Australian Open 2024: Virat Kohli Connection in Sumit Nagal’s Success
Securing his place in history with this win would not have been possible without the support of Indian cricketing star Virat Kohli who initially extended a helping hand to Sumit Nagal back in 2017. Read about what more Sumit Nagal said by scrolling down.
Indian tennis star Sumit Nagal has advanced to the second round of the Australian Open 2024 as he defeated Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik by 6-4, 6-2, 7-6. No Indian player was able to do so in the Australian Open in the last 11 years. Somdev Devvarman was the last player to qualify for round two of the Australian Open. Sumit Nagal defeated a seeded player in his first-round match of the Australian Open 2024. Sumit Nagal Becomes First Indian to Win Against Seeded Player at Grand Slam in Men’s Singles After 35 Years, Beats Alexander Bublik in Australian Open 2024 First Round.
Securing his place in history with this win would not have been possible without the support of Indian cricketing star Virat Kohli who initially extended a helping hand to Sumit Nagal back in 2017. During an interview with the Bombay Times, Nagal went on to share a story of how Kohli and his foundation supported him during a period when he only had six dollars left in his pocket.
"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", Sumit Nagal told Bombay Times.
"Early this year (in 2019), 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," Sumit Nagal added further. Australian Open 2024: Fans React As Sumit Nagal Becomes First Indian in 11 Years To Qualify for AO Second Round.
This is one of the biggest achievements of the tennis star as he has suffered during the previous editions of the tournaments.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 16, 2024 02:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).