On Tuesday night, Sumit Nagal had failed to make it to the main draw of the Indian Wells Masters, following a close defeat to South Korea’s Hong Seong-Chan 6-2, 2-6, 6-7 (4-7), but a couple of days later, he finds himself making his debut appearance at a Masters event. So, what changed in the last 36 hours?
Sumit Nagal In, Rafael Nadal Out
As it turns out, the legendary Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the Indian Wells’ first round match, stating he isn’t ready yet, to play at the highest level. This after, Nadal had pulled out of the ATP Doha event last month, and didn’t even play the Netflix Slam exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz. Now, Nagal will be up against Canadian Milos Raonic, who is a former Wimbledon finalist from 2016.
Nadal has been suffering from a hip flexor injury for over a year now. Although he did make a comeback at the Brisbane Open in January, but couldn’t take part at the Australian Open a few days later.
Nadal’s Injury Woes
“It is with great sadness that I have to withdraw from this amazing tournament at Indian Wells. Everyone knows how much I love this place and how much I love to play here. That’s also one of the reasons why I came very early to the desert to practice and try to get ready.”
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“I have been working hard and practicing and you all know I took a test this weekend but I don’t find myself ready to play at the highest level at such an important event. It is not an easy decision, it’s a tough one as a matter of fact but I can’t lie to myself and lie to the thousands of fans. I will miss you all and I am sure the tournament will be a great success”, he wrote on X.
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