Sumit Nagal says he is ready for the Australian Open

The 23-year-old Indian star received a wild card entry into the main draw of the tournament.

Sumit Nagal is focused on the upcoming draw for the Australian Open 2021, which will take place on Thursday. The star is expecting to be paired up against a top-10 ranked player after receiving a wild card entry in the tournament.

“I was talking about this with my coach last night and I have a feeling that I will play a top-10 player. It’s my gut feeling, let’s see what happens,” he said in an interview with PTI.

Sumit Nagal grabbed attention in 2019, when he won a set against Roger Federer in the US Open in his grand slam debut.

He talked about his tendency to learn from big players and adopting their qualities into his own game. “It is with a lot of players that they perform better when they are up against really good players," He explained.

"For me, I get to learn playing them so I don’t mind playing big players, someone in top-10. To try and match what Federer does is very very difficult. What I learn from him is how he understands himself and how he reads the game. He will never make the same mistake twice, he’s that good,” he continued.

The 23-year-old also referenced Dominic Thiem’s gameplay, whom he played against in the 2020 US Open. “I could learn a lot from Thiem - I would like to play the way he plays. solid backhand, serving well, good forehand. I try to copy him a lot,” he opined.

“The way he (Thiem) practices, his intensity is pretty high. He makes sure that wherever he does, he does it right. He is very disciplined on court, he does not show bad behaviour in practice or matches,” he remarked.

Sumit Nagal also talked about his preparation ahead of the Australian Open. “I ended the last season a month earlier and then I tried coming back, I was not ready. There is nothing I can change, I can’t control my past. I am trying to practice as much as possible and get better every day, so I am ready for Australian Open.”

The Indian star also spoke regarding the challenges of staying in a bio-bubble during the pandemic. “It depends from player to player. There are players who are older, got family, kids. It’s (quarantine) not easy, you can do it a time or two but to do it for 10-month-long, is not easy,” he concluded.

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