bublik in the opening round, will be the first time an Indian will feature in a singles main draw of any Grand Slam in three years. The last to make the cut was Nagal himself, at the 2021 Australian Open before a hip surgery brought him spiraling down with his rankings and rhythm on court.
That the 26-year-old has stepped up to fill the void again in tennis’ biggest stage not only reflects the dearth of talent in the singles pool in the country but also where a fit Nagal believes he truly belongs. The wait to get there once again has been long and arduous.
“It’s a proud feeling to get back to the main draw of a Slam," Nagal said over phone from Melbourne. “I’ve worked extremely hard to be here. To start and stop is never fun for any tennis player. But I guess I had no choice than to fight through this phase.”
Nagal, currently ranked 139, had been knocking on the top-100 door in late 2020 and was awarded a wildcard into the 2021 Australian Open before a long-standing hip issue forced him to go under the knife later that year. It took him six months to return to the professional tour, and a lot more to find his rhythm and level.
He began 2023 ranked outside 500 and not eligible to enter the qualifiers of even a Challenger, let alone of the Australian Open. But a season of two Challenger triumphs (apart from a couple more finals) got him up and running — both in terms of his tennis and rankings — through the weeks of grind.
“These years have made me stronger and smarter on the court, so I guess it worked out well for me in hindsight,” Nagal joked. “On a serious note, I put in the hard yards with Sascha (Nensel, coach) and Milos (Galecic, fitness trainer) to get back to where I am. It wouldn’t have been possible without them, as also without my family and friends who never stopped believing in me. I am enjoying being on court now.”
Nagal was clinical this week in Melbourne, winning all three qualifying rounds in straight sets and battling heat and physical concerns — he called for a medical timeout at 5-3 in the second set against Molcan — in the final stretch.
This will be Nagal's fourth Slam main draw appearance, and second at the Australian Open after losing in the opening round (to Ricardas Berankis) in 2021. His other two outings were a four-set defeat to Roger Federer (2019 US Open Round 1) and a second-round ouster by eventual champion Dominic Thiem the next year in New York, after the Indian had become the first since Somdev Devvarman in 2013 to win a singles Slam main draw match.
Bublik, the in-form Kazakh with his enterprising game involving underarm serves, tweeners and what not, awaits next.
