Regrettably, India’s top-ranked singles player, Sumit Nagal won’t be part of the upcoming Davis Cup tie against Pakistan in Islamabad, opting out for personal reasons. Expressing the team’s sentiments, Indian Davis Cup captain Zeeshan Ali acknowledged the void left by Nagal’s absence, emphasizing his exceptional form.
“Obviously, we would have loved to have had them, especially somebody like Sumit, who is playing very, very well, playing probably, some of the best tennis he’s played,” said Zeeshan Ali.
“He’s a player who knows how to play on grass. It’s another matter that he doesn’t like playing on grass as much but, it’s a surface where if you put in a certain amount of time, you can adapt to it. So we’re definitely going to miss Sumit.”
Ali praised Nagal’s Australian Open performance, particularly highlighting his unexpected win against Bublik. In 2024, Sumit Nagal marked an impressive start, securing a spot in the Australian Open main draw despite not receiving a wild card from the AITA.
He navigated through the qualifying rounds with notable victories, including defeating seeded player Alexander Bublik in the round of 32. However, his journey ended in the pre-quarterfinals with a loss to China’s J.C Chang.
“Of course, to beat (Alexander) Bublik, nobody expected that and I think he played freely. I don’t think anybody expected him to win that match and then he played very, very well.” Zeeshan added.
The Indian Davis Cup team, preparing for the challenging tie, will also miss the services of Sasikumar Mukund, the second-highest singles player, who opted out for personal reasons. With the absence of key players, India faces a tricky situation against Pakistan on February 3-4, with experienced opponents well-versed in grass court play.
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