India’s Tennis sensation Sumit Nagal has been one of the stand-out players in the Tennis Premier League Season 6. Nagal played for Gujarat Panthers in the Men’s Singles and Doubles Categories. Gujarat Panthers made it to the last four but lost to Yash Mumbai Eagles in the semifinal on Sunday despite hearculean effort from Nagal especially in the men’s singles. He kept his record straight by defeating Karan Singh of Mumbai Eagles in the singles match but Gujarat faultered in the women’s singles and doubles matches.
Nagal was elated to enjoy the format and enjoy team bonding during the league. “It’s a lovely environment. Everyone’s very nice and is always there for us. I have enjoyed playing for Gujarat Panthers in these two seasons.”
Gujarat Panthers faced Rajasthan Rangers on matchday one of the league in which Nagal played Indian Tennis veteran Rohan Bopanna in the Men’s Doubles Category and lost the tie. Reflecting on the matchup, Nagal light-heartedly said, “He beat me badly on the first day.”
“It is not easy to play someone (Bopanna) who has won a slam. At the end of the day, it’s fun to be out here and play against such experienced players,” added Nagal who will be making his fifth Grand Slam appearance in the Australian Open next month.
The Tennis Premier League has been growing every season in terms of scale, competition and quality of the Tennis played. While sharing his experience playing the TPL, Nagal agreed and stated, “It’s been great. If you just look at the quality of players this year. You can already see there’s a big difference from before.”
The 27-year-old Nagal is currently ranked 98 in ATP rankings and has also heal career high ranking of 68 in July this year. He is currently the top ranked Indian tennis player in singles and aims to go even more higher in 2025, “My goal is to aim for top 50 ATP rankings next year and I will do my best to be there.”
