Sumit Nagal wins Chennai Open

Nagal will break into the top 100 of ATP’s singles rankings for the first time in his career, a place he earned after beating top seed Luca Nardi of Italy 6-1, 6-4 for the title in Chennai that will see him jump from 121 to 98 in the updated rankings on Monday. “Very emotional,” Nagal said after the match. “It’s every tennis player’s dream to be at least top 100 in the world. “First time breaking into the top 100, I don’t think I’ll ever forget this. This week, Roger’s match (he took a set off Roger Federer in the 2019 US Open), playing the Olympics (he was the first Indian man since Paes to win a singles match, at the 2021 Tokyo Games) — you don’t forget such moments. It’s a big, big achievement for me.” “Last year, I was happy to have just qualified. By the time I reached the semis, I was emotionally dead, because I hadn’t made a semis in years,” Nagal said. “Now, you come here ranked 120, you know you can win the tournament if you do well. That was the difference.” “2022 summer was probably the worst time. Coming back after six months, I played three tournaments and got injured again. That was a very dark time, asking yourself, ‘why me’. I felt like I made a switch in October, saying, ‘I need to stop playing victim’,” Nagal said. “Very happy that I found a way to push and give myself every chance to be here.” The challenge now will be to stay in the top 100. It starts immediately with this week’s Challenger in Bengaluru, where Nagal has more points to defend and perhaps to be won. While rankings may keep oscillating, Nagal seeks a constant in his body. “The last 12 months have been nice to me. Touch wood, I’ve been healthy. That’s all I ask. Because I know if I give myself a chance to keep playing, I can be at a higher level.”