Sumit Nagal became the first player from the nation to defeat a seeded player in the Australian Open since 1989.
Indian Tennis player Sumit Nagal etched his name in history books on Tuesday, January 16 as he became the first player from the nation to defeat a seeded player in the Australian Open since 1989. The 26-year-old registered the historic feat by beating Alexander Bublik from Kazakhstan in the opening round, winning the game by 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 as he further advanced to the second round.
Notably, Nagal has a special connection with the star India cricketer Virat Kohli who has been supported him since 2017. Following Nagal’s historic achievement, an old interview of him has resurfaced where he thanked the former India captain for supporting him when he was undergoing a financial crisis.
“Virat Kohli’s foundation has been supporting me since 2017. I haven’t been performing well for the last two years and was facing a financial crisis. If I didn’t have Virat Kohli supporting me, I don’t know what I would have done,” Nagal told Bombay Times.