THERE was a point in Sumit Nagal's life in the recent past when he stopped talking to friends and family. The injuries had taken a toll, earnings had stopped and the ranking was in freefall. "There were days... weeks when I wasn't talking to anybody," he said during a select interaction. "I had cut myself off from friends and family. It wasn't easy, I kept things to myself." He said 'I was in a cave than being out there'.
It was the point when India's No. 1 singles tennis player was threatening to fall outside the world's top 300 in 2025. Honestly, he accepts, it wasn't a great time in his life, both on and off the court. "I didn't keep myself motivated," he said. "I had a lot of bad thoughts." Life can be challenging for tennis players because of the very nature of the sport. Long journeys, nights spent alone away from home post matches, especially if you don't have a team of people looking after you.
It's why his win at the Romania Challenger last week was a booster shot to his confidence. He was so delighted with the title he didn't sleep a wink for hours after. "It means a lot," the 28-year-old said from his training base. "A lot of tough times over the last few years with the way I was playing and the way my body was reacting. It's a good way to boost confidence. Now there's new hope and space where I can hope to start pushing again."
The trigger for the win in Romania came in Poznan, his previous event, where he took a good long look at himself in the mirror. "I asked a few questions to myself," he said. "Just put some pressure on myself to change some habits. I'm not saying that's what helped me win here but it's a great realisation to see where my mind was (at the moment)."
The World No. 219 doesn't have any goals between now and the end of the 2026 season. "I just want to play tennis, play week in, week out and the rhythm will come back."
If he can rediscover that, he can again start plotting his way back inside the top-100, a place he had occupied in 2024.