CHENNAI: Last year at the Chennai Open, Sumit Nagal had to come to the qualifiers to earn a spot in the semifinals. The organisers could have given him a wild-card but they opted not to. So the World No. 506, beginning his journey in one of the outside courts at the SDAT Tennis Stadium, got to work.
This year, it’s markedly different. Seeded two and fresh off a second round appearance at the Australian Open, the India No. 1 wasted little time in advancing to the last four. On Friday, Nagal despatched Dominik Palan 6-3, 6-3 to set a meeting with third seed Dalibor Svrcina on Saturday.
Thanks to the bull-run of his, the current World No. 121 will also achieve a new career high (at least No. 110) irrespective of what happens in that last four clash against the Czech. If Nagal manages to win the event, he will become the first Indian to break into the top-100 since Prajnesh Gunneswaran in 2019. While Nagal doesn’t want to look ahead, he believes he will get there ‘if I keep playing well, don’t see why not’.
It’s a far cry from where the Indian was a year ago. A hip injury had put him in a bad place before that semifinal run in Chennai gave him a sort of second wind. Now, he’s just enjoying being back on a tennis court. “You will improve through the year if you are playing in tournaments,” he said after his match on Friday. “If you are playing matches, practicing... obviously that’s what I felt like in the years before when I wasn’t playing much tennis.” After not playing a competitive match between September 2021 and April 2022, recovery began in earnest before another injury meant another speed bump.
There are no such worries now. “Playing well, have won matches in straight sets,” he said. “Been solid on the court, not doing anything special. Serving well, moving well, the body is staying great and am in a good mental space. I am pushing everyday... these things are helping me to perform better.”
He’s now two wins away from winning his first Challenger title since last July.