EXCLUSIVE | 'If I could change my body, I would': Sumit Nagal opens up on injuries and patient rebuilding

New Delhi: Sumit Nagal had just stepped off the court after playing his first-round match at the ATP Challenger in Delhi. He went past Spain's David Jorda Sanchis in straight sets and posed for selfies with a handful of kids who had patiently waited for the match to end.

Having spent an hour and 28 minutes on the court, Nagal rushed to the locker room to perform his cool-down exercises and emerged looking fresher about an hour later.



As Delhi's winter chill gave way to the heat in the second week of February, Nagal spoke briefly with his coach Sascha Nensel, while seated near the pool at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) complex.

One of the topics, perhaps, would have been how he felt physically on the court. The shots, for the most part, looked good. Nagal struck 14 winners, converted two of three break points and was more accurate than his opponent: 20 unforced errors to Sanchis's 38. There was a drop in intensity, he admitted, which made him sloppy.

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The 28-year-old ended his 2025 season early and spent 5-6 weeks in the pre-season focusing on multiple things, but being physically fit, under the watchful eye of his fitness trainer Milos Galecic, was pivotal.

"If I could change my body, I would do it like this," he said with a snap of his fingers. "It's really frustrating. It's really annoying. It's been really tough. I don't know what to say, honestly," added Nagal, to TimesofIndia.com, with irritation palpable in his words.

Nagal knows the frustration of injuries all too well. He underwent hip surgery in 2021 that kept him out for six months. A back injury saw him withdraw from a Davis Cup tie in 2024. Back niggles continued a year later. Even this year, a hip flexor tear forced him to retire mid-match at the ATP Challenger in Nonthaburi, Thailand.

“Thanks for the bumpy ride, 2025,” he wrote on social media after a year of no singles titles and as he slipped from top-100 in rankings to World No. 277.

"Getting injured in random tournaments, (to) random balls, no pattern. It's very frustrating but I've also accepted it's part of it. It is annoying also that it takes out my rhythm. I'm a small guy. I need to play in rhythm. It's very tough for me to just stand on the court and go boom, boom, boom.

"I need to play, play, play. My best years have been when I've been injury-free. I think the last 15-17 months have been very unfortunate, with 4-5 different injuries, but I'm trying my best. I am working as much as possible. Right now, there are no ifs, buts or maybe," he continued.

The 'best years' that Nagal refers to are performances like qualifying for the 2024 Australian Open and beating World No. 27 Alexander Bublik. He then clinched the ATP Challenger in Chennai. Then there was a three-setter against Holger Rune in Monte Carlo.

Now, not surprisingly, he's spending a little bit more time on fitness and rehab. The World No. 278 player has changed his diet, is eating less gluten and reminds himself to be patient as the body undergoes a change.

Through these injuries, recoveries and continuous struggles, Nagal, who was once World No. 68 in July 2024, has matured.

"I think the surgery was where I really matured. The reason was that I watched a lot of tennis in those months. I understood the patterns," said Nagal.

"Obviously, you also get a little bit older. You get more emotionally stable. Things play out just because you've been there for a while. You understand what is what. You have experience now. You are more calm, more mature. So I would say these things are what made the biggest difference," he continued.

"Injuries are very tough to say. If you struggle for a while, then it can affect your movements. When I had this hip surgery, I was struggling for a year to play without pain.

"And then when I decided, 'listen, I cannot really play like this. I need to figure things out'. But also, I lost almost one-and-a-half to two years because so many months you lose on trying to figure things out.

"When the surgery is done, it takes you almost 8-10 months to come back because a joint that is coming out of a surgical clinic, you also have to be patient," he stressed.

The fears for Nagal and his team came back in January. When it was confirmed that it wasn't bad enough to warrant surgery, the Delhi-born worked overdrive on recovery and rehab alongside Yash Pandey, who has worked extensively with the India No. 1. The expected 5-6 weeks of rehab was shaved to three weeks with 'no days off.'

On the court, the struggles persist. After six tournaments -- Australian Open wildcard playoff, Bengaluru Challenger, Nonthaburi Challenger, Chennai Challenger, Delhi Challenger, Pune Challenger -- Nagal has not been able to stitch two wins in a row.



None hurt more than the loss against Harold Mayot in Bengaluru. The Indian was up 6-2 in the third-set tiebreaker and had the finish line in sight after three hours. He had saved two match points and now had seven match points of his own. One after the other, they kept going away from him. One of the lost opportunities was when Nagal misjudged a ball, expecting it to go long, only to watch it take the line.

Many weeks later, he has a pragmatic approach to the season and defeats so far.

"I think the Bangalore loss was very unfortunate. It felt really bad for a bit. But then I also realised if I'm in this position 10 times, I'm probably going to win 9 times. So I said, 'Man, you know, take it, can't win all. You will have matches like this because I know that I have been on the other side also. And every tennis player goes through this. Sometimes you win from a really bad position and then you [also] lose from a really good position," said Nagal.

Sumit's favourite part of the season begins now - on clay. He has returned to his place and academy in Germany, and the first tournament is in Zadar, Croatia, with the French Open a possibility. Now, he is focusing on the controllables - the backhand, the serve, the volley.

"Other things I can't really control. And if I can control these things, I will be a better player," he said with the maturity of someone whose patient game now, unfortunately, matches his off-the-court injuries-induced patience.


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