Playing the biggest tournaments is every tennis player’s dream, but only a handful get to stay there. The rest grind it out on the Challenger Tour, where every match is a battle for survival. India’s Sumit Nagal has experienced both worlds. After climbing to a career-high No. 68 in 2024 and competing at the Grand Slams and the Paris Olympics, injuries and a dip in form pushed him back to the Challenger circuit.
In an exclusive interview with Sportstar, the World No. 241 discusses his comeback, recent Challenger title, Davis Cup ambitions, Asian Games goals, and life on tour.
How do you see this period between your two latest Challenger Tour titles?
There were a lot of starts and stops because of injuries. It was difficult to get into a rhythm because when you don’t play for six to eight weeks, it becomes mentally and physically very tough.
People think that because you’ve been playing tennis for so long, you can just switch it on and jump back in, but it doesn’t work like that. Maybe if I were 6’6” or 6’8” and was just serving big, things would be a little easier. But since I have to play long points, I need to be able to trust my body and my shots, and that took time. Every time I got close to finding that rhythm, another injury or setback came along. It was very annoying.
The main tour is extremely tough. You’re up against the top 60 to 80 players almost every week, and often the top 20. If I’m not at the top of my game, it’s a very tough battle because everybody wants the same thing. To compete at that level, you have to find something that gives you an edge and helps you get past them.
Regarding the injury setbacks, have you made any changes to your training regime to address them?
I’m working on my diet and a few other things. There have been some changes, but I will only see the results in the long term, and it’s too early for me to say anything right now. Two months ago, I brought a nutritionist on board.
It’s an important year, given that there is the Asian Games, which is an Olympic qualifier. How is your preparation going?
If I keep performing and doing well, I should be fine. I do have the Davis Cup and the Asian Games in mind. I will do everything in my power to get ready and represent India in both events.
What are your thoughts on the Korean team, your opponents in the second round of the upcoming Davis Cup Qualifiers?
They have very good players right now. (Soonwoo) Kwon is playing very well. I’m not sure who’s going to play second singles. Maybe (Hyeon) Chung or (Seongchan) Hong, but I do know that they are a very tough team when they are together. Their energy is very high. They are from my age group. I have grown up with them since I was 12. I have known them for almost 15 or 16 years. They play with their heart when things are on the line.
Tennis is a very tough sport, and you lose more often than you win. In these two years, was there any point when you felt a bit lost?
Yes, there were weeks and even months. It’s a little depressing sometimes. You go out, play for a year or two and not win a tournament. It’s not a very nice feeling, but at the same time, there’s also something called hope. Every week, you go in hoping that maybe this is the week things will turn because, in tennis, it just takes one week to change things. Sometimes it happens in three to six months, maybe a year or two, and sometimes it doesn’t happen at all.
So, there were some bad days, I will not deny that, and there were also days when I would go to a tournament and say, “Maybe this week changes my life.”
In the past, you’ve talked about facing financial issues. When you were in the Top 100, things would have been pretty solid, but since you dropped out, how have things been?
If you make the main draw of a Slam, it really helps. Any tennis player would agree with that. In the last one and a half years, I haven’t made the main draw of a Slam. The last one was the Australian Open in 2025.
People have been very kind and generous towards me, and that’s been a great help over the last few months because I’ve barely played any tournaments or earned any decent amount of money. So, I would actually like to thank my sponsors, who have been there for me over when things were not going great.
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Published on Jul 17, 2026