Asian Games 2026: India's Top Singles Tennis Player Sumit Nagal Predicts 113 Medals

Sumit Nagal goes into the Asian Games as India's highest-ranked men's singles tennis player. His current ATP ranking is 247, but he has seen better days. The 29-year-old was ranked 68th back in 2024. At the Asian Games, lawn tennis is a discipline that has consistently won India medals. At the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, India won two medals in lawn tennis: gold in mixed doubles (Rohan Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale) and silver in men's doubles (Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan). Before the Asian Games, NDTV caught up with Nagal.

Q: How do you see India's current team? You are there, Yuki Bhambri is there, and Rutuja Bhosale is also there, who has the experience of winning an Asian Games medal.

Sumit Nagal: I think there is a good chance. Everybody is a skilled player. I have been playing tennis for a while. Talking about myself, I have lost two close quarter-finals to players who turned out to be very good. If you look at my last quarter-final in China, I lost to Zhe Zhang, who ended up winning gold. And before that, I lost in doubles against Bublik, who has also become a very good player.

Obviously, I would like to do more. I wouldn't say try, but obviously I would hope that luck goes my way. Talking about Yuki, he is a very good player. If he is in form, it is very tough to play against him. I do believe he is going to be one of the favourite players to win a medal. The same goes for Rutuja.

Q: For the past several years, you have carried the tag of the best men's singles tennis player in India. If you look at recent years, including the last Asian Games, the two medals that India won were in mixed doubles and men's doubles. As India's men's singles representative, how does that tag and pressure feel to you?

Sumit Nagal: Whether it is the Asian Games, Davis Cup, ATP Tour events, Grand Slams, or anything else, pressure is always going to be there. You just have to keep your head down, narrow your focus, and concentrate on the things that are going to matter on those days. Try not to let your thoughts wander and focus on the simple things. That's all you can do. Like I said, pressure is a privilege.

As an athlete, or in any profession, pressure exists. Even a doctor faces pressure when performing surgery. Even a lawyer faces pressure. So, I think pressure is there for every human being. It's just about how you deal with it and how big that pressure is.

Q: You said you recently lost two close quarter-finals. How do you view this phase of your career in terms of your ranking and other aspects?

Sumit Nagal: For me, the Asian Games are going to be the first focus. I have to put everything into them. Obviously, as you said, there will be ATP events to finish the season. I am not too worried. I just want to enjoy myself. I want to play good tennis and give myself the best chance of winning every match. If it is in my hands, I want to do everything I can to the best of my ability. That's it.

Q: What is Sumit Nagal's prediction for how many medals India will win at these Asian Games? India won 107 medals at the last Asian Games. What's your prediction this time?

Sumit Nagal: I would say three in tennis. Overall, I would say 113.

Q: Could you tell us a bit about your association with Asics?

Sumit Nagal: Asics has been very good. They have professionals who understand the sport, understand what an athlete needs on a daily basis, and understand the products. They have really impressive technology and sports science behind them. Speaking about their athlete-first approach, I connect strongly with Asics because of the culture I was brought up in. If you look at my interviews, I have always spoken very highly about being associated with Japanese brands. Asics has been one of them for the last three years.

As of now, they are one of the best sports brands. You can see that across the tennis circuit. If I were to talk about one product right now, it would be the Asics Court FF.

As you can see, it is one of the most-used tennis shoes on tour. That gives you a very good idea of where Asics stands right now. I'm honestly very proud to be a part of it.

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