Sumit Nagal receives UK visa appointment to compete at Wimbledon Championships following his social media plea
India’s number one-ranked tennis sensation Sumit Nagal took to social media to disclose that the British High Commission had not given him an appointment for a UK visa as he is set to represent the nation at the Wimbledon Championships, scheduled from July 1 to 14.
On his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Nagal wrote:
“Hi @UKinIndia, @VFSGlobal, and Respected @CScottFCDO Ma'am, I am in urgent need of a UK Visa appointment in New Delhi to represent India at Wimbledon this year. However, I'm unable to find any appointments. Could you kindly assist me urgently? Thank you!”
However, he later deleted the post. Interestingly, the United Kingdom appointed Lindy Cameron as their first female high commissioner to New Delhi last week as Alex Ellis' successor. Following his plea on social media, Sumit Nagal received swift action from the British High Commission, as he got an appointment.
“Thank you @CScottFCDO Ma'am, @UKinIndia, and @VFSGlobal for your swift response on my UK visa appointment request,” he went on to post on the public domain.
Sumit Nagal achieves career-best rank of 80 in ATP Singles Rankings
Sumit Nagal has grabbed the spotlight of late after his recent meteoric rise in the men’s singles rankings. Most recently, he secured a spot in the second round of the main draw in the Monte-Carlo Masters 2024.
Though he couldn’t move past the second round after losing to 2023 runner-up and seventh seed Holger Rune from Denmark, Sumit Nagal made a giant leap from 93rd to the 80th spot in the latest ATP Rankings released on April 15, Monday.
Nagal, in the process, also became the third Indian tennis player to secure a spot in the main draw of the Monte-Carlo Masters after Vijay Amritraj (1977) and Ramesh Krishnan (1982).
Remarkably, Nagal has clinched five ATP Challenger Tour Titles so far in his career. After starting off his career with a Bengaluru Open title win in 2017, he secured a title win in Buenos Aires in 2019.
A few years later in 2023, he clinched victories in Tampere and Rome. A title win in the Chennai Open in 2024 was his latest victory.