CHENNAI : 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-3. Sumit Nagal’s punishing second-round win over Brazil’s Pedro Sakamoto at the Buenos Aires Challenger last week came at a cost. The Indian, drained of fluids after spending a shade over 160 minutes on court, was hooked on to an IV drip to ensure he didn’t suffer from extreme dehydration. The perception that exists of Nagal is of somebody who doesn’t necessarily fight through moments like this. But the 22-year-old literally banished that trope by spending 130 minutes on court in the third round before spending a further 127 minutes on the punishing clay in the quarterfinal.
Seven hours playing competitive tennis in a continent where Indians have had limited success even at the Challenger level — Nagal became the first from the country to win a title at that level in South America ever — before the semis is no joke. So how did the Jhajjar native do it?
He puts it down to confidence. “Playing (Roger) Federer in the US Open and the qualifiers before that, those were matches at a good level... it gave me a boost, you know,” he said. “Tennis is so dependent on your confidence level. If you are confident, you go in with the feeling that you can win any meet. Right now, I feel good.”
Feeling good is just one part of the equation. Executing his plan in competitive surroundings is the harder part and he is equally delighted to have shown that aspect of his game in Buenos Aires. “It was one of the best tournaments I have had so far,” he said. “The way I fought from the first round to the final, it was a huge difference. The amount of improvement I had, just comparing my matches in the tournament. That I became the first Indian to win in a Challenger in South America proved a lot to me.”
One well-documented change has been the work he has been putting in behind the scenes with his primary support staff (coach Sascha Nencel and trainer Milos Galecic) over the last year or so. “It just shows that anything is possible if you keep working hard. The body is not something you can fix in a day or two. Consistent work has been going on over a year (to be free of injuries).”
Between now and the end of the season, the 5’10” lad is eyeing a further jump in the rankings. “I want to be in the top 100 before the cut-off for the Australian Open comes. A few more good weeks and I will be there,” he said.
On Wednesday, Portugal’s Gastao Elias, who was once ranked as high as No 57 in the world, was the latest player to fall victim to Nagal, who advanced to the third round of the Campinas Challenger in Brazil. A few more wins and the World No 135 can start looking ahead to Melbourne with more than just hope.