Sumit Nagal

At 27, Sumit Nagal has already lived a tennis journey that few from his farming hometown of Jhajjar, India, could have imagined. The current World No. 302 has spent his career chasing more than personal glory. He’s playing for his family, his country—and a belief.

“My goal in tennis is to do really well, so people aren’t saying that India is only good at cricket,” Nagal says. “I want to be the one who leads that.”

For an Indian farm to traveling the world

Nagal’s love for tennis began at age eight, after his father suggested he put aside the 8-10 hours of cricket he played daily. Soon, he was hitting balls at a local sports club, where a chance encounter would change everything.

At a junior event, he approached former doubles No. 1 Mahesh Bhupathi with a direct request:

Mr. Bhupathi, could you please look at my game?

Out of a few thousand hopefuls, only three children were selected to join Bhupathi’s academy, and Nagal was one of them.

“That’s the one line that changed my life,” he recalls. “If I didn’t tell him this, I would not be sitting here right now. My family didn’t have enough money to support me when I was young. I’m very proud that I did it at that age.”

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Between 1999 and 2002, Mahesh Bhupathi won five Grand Slam doubles titles—and inspired countless compatriots.

Between 1999 and 2002, Mahesh Bhupathi won five Grand Slam doubles titles—and inspired countless compatriots.

Now based at the Nensel Tennis Academy in Peine, Germany, Nagal splits his time between the tour and training. He admits his German skills are still a work in progress.

“I understand a lot, but I can’t talk,” he says. For that I need a teacher. “Learning Germany only by listening is tough. It’s not like Spanish, where you are able to talk. But while being on the tennis circuit everyone speaks English, so you get a bit lazy.”

This year, he also made his debut in the Tennis Channel Bundesliga and second with Kurhaus Lambertz Aachen.

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Career-high in 2024

The 2024 season, Nagal says, was the best of his career so far.

“I have reached my highest ranking of world No. 68. I played at the Olympics, which was a very nice experience, and all the big tournaments. It was pretty good until September. Then, the body was not the best… I had to cope with a back injury.”

Highlights included winning the Neckarcup in Heilbronn, and seeing his face on this year’s official tournament poster of the award-winning ATP Challenger event.

“It felt warm to see something like this in Germany,” he says. “I don’t belong to this country… but it was very nice by the organizers.”

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As a junior, Nagal recorded wins over future ATP Top 10 players Berrettini, Hurkacz, Shapovalov and Tiafoe.

As a junior, Nagal recorded wins over future ATP Top 10 players Berrettini, Hurkacz, Shapovalov and Tiafoe.

Challenges remain

Off court, Nagal’s interests range from gaming and surfing the internet to Japanese culture, which has inspired tattoos on his left arm—a temple, a samurai, and a lotus flower.

“It’s their pride and attitude towards life that gives me energy,” he explains.

Yet, behind the passion lies a pragmatic awareness of the sport’s economics. Nagal has been outspoken about the financial strain on lower-ranked players: “When you don’t make at least the semis of a Challenger, you are in loss every week. You maybe pay 80,000 Euros per year if you travel with a coach. I made about 100,000 Euros in prize money in 2023 by winning two Challengers and reaching two semis. You have to do well, otherwise the calculation doesn’t work out.”

For now, his focus remains on competing, winning, and inspiring. In his own words: “I want to be the one who leads.”