How Sumit Nagal can still qualify for Australian Open 2024 after AITA refused to propose his wildcard nomination?
The All India Tennis Association (AITA) recently refused to nominate top-ranked Indian men's singles player Sumit Nagal for a wildcard entry for the 2024 Australian Open, which is the first Grand Slam event of next year.
This came on the back of the World No.138's decision to opt out of the Davis Cup tie in February next year. Nagal's reason to skip the Pakistan tour was because the event would take place on a grass court, but that didn't go well with the AITA officials.
AITA Secretary General Anil Dhupar called the Haryana-born player to inform him that the federation won't nominate his name since he refused to play in Pakistan, as reported by Hindustan Times.
A total of eight wildcard entries are awarded in the men's and women's singles events each for all Grand Slams. Sumit Nagal made it to the 2021 Australian Open main draw when he was awarded a singles wildcard, though he lost to Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis in the first round.
However, the recent differences with AITA don't mean that the ace Indian player has no path to reach the Australian Open. He will have to compete in the qualifying rounds to enter the main draw.
A total of 128 players turn up for the qualifying rounds in a Grand Slam event for both men's singles and women's singles, out of which 16 qualify from each category. There are three rounds in the qualification stage, with the players winning all three rounds being eligible to make the cut for the main draw.
Sumit Nagal once stunned tennis legend Roger Federer
Sumit Nagal is the only other Indian to win a match of the main draw after Somdev Devvarman in the 2013 US Open. At Flushing Meadows in 2020, Nagal defeated local lad Bradley Klahn 6-1, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to repeat the feat.
Just a year before in the same event, Sumit Nagal grabbed the attention of the world after stunning 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer in the first set of the first round before losing the remaining three sets.