India’s top-ranked singles player Sumit Nagal has had a difficult 2026 season, with injuries disrupting his progress and pushing him down to No. 247 in the rankings. But the 29-year-old says he has changed his mindset and is now focused more on enjoying tennis than constantly worrying about results.Nagal started the year with a hip injury picked up during a Challenger event in Thailand. He returned early for India’s Davis Cup tie against the Netherlands in Bengaluru because he wanted to represent the country.“I started the year with an injury, then played Davis Cup (in Bengaluru). I was always running behind time. I came in early to play because it was Davis Cup and Team India,” Nagal told PTI.“If it wasn’t for the Davis Cup, I would have taken the whole month off.”He later developed a wrist problem and said he did not feel fully fit until May.“I was in a position where I wasn’t healthy, but I was playing. And then March, again, I started feeling something in my wrist. So I didn’t feel good till I would say May.”
Nagal changes his approach
Despite the setbacks, Nagal won a Challenger title in Romania and reached another semifinal in Czechia. He believes his game has improved in recent months.“The last two, three months have been better comparing to the first half of the year. And now I just have to build on it,” he said.His US Open qualifying campaign ended with a 3-6, 6-7(4) loss to France’s Arthur Gea. Nagal, however, felt the close match showed he can still compete at a high level.“My last match in the US Open was a little bit unfortunate. I had a few break points and the guy ended up making the fourth round. So I feel like it’s there, it’s just I need to work hard for it to go in my favour,” he said.The constant cycle of playing and recovering also affected him mentally.“It’s not so fun, because when you play for two months and then you’re out for two months and you play for two months, I don’t think it’s so much fun. But I’m done playing the victim. I take it as what it is, how it is, and I try to enjoy every day.Before the US Open, Nagal realised he needed to stop putting all his focus on winning.“I realised that I need to be more happy. Very simple, actually. And not focus too much about winning, winning, winning, winning. Because I was doing that and it wasn’t really working for me.”A loss to Jan Kumsat in Prague helped him reach that realisation.“I lost a match in Prague and I was driving back. And that’s when I realised, I said, man, like this is just not fun. I’m not going to survive like this if I keep putting pressure on myself that every match I step on, I need to win, win, win,” Nagal said.“I was just burning too much energy throughout the match and throughout the days.”
‘The focus right now is to compete’
Nagal has also put his immediate goal of returning to the top 100 aside.“You always want to play the Slams. You want to be top 50, top 30. But I wouldn’t say that’s my focus right now. The focus right now is to compete, man,” he said.Earlier in the season, he often struggled to maintain his level throughout matches.“For a lot of weeks, I was playing two good sets and not the third set. That’s very basic. Or I was playing one good set and not a good second set because I was just playing the victim thing and saying, ‘Oh, this is not working for myself. This is not working. This is against me. Everything was against me’,” he said.“And like this, whatever, you can have any goals. But like this, you’re not going to reach anywhere.”Nagal is also willing to help younger Indian players but does not want to force himself into a leadership role.“I’m always open for them. I guide them if something is needed. But also, I don’t want to be in there, let’s say, as a leadership role when it’s not asked,” he said.“At the end of the day, it’s still a team sport. It shouldn’t be one guy leading the team. Of course, my help is there. I’ve always said it. I always want Indian tennis to do well. Never a question.”
