“Tennis is going to die even faster in India” - Sumit Nagal on AITA refusing to nominate him for Australian Open wildcard
Sumit Nagal has been refused a nomination for a wildcard entry at the 2024 Australian Open by the All India Tennis Association. This comes on the heels of Nagal opting out of India's Davis Cup tie against Pakistan in February.
There are eight wildcards awarded in the men's singles and women's singles events for each Grand Slam. Nagal had previously been awarded the singles wildcard, reserved for a player from the Asia-Pacific, at the 2021 Australian Open, where he lost in the opening round.
Sumit Nagal had a successful 2023 season; he started the year outside the top 500 of the ATP tour rankings and ended it as the World No. 138. The AITA's decision to not nominate him for a wildcard entry at the Australian Open has left the 26-year-old understandably disappointed.
“Anil Dhupar (AITA secretary general) had called me and said he won't send the nomination since I said no to the Davis Cup. To be honest, getting this call from him and hearing him say this was a bummer. I really hope things will get better in future or else tennis is going to die even faster in India,” Nagal told the Hindustan Times on Monday.
He added that his decision to pull out of the tie in February was due to the fact that it was being played on grass. Grasscourts do not suit Nagal's playing style, an issue that has even caused him to skip Wimbledon in the past.
Nagal further mentioned that the AITA's decision was even more disappointing given his role in helping India win their Davis Cup tie in Lucknow against Morocco in September.
“My opting out for Davis Cup (tie against Pakistan) was majorly because of it being played on grass. It is really sad to see this decision coming after looking at my performance in Lucknow and securing the win for the country. I have missed Wimbledon for the same reasons as well in the past,” he said.
Meanwhile, secretary general Anil Dhupar remained firm on his position to not nominate Sumit Nagal for the wildcard, stating that players can't expect something from the federation if they refuse to play for the country.
“One cannot expect to pull out of a Davis Cup assignment for the country and then expect something in return from the federation. Why should we send anything from our end to nominate him? AITA had to take a stand against such things at some point,” he told Hindustan Times.
Sumit Nagal’s stellar 2023
2023 was a comeback season for Sumit Nagal, having struggled with a hip injury the previous year. The 26-year-old started on a lukewarm note, with a winless January. However, he turned things around the very next month, reaching his first Challenger semifinal in two years.
April saw Nagal become the first Indian to win a Challenger title on European clay, as he clinched the win at the Garden Open in Rome. He followed this up with another title win in July, this time at the Tampere Challenger in Finland.
Sumit Nagal notched up two more finals appearances in Tulln and Helsinki but was unable to convert them into wins.