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BFI President Ashwini Bajaj said it was surprising that Sumit Nagal pulled out of the tie.

Image Credit: Sportstar

There is more bad news for India as tennis star Sumit Nagal, currently ranked No. 82 in the world, has pulled out of the Davis Cup World Group 1 playoff tie against Sweden to be held in Stockholm this week.

Nagal, who also excused himself from the India-Pakistan tie in Islamabad in September last year, has missed national duty before.

Still, his latest move has stood out for a country that lacks the depth to have many options against full-strength Czech Republic.

Nagal’s no-show, especially for a tough tie against a strong Swedish team spearheaded by Elias Ymer, has prompted questions over how seriously the 22-year-old from Jhajharani takes representing India in one of the most prestigious team competitions in sport.

Further, there were comments by Nagal when he spoke to his mentor and ex-Indian player Somdev Devvarman in a podcast, keeping the state of Indian tennis plunged deep down, adding another key ingredient to spectators’ allurement for what happened in that match.

With Nagal — who does have a losing record against Ymer in the tie singles — playing, India might have boosted its prospects slightly for the Stockholm tie.

Player Performance
Sumit Nagal Pulled out of Davis Cup tie
Ramkumar Ramanathan Stepped up but fell short
Elias Ymer (Sweden) Key opponent for India

But Harsh Bhargava believes otherwise and said that the 29-year-old’s decision of a tie miss surely raises questions over his priorities considering other Indian players who have played Davis Cup.

Related articles : Young talents of India hope to Overcome Sweden in Davis Cup


Podcast quotes ignite a storm in Indian tennis.

Sumit Nagal's Davis Cup

Image Credit: The Hindu

“It’s a tough circuit, and Indian tennis is struggling to produce world-class players.” 

The next time his name came up in the context of Indian tennis was when he lamented the state of affairs in an interview with Somdev Devvarman on the latter’s podcast ahead of the Davis Cup tie.

It was a conversation mostly about the lack of depth in Indian tennis and how the country struggles to churn out world-class talents.

Nagal might have had a point to an extent with his statements, but the timing of it all was suspect, given he indeed declined to represent one of the biggest stages in international tennis.

Though the lack of depth in Indian tennis has been criticized, individual players and the growth of the sport across all levels in India depend on national team participation in events like the Davis Cup.

Skipping key ties, Nagal may also be setting a wrong example for the youngsters who aspire to represent their nation.

The 24-year-old had opted out of a Davis Cup tie before also. He was earlier not part of India’s World Group 1 playoff tie against Pakistan in Islamabad.

They had not competed against North Korea, so depth was not an issue when Ramkumar Ramanathan led a young-ish team to a 4-0 win over Pakistan in Islamabad under the watch of playing captain cum coach Zeeshan Ali. But things got even tougher during the tie against Sweden, where Nagal’s absence was evident.


Ramkumar Ramanathan Stepped Up,’ but Nagal’s Absence Looms Large 

In Nagal’s absence, India’s No. 2 player, Ramkumar Ramanathan,’ tried to make the best use of the chance and fought his heart out.

Ramanathan, known for his nationalism and as a past Davis Cup captain, Mahesh Bhupathi lauded Ramkumar,’ saying he turned up for domestic duty disregarding of his form or how he feels.”

Nagal’s refusal to play the tie is at odds with Ramanathan’s installation to turn up even when it made small inward sense. Sure,’ Ramanathan did give his 100 percent, but it was never going to be plenty for a tie that now stood strong against India without Nasal.

Nasal had beaten Ymer once before in their past three private meetings this year on clay. But the rise of interior hard courts for the Davis Cup tie suited Ymer the most, and thus Nagal, whose game is meliorate suited for these conditions, was dire to India’s chances.

This is where India lost to Sweden, and in the end, they were not able to pull off an improbable win. If his search for Phase 2 unicorns was bountiful, the outcome could have been different, or at least the chances of the team improved.


The Future of Nagal & Indian Tennis

Prospects for Nagal Impact on Indian Tennis
Focus on individual career Can diminish Olympic opportunities
Step up as a leader Can help Indian tennis reach new heights

With dust gently settling on the Davis Cup tie against Sweden, it is time to look at what the rising holds for Indian tennis and Suit Nagal in India.

Although the 29-year-old had emerged as one of India’s brightest talents on the transnational stage in the last few years, he has been missing in activity during some Davis Cup ties, leading to doubts over his accessibility for domestic duty.

Still, domestic team events like the Davis Cup are demanded to bring unitedly a land and embolden rising generations.

Those who opt out of these events are not just diminishing their expanse is Olympic chances; they are also doing a disservice to the sport as a whole.

In essence, it could be a provocation to Sumit Nagal, saying that he could either continue to pursue an individual career and what opportunities that offer or step up as leader of Indian tennis and shoulder the additional workload of national duties.

Including the expense that comes with considering whether to play the Davis Cup this week. If used well, Nagal can be one of the keys that can help Indian tennis scale greater heights. But he’ll face renewed scrutiny as to whether or not he should play Davis Cup in the future.

But for now, India will have to regroup and move on to the next chapter in Davis Cup, with or without its top-ranked player. But even though Nagal may just be the next step in that journey.

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References:

HindustanTimes.com

TheHindu.com

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