Sumit Nagal created history when he beat 27-ranked Alexander Bublik to storm into the 2nd round of the Australian Open. Apart from making him the talk of the town, the feat has even brought some impactful changes in his life.
“From where I started, I was pretty proud of myself to be able to give myself another chance to be here, to qualify, to like I said, play the second round on Thursday. It’s a good feeling,” said Nagal after the win.
After a few difficult years, Sumit Nagal lamented late last year about finding himself in the same situation as many other players on the harsh, unfair professional tennis circuit. Financially, it had been impossible to play more matches, practice at the highest level, make ends meet, or travel with coaches.
In actuality, Nagal’s career was filled with uncertainty; he had disclosed his financial difficulties the previous year. He continued to disclose that he was spending about a crore year on training, accommodation, and travel expenditures and that he only had INR 80,000 left in his bank account.
After becoming the first Indian to defeat a seeded player in the Grand Slam singles main draw since Ramesh Krishnan in 1989, Nagal’s fortune has taken a turn for the better. The 26-year-old will receive Aus$180,000 (about Rs 98 lakh) after defeating 27th seed Alexander Bublik 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (5) in the opening round of the 2024 Australian Open, even if he loses his next match.
Considering the year he’s had, recovering from injuries and dealing with uncertainty, this would be Nagal’s greatest career accomplishment. He has qualified for a winnable second-round match against 140th-ranked Juancheng Shang on Thursday. A potential third-round matchup with World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz then looms.
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