'Onwards and upwards': Sumit Nagal vows to stay focused as Australian Open dream run comes to an end

‘Onwards and upwards’: Sumit Nagal vows to stay focused as Australian Open dream run comes to an end

NEW DELHI: The enchanting Australian Open journey of Indian sensation Sumit Nagal reached its conclusion as Shang Juncheng narrowly defeated him in their intense Round 2 encounter.

Although Nagal secured the first set, the 18-year-old Shang displayed resilience, winning the subsequent three sets and ultimately securing victory over Nagal.

Speaking with Somdev Devvarman for a post-match interview with Sony Sports Network, the official broadcaster for the tournament in India, Sumit Nagal explained his analysis of the game and his focus on breaking into the top 100 ATP rankings and a message for his well-wishers.

Speaking about the loss, Nagal said, “If I go back and look at the game, I don’t think I did too many bad things. Perhaps 2-3 mistakes in three hours. I started the game really well, but I felt a little drop in the weather went against me. He started swinging, and from there, I was trying to figure out how to get the balls away from his hitting zone. I did not do a good job.”

Later, the 26-year-old went on to explain his strategy to break into the ATP Top 100 rankings. “I’m probably not going to think too much about it. I’m just going to focus on tennis, going match by match, and try to ignore the ranking part and do well in the upcoming tournaments. If I’m doing well in the tournament, the ranking will go up automatically,” he stated.

Nagal received a lot of praise and recognition for his heroics in the first round of the Australian Open against World No. 27 Alexander Bublik and becoming the first Indian male player since Ramesh Krishnan in 1989 to beat a seeded player at a Grand Slam.

He concluded with a message for his supporters, stating, “I would like to thank my family, my friends, sponsors, and all the people who are supporting me in India. The number of people who came out to the court today to cheer for me and the people who supported me from India and across the world, thank you very much. I hope I will keep the flag high and see you guys around.”

In another game, Indian tennis maestro Rohan Bopanna advanced to the 2nd round of the men’s doubles category alongside partner Matthew Ebden after battling hard in the first round against the Australian pair James Duckworth and Marc Polmans in a 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (10-2) win.

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