Nadal's loss is Nagal's gain. Despite losing his final qualifying round match to South Korea's Hong Seong-chan, Indian singles tennis spearhead Sumit Nagal has made the cut for the main draw of Indian Wells Open 2024. And it is all thanks to Rafael Nadal's withdrawal from the event. (More Tennis News)
The Spanish tennis titan pulled out of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament on Thursday (March 7, 2024), just a day before his opening round clash. Nadal said he was not yet physically ready to compete in the top-flight tournament.
In a statement posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Nadal said: "I have been working hard and practicing and you all know I took a test this weekend but I don’t find myself ready to play at the highest level at such an important event. It is not an easy decision, it’s a tough one as a matter of fact but I can’t lie to myself and lie to the thousands of fans."
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Earlier this week, Nadal had returned on the circuit after nearly two months, showing little discomfort in his closely-contested exhibition match against fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. Nadal eventually lost 6-3, 4-6, 12-14 but had dished out some trademark winners to delight the crowd.
The 37-year-old was making his comeback after sustaining an injury in Brisbane International in January, which ruled him out of the Australian Open. Before that, Nadal had been away for almost a year due to a hip injury.
Nevertheless, for Indian tennis lovers, the disappointment of not seeing Nadal in action will be offset by the excitement of watching Nagal take the court in his stead. The 26-year-old from Jhajjar has been having a superb season so far and will aim to spring a surprise or two against 2016 Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic.
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It will be a tough challenge for the Indian, as he is up against the former world number 3. Raonic has been dealing with injuries lately, but pulled off two stellar victories at the Rotterdam Open, which includes one against the red-hot Alexander Bublik. But Nagal is always up for a challenge and will be raring to go in what will be his ATP Masters 1000 debut.
Live streaming details of Sumit Nagal vs Milos Raonic, Indian Wells Open 2024 main draw match
When and where will the Sumit Nagal vs Milos Raonic, Indian Wells Open 2024 main draw match be played?
The Sumit Nagal vs Milos Raonic, Indian Wells Open 2024 main draw match will be played in Indian Wells, California on Thursday, March 8, 2024 at 7:30am IST.
Where will the Sumit Nagal vs Milos Raonic, Indian Wells Open 2024 main draw match be telecast and live streamed?
The Sumit Nagal vs Milos Raonic, Indian Wells Open 2024 main draw match will be live streamed on the SonyLiv app and website, as well as the TennisTV website in India. There is no information regarding TV telecast of the match yet. We will update this space if any fresh information is received regarding it.
