After spending the past few years predominantly on the Challenger Tour, Sumit Nagal is currently in the midst of a breakthrough season. 

The 26-year-old is ranked 73rd in the world after cracking the top 100 for the first time in February. At the Australian Open, he became the first Indian man to beat a seeded player at a Grand Slam for 35 years after upsetting Alexander Bublik in the first round. Then in Monte Carlo, he became the first singles player from his country to win a main draw Masters 1000 match, as well as the first to qualify for the tournament in 42 years.

Nagal’s rapid rise earned him the right to play in Wimbledon this year for the first time. A big coup for India considering the last time they had a player in the men’s singles draw was Prajnesh Gunneswaran in 2019. Unfortunately, Nagal’s experience at The All-England Club was brief. He lost his opening match  2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 to Miomir Kecmanovic, as well as in the first round of the doubles event.  

“It was a great experience,” he tells Ubitennis.

“I really enjoyed it. I played on grass after a very long time. I did lack a bit of experience on it but it was a good lesson and an amazing atmosphere.

“What a feeling to play in the main draw of Wimbledon.  It has a very unique and different vibe compared to the other slams.

“It’s not the result I wanted, especially in singles but for the circumstances I had, I think I will take this and try to improve on the things that I need to.”

Incredibly, Wimbledon was the first time Nagal had played a grasscourt event since 2018. Whilst there is clear disappointment about his performance, it doesn’t change what has largely been a strong year for him so far.

“I think the moment of breaking the top hundred because for so long, I was close to it but never really broke it.” He replied when asked what his standout achievement of 2024 has been so far. 

“Also winning the challenger in Chennai,  I did end up crying. That moment meant a lot to me.”

“I see change but not in a positive way”

Coming from a country that has an estimated population of 1.4 billion people, some might expect Nagal to be hamperedby high expectations or a surge in popularity. However, this isn’t the case.

“In tennis, India’s single tennis players are not really known for it. so I don’t think there is there is a much of expectation.” He explained.

“We have a singles player once in five years who’s playing a slam once in seven years. So I don’t feel it that way.

“I would say there are more expectations from myself because I do want to do well in my career and I want to climb the rankings. Keep on knocking on those doors of different sorts of challenges that I go through.”

There have been plenty of challenges for Nagal throughout his life. As a youngster, he was based in Bengaluru and trained at an academy set up by Mahesh Bhupathi. However, when the facility shut down he ended up setting off to Canada as a teenager to develop his tennis. Over the coming years, he would continue to experience highs and lows. At the 2019 US Open, he famously took a set off Roger Federer but three years later he found himself outside the top 600 due to a combination of injury, the Covid-19 pandemic and his inner demons. At the end of 2022, he had less than €1000 in his bank account. 

Unlike other countries, Sumit relies on private support instead of his national federation, the All India Tennis Association (AITA). 

“It’s a little bit, a little bit tough to get any help from them.” He said.

He doesn’t refrain from speaking openly about the concerns he has about tennis back home. Certain ‘changes’ taking place cause concern for him and his only hope is that action can be taken to correct it. As it currently stands, India has only three players in the top 500 on the PIF ATP ranking but Nagal is the only one in the top 300. To put that into perspective, there are 12 British, 18 Australian and 24 Italian players in the top 300.

“Right now we are struggling in singles especially. We don’t have enough players to compete at the highest levels in singles.” He said. 

“I think it’s gonna take a while. I do see a bit of change but not in a positive way. What is going on in the country, I just hope someone can take a step and start to change things around. Otherwise, it’s going to be very, very tough.

“It’s going to be the same story. One top 100 player in ten years, 15 years, maybe something like this. But if things don’t change around, it’s it’s not gonna be much, much better than this.”

As to what these issues are, Nagal believes the current tennis structure in India is missing the basics. 

“We are still missing a base, a fundamental, a system which is not there. And if you want to play at this level, you need this. This is the most basic thing you can have.” He continued.

“Have few good coaches and have balls to practice. This is just the basic and we don’t really have it.

“I’m not even gonna get into details because the first step would be to have a high-performance program going on.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be by the association or by the private sponsors, but, if you want to create players to play at the high level, you have to give these things or else it’s always going to be a player trying to find private funding, living in outside India, playing either in America or Europe or somewhere.”

The future

It is no secret that Nagal doesn’t always see eye-to-eye with the AITA and he has voiced similar concerns before. However, that doesn’t affect the national pride he has. Something he hopes to demonstrate at the Paris Olympics which will be held at Roland Garros. At the Tokyo Games, he was the first Indian to reach the second round in 25 years.  

“My goal from the beginning of the year was to play in the Olympics. It’s a proud, proud feeling for me. This is going to be my second, second Olympic.” He said. 

“I’m gonna another chance for me to try my best and and and keep the flag high for India.”

Nagal now aims to play a couple of tournaments on the clay to get ready for Paris. Then the US swing will be calling him. 

“That biggest goal is being healthy because if you’re healthy and you’re playing tournaments, that’s the best thing you can ask for.” He concludes.

Day 4 at The Championships sees the continuation of second round play in singles, as well as first round play in doubles, though rain may continue to disrupt matters.

With two-time champion Andy Murray having played his last singles match at Wimbledon, Great Britain is eager to discover who will be their next title contender.  22-year-old Jack Draper is the most likely candidate, as he’s the current British No.1, and is coming off a grass court title a few weeks ago in Stuttgart.  However, 28-year-old Cameron Norrie was a semifinalist here two years ago, and on Thursday he gets a chance to reassert himself into the conversation against Draper.

Speaking of Murray, while his singles career at his favorite tournament may be over, his doubles career is far from it.  On Wednesday, it was announced he will play mixed doubles alongside fellow Brit Emma Raducanu.  And on Thursday, he’ll play his first round match in men’s doubles on Centre Court, alongside brother Jamie. 

Other matches on Day 4 include Major champions such as Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, and Caroline Wozniacki, who faces 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez.

Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule.  Thursday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.

Hubert Hurkacz (7) vs. Arthur Fils – 11:00am on No.2 Court

Since the start of Wimbledon last July, Hurkacz has rather quietly accumulated 57 match wins, and currently sits at a new career-high of No.7 in the world.  Grass is most certainly his strongest surface, as  Hubi’s only Major semifinal came here three years ago, when he defeated Roger Federer in what would be Federer’s last-ever singles match.  Two weeks ago, Hurkacz was the runner-up in Halle, where he beat Sascha Zverev in the semis.  The seventh seed came from a set down to prevail in four sets against Radu Albot on Tuesday.

Fils was also victorious in four sets on Tuesday, over Dominic Stricker.  The 20-year-old Frenchman had a breakout season in 2023, winning his first ATP title on clay in his home country, at a 250-level event in Lyon.  But Arthur is just 17-16 at tour level in 2024, and only 4-4 lifetime on grass. 

In their first career meeting, Hurkacz is a clear favorite on this surface, despite Fils’ impressive power on his serve and groundstrokes.  Hubi is a potential quarterfinal opponent for Djokovic, which would be a dangerous draw for the 23-time Major champion.

Jack Draper (28) vs. Cameron Norrie – Second on No.1 Court

Like Hurkacz, Draper is currently at a career-best ranking, as the World No.28.  Jack is 21-13 on the year, and his title run in Stuttgart last month was his second final of the year, after being the runner-up this past January in Adelaide.  He has dealt with a few injuries in his young career, as well as cramping issues in warmer conditions, though the forecast remains rather cool this week at SW19.  Placed on Centre Court on Tuesday after Murray pulled out of the singles draw earlier in the day, Draper was understandably nervous, yet managed to advance in five over Elias Ymer.

Norrie was a top 20 mainstay for over two years, peaking at No.8 in September of 2022.  But he has fallen outside the top 40 in 2024, with a record of just 16-14.  Cam has suffered both a wrist and foot injury during this season.  The 2022 semifinalist won in straight sets on Tuesday, over Facundo Diaz Acosta.

These left-handed Brits have played twice before, and Norrie has taken both meetings.  However, they both occurred a few years ago, while Draper was still ranked well outside the top 100.  This will be a tricky and nerve-filled encounter for both, as the eyes of the British public and media are on both to see who is truly the best British player in men’s singles.  Recent form dictates Draper be considered the favorite, but if this match goes the distance, that likely favors Norrie, who is one of the fittest players on tour.

Rinky Hijikata and John Peers vs. Andy Murray and Jamie Murray – Third on Centre Court

It will be quite an emotional moment to watch Andy Murray return to Centre Court in his last year playing Wimbledon, especially alongside his older brother Jamie.  The Murray brothers teamed up to help lead Great Britain to the Davis Cup title in 2015.  However, they do not regularly team up, and it was only two weeks ago that Andy had a small procedure done on his back after withdrawing from Queen’s Club. 

But Australia’s Hijikata and Peers are also not a regular partnership, though both have achieved strong doubles results with different partners.  Rinky won the Australian Open men’s doubles title last year alongside another Australian, Jason Kubler.  Peers has won both a men’s doubles and mixed doubles title at Majors, and is a two-time doubles champion at the ATP Finals.

The crowd will certainly play an influential role on Thursday, yet considering Andy’s back issue, it’s hard to consider the Murrays as the favorites, despite what any heartstrings may say.  However, Andy has created plenty of magic on Centre Court in his career, and Jamie is an extremely accomplished doubles player, as he’s a seven-time Major champion between men’s and mixed doubles.  It’s extremely rare to see a doubles match on Centre Court this early in The Championships, but this is a special occasion, and it should be highly entertaining.

Caroline Wozniacki (WC) vs. Leylah Fernandez (30) – Not Before 4:30pm on Court 12

In her first match at Wimbledon since 2019, Wozniacki looked really sharp, taking out Alycia Parks by the score of 6-2, 6-0.  Wimbledon is the only Major where Caroline has never reached a quarterfinal, though she actually owns more wins here than at Roland Garros.  The 2018 Australian Open champ is now 14-12 since unretiring last summer, but she’s a more impressive 5-2 at Majors.

Fernandez is a modest 18-14 this season, but she’s been playing quite well coming into this fortnight.  At Roland Garros, she lost a tight, high-quality two-setter to Ons Jabeur in the third round.  And just last week in Eastbourne, Leylah advanced all the way to the final, losing to Daria Kasatkina.  Like Wozniacki, Fernandez was also a straight-set winner in her opening round, to earn just her second career victory at Wimbledon.

In another first-time matchup, I give the slight edge to Wozniacki.  Her flat hitting can be tough to counteract on this surface, and Caroline is still a great mover.  Despite Leylah’s run last week, she remains rather inexperienced on grass, with just 16 career matches.  The winner may face 2022 champion Elena Rybakina in the third round.

Other Notable Matches on Thursday:

Jacob Fearnley (WC) vs. Novak Djokovic (2) – Djokovic made a strong showing in his first match after knee surgery, dropping just five games on Tuesday.  Fearnley is a 22-year-old British wild card ranked 277^th in the world, who this week earned his first-ever victory at a Major.

Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Petra Martic – Swiatek comfortably overcame Sofia Kenin on Tuesday.  She is 3-0 against Martic, which includes a victory at this same event a year ago.

Marcos Giron vs. Alexander Zverev (4) – Zverev is just 14-7 lifetime at Wimbledon, by far his worst Major.  But he’s 1-0 against Giron, who has never advanced beyond the second round of The Championships.

Elena Rybakina (4) vs. Laura Siegemund – Rybakina lost just four games in her opening round.  She leads Siegemund 3-1 at tour level, and Laura is just 2-4 lifetime in singles at this tournament.

Thursday’s full Order of Play is here.

Day 3 at The Championships sees the beginning of second round singles play, as well as the beginning of both men’s and women’s doubles play.  And a number of first round singles matches are also still to be completed due to rain on Tuesday.

Five years ago, Matteo Berrettini quickly rose throughthe tennis ranks and became Italy’s best player.  He is a three-time Major semifinalist, and even advanced to the championship match at the 2021 edition of The Championships.  But injuries have derailed his career the past two seasons, and in his absence, Jannik Sinner made his own surge, surpassing Berrettini’s achievements.  Across the past 12 months, Sinner has clearly been the best male singles player in the world, and won his first Major six months ago in Melbourne.  On Wednesday, Italy’s best will meet in a blockbuster second round matchup on Centre Court.

Also on Day 3, a pair of Major champions fighting to rediscover their top form after long absences, Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu, play a pair of seeded players having breakout seasons in 2024: Emma Navarro and Linda Noskova, respectively.  Plus, two of the sport’s most popular elder statesmen, Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils, will face off in the second round. 

Other second round singles action on Wednesday includes Major champions Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Coco Gauff, and Emma Raducanu.

Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule.  Wednesday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.

Bianca Andreescu vs. Linda Noskova (26) – Second on Court 18

This is just the fourth tournament since last August for the perpetually-injured Andreescu.  The latest setback for the 2019 US Open champ was a back injury.  However, she has quickly rounded back into some impressive form.  Bianca won two rounds of her first event back at Roland Garros, then advanced to the final of ‘s-Hertogenbosch on grass, after defeating Naomi Osaka in the quarterfinals.

19-year-old Noskova’s breakout moment took place six months ago in Melbourne, where she upset World No.1 Iga Swiatek in the third round.  However, Linda has struggled mightily since that quarterfinal run, as she hasn’t won back-to-back matches since February.   

Both players won their opening rounds in straights, so they’ll be fresh for their first career meeting.  And despite missing most of the past year, I favor Andreescu on Wednesday, as she’s won more matches within just the past six weeks than Noskova has within the last three months.

Naomi Osaka (WC) vs. Emma Navarro (19) – Second on Centre Court

Osaka is now 16-12 since returning from maternity leave at the beginning of the year.  And while a big result is yet to come, she’s been right on the verge of one, especially in Paris where she was just one point away from upsetting eventual champion Iga Swiatek.  On Monday, Naomi earned her first victory at Wimbledon since 2019, in a three-setter against Diane Parry of France.

Navarro got off to an excellent start in 2024, going 20-7 between January and March, and winning a title in Hobart.  That came on the heels of winning 64 matches at all levels in 2023.  Her results have simmered a bit the last few months, though she did achieve a semifinal just last week on grass in Bad Homburg.  Emma dropped only two games in the first round against Qiang Wang of China.

In another first-time meeting on the day, I give the edge to the power of Osaka.  While grass is not her strongest surface, Navarro is far from an expert on it either, having played just 11 tour-level matches on grass in her career. 

Stan Wawrinka vs. Gael Monfils – Third on No.2 Court

Wimbledon is by far the weakest Major in the long careers of both 39-year-old Wawrinka and 37-year-old Monfils.  And neither arrive at SW19 in strong form: Stan is just 4-8 this season at tour level, while Gael had lost six of his last nine matches before a semifinal run last week in Mallorca.  However, both are yearning for just a little bit more Grand Slam glory in the twilight of their storied careers.

On Monday, Wawrinka won in straight sets over a British wild card ranked 248^th in the world.  Monfils required four sets to prevail, but he faced much more considerable opposition in the 22^nd seed, Adrian Mannarino.  Stan is looking to reach the third round of The Championships for the second straight year, while Gael has not done so since 2018.

Their history dates all the way back to 2007, and they have split six prior encounters.  Based on the Frenchman’s grass court form this past week, I favor Monfils to claim this battle of veterans.  His speed remains a huge weapon, and will force Wawrinka to hit a lot of extra shots.  Plus, Stan is mostly lacking in confidence with so few wins in his recent past.

Jannik Sinner (1) vs. Matteo Berrettini – Third on Centre Court

Since the beginning of The Championships a year ago, Sinner is an astounding 71-8, with seven singles titles.  And that doesn’t include leading Italy to a Davis Cup crown at the end of last season.  It all started with achieving his first Major semifinal 12 months ago in London.  In the opening round on Monday, he overcame a tough first round draw, Yannick Hanfmann, in four sets.

Berrettini also prevailed in four sets in his opening round, against a tough draw of his own, former Wimbledon quarterfinalist Marton Fucsovics.  However, Matteo was treated during that match for a back issue.  Injuries continue to plague the career of the 28-year-old, as this is just his sixth tour-level event since suffering a bad ankle injury at last summer’s US Open.  He’s now 5-2 on grass on 2024.

Their only previous meeting occurred this past August in Canada, where Sinner won 6-4, 6-3.  Berrettini is the more accomplished grass court player, but he’ll need to serve a significantly high percentage of first serves to prevent the World No.1 from attacking with his penetrating return game.  And with Matteo light on matches and still not 100% healthy, Jannik is the favorite to advance.

Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:

Anca Todoni (Q) vs. Coco Gauff (2) – Gauff dropped just three games in the first round, at the only Major where she is yet to reach a quarterfinal in singles.  Todoni is a 19-year-old Romanian qualifier who on Monday won her first-ever match at a Major. 

Alexandre Muller vs. Daniil Medvedev (5) – Medvedev also won comfortably in his opening round, and has won his last 19 second round matches at Slams.  Muller’s victory on Monday was only the second of his career in the main draw of a grass court tournament.

Carlos Alcaraz (3) vs. Aleksandar Vukic – Alcaraz started his title defense with a straight-set win to open Centre Court play on Day 1.  By contrast, Vukic required a fifth-set tiebreak to get past Sebastian Ofner on an outer court.

Emma Raducanu (WC) vs. Elise Mertens – Raducanu is vying to reach the third round of a Major for the first time since her 2021 US Open title run, as she’s lost her last five matches in this round at this level.  Mertens once had an 18-match win streak in this round of Majors, and she’s advanced to the championship match of Wimbledon in women’s doubles the last three years.

Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.