Nagal lost 6-4, 1-6, 2-6, 4-6 in a match that lasted two hours and 30 minutes- good performance for somebody who was making his debut in Grand Slam tournament main draw.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 26: (L-R) Roger Federer of Switzerland shakes hands with Sumit Nagal of India after their Men's Singles first round match on day one of the 2019 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 26, 2019 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images/AFP
Indian tennis star, Sumit Nagal, who had qualified for the main draw of the US Open 2019 recently, bowed out of the first round of US Open after losing to five-time champion Roger Federer. However, Nagal did manage to give a tough fight to the Swiss veteran and stretched the match to four sets on Monday.
Nagal lost 6-4, 1-6, 2-6, 4-6 in a match that lasted two hours and 30 minutes- a good performance for somebody who was making his debut in Grand Slam tournament main draw. The 22-year-old did not let the occasion get the better of him and played a fearless brand of tennis. He even went on to win the first set 6-4 against Federer who made as many as 19 unforced errors.
To put things into perspective and to understand what Sumit Nagal’s first set win means here is a statistic. Nagal’s set win against Federer is the first time since 2003 that Federer has lost a set in the first round match of US Open.
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However, in the next three sets, Federer proved to be too good for the 190th ranked Indian tennis player as he lost to him 1-6, 2-6, 4-6 to bow out of the tournament.
Federer will now face Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur in the next round of the US Open.
“It was a tough first set for me. However, credit to him for playing a solid first set. I was a bit rusty in the match,” Federer said post the match.
Prior to the match, Sumit Nagal had stated that he would try and enjoy the match and at the same time not think too much about whom he was up against.
“I want to play him. It doesn’t matter. It’s not about winning or losing all the time. It’s just the experience. It’s playing someone who has 20 Grand Slams,” Nagal had told ATP Tour website.
“I don’t care what the commentators will be saying about me on TV. I’m going to be enjoying the crowd, playing the best tennis player ever. I’m just some dude from India. I’m fine with that until I make my name. That’s it,” he added.
The Indian tennis player had said that he does not try and copy play like Federer since he is just “too good”.
“He’s just too good. You never want to copy him. If you watch Federer and what he’s doing with the ball and then you try to do the same, you’re just going to break your racquets. It’s never going to happen. That’s why he’s not my idol. Just too good. That’s how I see it,” he said.
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