"If I didn't have Virat Kohli supporting me, I don't know what I would have done" - Sumit Nagal after beating Alexander Bublik
Sumit Nagal thanked Virat Kohli's foundation for lending a helping hand when he was struggling financially. On Tuesday, January 16, Nagal defeated 31st seed Alexander Bublik in the first round of the Australian Open 2024 men’s singles.
Nagal won the match 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(5) and became the first Indian since Ramesh Krishnan in 1989 to beat a seeded player in a Grand Slam. He was going through a financial crisis last year when he had only €900 left in his bank account. He also fell out of the top 500 around that phase and was struggling to steer his career onto the right track.
The 26-year-old said that had he not gotten the support from Virat Kohli, one of India’s greatest cricketers in history, he would not have been able to pull himself out of the slump that he found himself in.
“Virat Kohli's foundation has been supporting me since 2017. I haven't been performing well for the last two years and was facing a financial crisis. If I didn't have Virat Kohli supporting me, I don't know what I would have done. If people fund athletes, it will only help the sport flourish in the country. I am fortunate to get that support from Virat,” Nagal was quoted as saying to Bombay Times (h/t India Weekly).
Sumit Nagal vs Carlos Alcaraz on the cards at 2024 Australian Open
Sumit Nagal is next set to face Chinese wildcard Shang Juncheng in the second round of the hard-court tournament in Melbourne on Wednesday, January 18.
If the Indian wins the match, there is a chance that he will face the dangerous Carlos Alcaraz in the third round. The 20-year-old Spaniard holds the record for being the youngest World No.1, having achieved that feat after winning the 2022 US Open. Alcaraz will face Lorenzo Sonego in his second-round clash.
Nagal, ranked No. 137 in the world, has never played in the third round of a Grand Slam and the upcoming match will only be the second time when he will play in the second round of a Major. He lost to Dominic Thiem in straight sets in the second round of the 2020 US Open.