Indian young sensation Sumit Nagal is all set to make his maiden appearance at the Olympics as the International Tennis Federation (ITF) marks him eligible
Indian Tennis player Sumit Nagal is all set to participate in the Tokyo Olympics, set to get underway a week from now. International Tennis Federation (ITF) communicated the same to the All India Tennis Association (AITA), as claimed by a source of the national body on Friday.
Sumit Nagpal ATP Ranking
Sumit Nagal, currently ranked 154, was 144 in June when ATP standings were under consideration for direct entries. The 23-year old has had a promising career thus far, having won the Junior Wimbledon title in 2015 to start with. Nagal made his grand slam debut at the 2019 US Open and lost against Roger Federer in the opening round.
Even though the youngster lost, he took the first set against the eight-time grand slam champion. The following year, he clinched his first majors victory at the 2020 US Open, beating America’s Bradley Klahn. Sumit Nagal exited in the second round, with Austria’s Dominic Thiem ending his run.
We have started the process of getting Sumit Nagal in the Tokyo Olympics: AITA Official
An AITA official claimed that ITF had sent them a mail of Sumit Nagal’s eligibility to compete in the Tokyo Olympics 2021. They have started the process of getting him in as ITF have asked for more details.
“We have received a mail from the ITF that Sumit is now eligible,” the official stated.
With a protected ranking of 127, Yuki Bhambri also made it to the global event. However, a surgical procedure on his right knee in the United States, forced him to withdraw. Bhambri confirmed his unavailability to the PTI. Yet another specialist player named Prajnesh Gunneswaran missed the cut by a whisker as his ATP ranking by the cut-off date was 148.
If Sumit Nagal reaches Tokyo after completing all the formalities, it remains to be seen if he makes the double draw with Rohan Bopanna. Bopanna could not enter the doubles draw with Divij Sharan so far, with the ITF giving singles the priority to fill the doubles draw.
Sumit Nagal in with a chance to participate in mixed doubles too at the Olympic Games
Sumit Nagal’s eligibility to the Olympics also means that India can have mixed doubles draw as well. The 22-year old could team up with Sania Mirza and Ankita Raina – both of whom are sure to compete in the women’s division.
Sania Mirza utilized her protected ranking of nine to enter the event with Ankita Raina. All top-ten players are direct entrants and have the liberty to select a partner of their choice, ranked within the top-300.
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