Jul 22, 2024 09:42 PM IST
Sumit Nagal fumed at the chair umpire and complained about the court conditions at the Kitzbuhel Open.
India tennis star Sumit Nagal expressed displeasure over the court’s conditions at the ATP 250 Kitzbuhel Open in Austria. The top-ranked Indian star fumed at the chair umpire and complained about the conditions. The incident went viral on social media as some of the users posted the conversation between Nagal and the chair umpire on X.
Nagal told the umpire, “Tell me how it’s possible to play on a court like this.”
To which Chair Umpire responded: “I have seen worse.”
Nagal was not impressed with his comments and said, “That’s possible. But it’s still so bad.”
However, the Indian star bounced back against all odds to register a win over Slovakia’s Lucas Klein in the opening round of the ATP 250 Kitzbuhel Open in Austria.
Nagal, who will represent India in the upcoming Olympics, fought back and snatched the win from the jaws of defeat and won the match 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (3).
Nagal won the first set, but was a shadow of his dominant self in the second set as Klein cantered through it.
The world No. 80 Indian was down 3-5 in the deciding third set, but found a way to come back and force the tie-break.
In the tie-break, Nagal regained his flow to emerge a 7-3 winner to earn a spot in the pre-quarterfinals. In the round of 16, Nagal will face fourth-seeded Spaniard Pedro Martinez, a world No. 45.
Recently, Nagal continued his rise in the ATP singles chart, climbing to a career-high ranking of 68. The 26-year-old rose five spots in the latest ATP ranking list released on Monday. His previous best was 71.
Nagal thus moves past former world No. 71 Sashi Menon to become the fourth highest-ranked Indian man since 1973.