"We do lack financial support."
Sumit Nagal has guaranteed himself £94,100 after achieving a historic win at the Australian Open.
Just four months ago, the Indian tennis player was on the brink of bankruptcy with just £775 in his account.
The 26-year-old came through qualifying and stunned Number 31 seed Alexander Bublik 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 in round one at the Grand Slam, with the Kazakhstani smashing a racket in frustration.
The win makes Nagal the first Indian tennis player, male or female, to win a singles match against a seeded player at a Grand Slam since 1989.
He also secured just his second Grand Slam win after reaching the second round at the 2020 US Open.
Nagal’s win has secured him a bumper payday and the amount will continue to increase the further he gets in the tournament.
The victory marks a remarkable achievement for Nagal, who was ranked outside the world’s top 500 a year ago.
In September 2023, Sumit Nagal revealed:
“If I look at my bank balance, I have what I had at the beginning of the year. It is 900 euros [£775].”
His revelation sparked a wave of support, including a sponsorship deal with Gatorade and the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association providing a one-off grant of approximately £5,000.
Since turning pro in 2015, Nagal has earned a career total of £580,000 and won four ATP Challenger titles.
He said: “Every help you get from the companies, it helps a tennis player from India. We do lack financial support.
“If you have to play the majority of the time, you have to pay for your coaches, your expenses, and it comes out a lot in tennis because you’re playing so many tournaments, in and out so many flights, so many different hotels.
“So every time you get help from someone, I really appreciate it.
“What I really like to do is to travel with a tennis coach and a physio because I am one of those guys who want to stay fit for the whole year.”
Nagal also revealed that when hie ranking dropped due to injury, he “did not know what to do, I have given up”.
But just months later, he secured his second-best career win on Court 6 at the Australian Open.
The crowd cheered for Nagal throughout the match and when he won, he let out a massive roar of delight.
That's a big win for @nagalsumit ??
He takes out No. 31 seed Bublik 6-4 6-2 7-6(5).#AusOpen • #AO2024 pic.twitter.com/ldM9VE4X0M
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 16, 2024
The win is likely to bolster his current ranking of world number 137.
And Sumit Nagal will fancy his chances of reaching round three when he takes on China’s 18-year-old wildcard Juncheng Shang next.
If he reaches round three, Nagal’s likely opponent will be Spanish powerhouse Carlos Alcaraz.
Tennis fans heaped praise on Nagal, with one tweeting:
“This is historic. Congrats Sumit. Proud of you.”
Another wrote: “Honesty is the first big paycheck and I appreciate he was so real to tell his story without adornments.
“He will do great things and we are going to be here to celebrate him.”
One user said: “An inspiration to all, who are making their career in sports.”
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