India's Sumit Nagal jumped 23 spots in the most recently published ATP singles rankings and entered the top 100 for the first time in his career. Nagal won the Chennai Open challenger title on Sunday, February 11, 2024, with a straight sets win over Italy's Luca Nardi, earning a massive points jump in the process. (More Tennis News)
"I'm very emotional. You know, every tennis player's dream is to be top 100 at least. And like I said earlier, to win this match in front of the home crowd in your own country, I don't think I could have asked for a better place," Nagal claimed upon securing the Chennai Open title.
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"I don't think there were words, everyone was crying. Less words, more tears. I'm still very emotional. It's been very tough last year with being ranked 500, getting surgery done, not having financial support.
"A lot of ups and downs, you know. And I'm very happy that I found a way to push every single day and give myself a chance to be here."
Just a month earlier, Nagal had battled past the qualifying draw to enter the Australian Open 2024 main draw. He would subsequently become the first Indian in 35 years to beat a seeded player with a first round win over Alexander Bublik before crashing out in the second round.
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Nagal becomes the first Indian to enter the top 100 ATP men's singles rankings since Prajnesh Gunneswaran in 2019.
Overall, it has been an outstanding start to the year for Indian tennis players, with Nagal's accomplishment complimenting that of 43-year-old Rohan Bopanna, who had taken home the men's doubles title at the Australian Open in the final days of January. Bopanna, consequently, reached the top of the ATP rankings in the men's doubles category, becoming the oldest individual to do so.
