Sumit Nagal Recalls Taking Set Off Roger Federer at US Open: “Really Enjoyed That Moment”
World No. 286 Sumit Nagal made his Grand Slam debut at the 2019 US Open.
Follow Us
Roger Federer, Sumit Nagal (Image via X/AllAboutHQ, The Tennis Letter)
- Sumit Nagal recalls enjoying his first Grand Slam match against Roger Federer at the 2019 US Open.
- Nagal has yet to reach the third round of a Major, having made the second round twice.
- He has reached 10 Challenger finals, winning six titles, with his last title in 2024.
India’s No.1 ranked tennis player, Sumit Nagal, is in Pune for a Challenger event and is set to play seventh seed Rio Noguchi in the first round on Tuesday. Before coming to Pune, Nagal participated in the Delhi Open, where his run was ended by Federico Cina in the round of 16.
Ahead of his campaign in Pune, Nagal sat for a quick interview with WION during which he was asked about his debut Grand Slam main draw match at the 2019 US Open. In front of him stood none other than the 20-time Grand Slam champion, Roger Federer. The Swiss maestro lost the first set but eventually secured a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win.
A little bit nervous, obviously. First Slam…you play Roger in the US Open. Yeah, I still remember that the walk was a very long walk. You start to feel the difference when the matches…the crowd noise is very different when I win a point. When Roger wins a point, which is very normal… But honestly, I really, really enjoyed that moment. I got a little bit comfortable in the fourth set. Little unfortunate that I didn’t break him in the last game. I always talk about it, but overall, an incredible experience.
It was the only time Nagal met Federer, and it was also the only time the Indian ace faced a member of the Big 3. After knocking out Nagal, Federer went on to reach the quarterfinals, only to lose to Grigor Dimitrov. Nagal has yet to reach the third round of a Major, making the second round twice.
Sumit Nagal says his match against Daniil Medvedev wasn’t a great experience
During the aforementioned interview with WION, Sumit Nagal was also asked how playing Roger Federer was different from playing other opponents. While answering, the 28-year-old also recalled the 2021 Tokyo Olympics match he played against Daniil Medvedev.
Because of him being a legend, him being one of the greatest in the sport…always, always fun and obviously, I played World No.1, met Medvedev when he was one in the world; wasn’t a great experience for me because the game style is so different. But you learn a lot from these matches. You learn why they are so good, you try to copy few things out of them, and the better players you play…you know you cannot win this match on a 95 percent, you always have to go max out.
Sumit Nagal said
Nagal has yet to win a tour-level title but has so far reached 10 Challenger finals, winning six titles. The last time he won a title at this level was in Heilbronn back in 2024. He has also played 10 ITF Future finals, losing just one time.
Medvedev, on the other hand, will be chasing his 23rd tour-level singles title at the Dubai Tennis Championships. The Russian ace will kick off his campaign against Shang Juncheng. Medvedev is a former champion in Dubai, winning in 2023 by defeating Andrey Rublev.
Medvedev won this year’s Brisbane International by defeating Brandon Nakashima. Last year, after clinching the Almaty Open against Corentin Moutet, the 2021 US Open champion ended his title drought, winning his first title since the 2023 Italian Open.
Prior to arriving in Dubai, the 30-year-old played the Qatar Open, where Stefanos Tsitsipas knocked him out in the last 16, improving his head-to-head record to 5-10. At the Australian Open this year, Medvedev lost to Learner Tien for the second consecutive time (last year, Tien knocked him out in the second round). Medvedev and Tien, surprisingly, will be playing doubles at Indian Wells.
/techfirstnow/media/agency_attachments/kATjCXskQdJKkXN0OuqW.png)