Sumit Nagal and Yuki Bhambri miss Paris Olympics 2024 spots as AITA fails to submit entries: Reports
Indian tennis players Sumit Nagal and Yuki Bhambri are not a part of the final entry list for the men’s doubles at the Paris Olympics 2024. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) confirmed the final list on Thursday, July 4, on behalf of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
According to reports, the All India Tennis Association (AITA) failed to submit their entries, resulting in Nagal and Bhambri missing out on an opportunity to represent India in Paris.
The ITF’s qualification system for doubles events selects the top 24 teams based on combined singles or doubles rankings. Additionally, the top 10 doubles players are granted direct entry if paired with any partner within the top 300. The remaining eight teams are selected based on specific criteria, giving priority to teams with two singles players, followed by teams with one singles player.
Veteran Indian player Rohan Bopanna secured his spot and will team up with Sriram Balaji. However, several pairs with lower combined rankings than Sumit Nagal and Yuki Bhambri (whose combined ranking is 131) were included in the final list. This has led to speculation that AITA’s failure to submit their entries cost them a spot in the Olympics. AITA has not yet confirmed or commented on the matter.
Sumit Nagal and Yuki Bhambri’s performance at the Wimbledon 2024
Sumit Nagal’s debut in Wimbledon’s main draw might not have gone as planned, but it was a significant milestone. He faced Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia in the first round and was defeated 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, marking a short-lived appearance in the singles category.
In the men’s doubles, Nagal teamed up with Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic. They were eliminated in the opening round by the Spanish duo of Jaume Munar and Pedro Martinez with a score of 2-6, 2-6.
On the other hand, Yuki Bhambri had a more promising start to his Wimbledon 2024 campaign. Paired with Frenchman Albano Olivetti, Bhambri advanced to the second round in the men’s doubles by defeating Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik and Alexander Shevchenko 6-4, 6-4.