Did You Know? Virat Kohli Saved Indian Tennis Star Sumit Nagal's Career; Know How-
In an interview in 2019, Sumit Nagal revealed how Kohli and his venture aided him through tough times, including a period when he was left with no more than 6 USD.
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Indian tennis star became a household name after his sensational win made a stunning entry into the second round of the Australian Open 2024 by defeating world number 27 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in straight sets on Tuesday. This achievement marked Nagal's first-ever entry into the Australian Open's second round in his career. It also marked a historic moment, as it was the first time in 35 years that an Indian player defeated a seeded opponent in a Grand Slam.
However, this win came after he faced several hurdles. Sumit Nagal, India’s top-ranked singles player, has been denied a nomination wildcard entry into the Australian Open 2024 by the All India Tennis Association (AITA). Last year, he had also revealed to have been left with just Rs 80,000 in his bank account. So, overall, he first progressed in the qualifiers and then secured a place in the men's first round and now scripted history.
The Indian had previously received a singles wildcard for the Australian Open 2021, which is reserved for a player from the Asia-Pacific region. This allowed him direct entry into the main draw of the Grand Slam. Despite his ranking improving from outside the top 500 to 138 within the year, AITA decided not to nominate him for the 2024 edition’s Asian slot.
Sumit Nagal said, "I speak to Virat Kohli once in a while. I was also a part of the Virat Kohli foundation. His foundation has helped me, I would like to thank him for all the support in those years". pic.twitter.com/0TN9ty1qm6
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) January 17, 2024
In an earlier interview, Sumit Nagal revealed that he received financial support from Virat Kohli during a tough phase in his career. In an interview with Times of India, the tennis ace said that once he just had six dollars in his pocket while flying from Canada to Germany and it was Kohli's foundation that came to his rescue in 2017.
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"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 had said.
"Early this year, when I was flying from Canada to Germany after a tournament, I had six dollars in my wallet… just six dollars after the help that I have been getting, so imagine what a mess I must have been before. But I survived, and things are getting better. If people fund athletes, it will only help the sport flourish in the country. I am fortunate to get that support from Virat," he had added.
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"I speak to him once in a while. I was also a part of his foundation. Thanks to him for all those years. You know, which Indian doesn't like cricket? I follow it and watch it whenever I get a chance, yeah," Nagal told reporters after beating Bublik in straight sets.