Following his sudden performance boost in 2024, India’s top-ranked men’s singles tennis player, Sumit Nagal, has been included in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). The 26-year-old had entered the second round at the Australia Open 2024 by beating World No. 27 Alexander Bublik and becoming the first player since Ramesh Krishnan to beat a seeded player at a slam.
Following his success at the Australian Open, Nagal won the Chennai Challenger and breached the ATP Top 100 for the first time in his career, becoming just the 10th Indian to do so.
Sumit Nagal had been struggling to make ends meet before his run in Australia. After he triumphed over Bublik, he revealed that he had only 900 euros left in his bank account after the end of 2023. After being included in the TOPS scheme by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the ace tennis player will receive several benefits.
The scheme was launched in 2014 to support India’s top athletes. The idea behind the program is to focus on potential Olympic prospects and provide assistance for training (local and international), international competitions, equipment, coaching camps, and a monthly stipend of Rs 50,000 for each athlete.
Apart from Sumit Nagal, Soman Rana (men’s shot put F57), Bhagyashri Jadhav (women’s shot put F34), Rampal (women’s 100m T12), Simran (women’s 200m T12), and Anush Agarwalla (equestrian) have also been included in the program.
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