India’s top-ranked tennis player Sumit Nagal, who recently scripted history at the Australian Open as he picked up a first-round win over Alexander Bublik, had the privilege of visiting the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Nagal MCG pic.twitter.com/ss1TQdkDAN— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2024
“I think it is a privilege for every Indian to come here and experience this feeling. Playing cricket is something you look forward to after 2 PM as a young Indian growing up,” Nagal said.
“You go out on the streets and call your friends. I have invested a lot of hours playing cricket in the streets too,” he reminisced.
“And to see one of the biggest stadiums in the world is a very nice feeling even though it never came through cricket,” he joked.
“But I am so happy to go through this moment right now. I love this game so much, I’ve put in too many hours playing this game,” Nagal continued.
“I wish I had put in those hours for tennis,” he jested.
“But, I can’t complain about it. I am doing my best, I am working hard towards my goals,” the 26-year-old said.
Nagal, who opened the first round of his Australia Open challenge with a massive straight sets win over Bublik 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 ended a 13-year wait for India as he got the better of a seeded player of high calibre.
Following his dream start to the tournament, Nagal was charged to go on to scale bigger peaks, but his progress in the year’s opening major event was halted by Chinese player Shang Juncheng in the second round on Thursday.
The Indian began his fixture against Juncheng on a positive note as he seemed to pick up where he left off against Bublik. Nagal registered a 6-2 opening set win over his Chinese opposition, thereby instilling hopes of another victory for the Indian on Australian soil.
However, the early encouragement proved to be nothing more than a consolation as the Chinese player hit back to take the following three sets 6-3, 7-6, 6-4 to send the 137-ranked Indian crashing out of the Grand Slam event.
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