Sumit Nagal gave Roger Federer a scare!
Facing a revered player who has won 20 grand slams is not easy. Sumit Nagal gave the Swiss legend Roger Federer a scare by taking the first set in the four set match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The Indian tennis player made his US Open Grand Slam main draw debut and couldn’t have expected more from the first match. Nagal is the only Indian player to take a set from Federer. Somdev Devvarman (in two meetings) and Rohan Bopanna had lost to him in straight sets.
The 22-year-old is still in awe of the match he played against the ‘God of tennis’.
He was handpicked by Mahesh Bhupathi in 2007 for his “Apollo Mission 2018” program. The scheme sought to produce an Indian Grand Slam singles champion by 2018.
Nagal won the 2015 Wimbledon boys’ doubles title with Vietnam’s Nam Hoang Ly, becoming only the sixth Indian player to win a junior Grand Slam trophy.
Fun Fact
Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert Lloyd are the only players who have won US Open on all three surfaces, Grass, Clay and Hard Court.