Nagal worked really hard to get better after getting hurt. He was ranked really low last year, but now he’s doing much better. He’s been playing all by himself in important singles matches, representing India.
Sumit Nagal made history by winning a big tennis match at the Monte Carlo Masters tournament. He beat Matteo Arnaldi from Italy, who is ranked 38th in the world. Nagal won with scores of 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 in the first round on Monday. This victory marked the first time an Indian player won a match in the main part of this tournament, which is one of the most important ones in tennis.
Nagal’s win is especially impressive because it happened on clay, which is a challenging surface to play on. He is also the first Indian player to win a main draw match at any of the three big Masters 1000 tournaments, which have been going on since 1990.
This achievement is even more remarkable considering Nagal’s journey. He had to overcome injuries and work really hard to get back to his best level. Last year, he wasn’t even ranked in the top 500 players in the world. But this year, he has made a remarkable comeback, showing determination and skill as he represents India in top-level singles matches.
The 26-year-old has been doing really well lately. He did great in the Australian Open earlier this year and got to the second round. Because of this, he’s now ranked in the top 100 players for the first time ever. Then in February, he won a tournament called the Challenger Tour in Chennai, which is a bit lower than the big ATP Tour. After that, he got to the semifinals in Bengaluru. In the next month, he managed to qualify for the main draw of the Indian Wells Masters 1000 tournament.
Nagal has been steadily improving, and now he’s among the top 100 tennis players, which is really impressive. His high ranking lets him compete right away in the early rounds of big ATP tournaments. Plus, his good performance in Challenger tournaments helps him maintain his spot in the top 100. Also, being in the top 104 players means he gets to play in Grand Slam tournaments, where he can win big money. For example, he made $180,000 for reaching the second round in Melbourne, and $18,230 for winning the Challenger in Chennai.
These winnings will help him keep improving, invest in his game, and show good results, especially on clay courts. He did well in Monte Carlo and feels confident for the upcoming clay season, including the French Open next month.
“After winning on Monday, Nagal said, ‘I’m really enjoying playing tennis now, and competing. Considering my injuries in the past few years, this is the best outcome I could have hoped for.’
On Monday, the Indian player lost the first set closely, but quickly equalized the score in the seventh game. Unfortunately, they slipped while serving to stay in the game at 5-6. After that, Nagal regained control by playing to his strength in long rallies. He managed to break his opponent’s serve three times in the second set. Despite some tense moments, Nagal stayed focused and regained his advantage whenever he lost it, eventually winning the deciding set.
I played really well in the match,” he said. “Even though I lost the first set, I didn’t feel discouraged because it’s a best-of-three match. I realized that when the rallies got longer, I was winning most of the points. So, I adjusted my tactics between the first and second sets. Once I started controlling the rallies, the game felt easier for me.
The best player from India will play against Denmark’s Holger Rune, who is ranked seventh and was the runner-up last year, in the second round in Monaco.
