Wimbledon 2024: Sumit Nagal Feels He Could Have Done Better After First Round Exit

Nagal, making his debut in Wimbledon's main draw, fought hard but lost 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 to his Serb opponent in the opening round duel that lasted nearly three-and-a-half hours.

"This is my first main draw at Wimbledon, and playing on the grass surface is not easy; you need a bit of experience. But I think I did whatever I could, I fought hard. I felt like I could have served better, and there were a few things here and there in the match I could have done better," Nagal told Star Sports.

After losing the first set, the Haryana-born player made a comeback winning the second. Nagal rued missed opportunity in the third set where he felt momentum was shifting towards him.

"Later on in the third set, the momentum was kind of shifting towards me. I think, like I said, if I could have broken him at 5-3, him serving, I think the match could have changed in a funny way."

Nagal, who became the first Indian to qualify for the main draw of men's singles in Wimbledon since Prajnesh Gunneswaran faced a first-round exit from the tournament back in 2019, said that he had a great experience.

"It was a great experience. Obviously, when you play for three, three-and-a-half hours, you always feel like, 'this could have been done or that could have been done.' But like I said, if I could have changed things in the third set, I would have really liked that (broken the opponent at 5-3).

Despite the loss, Nagal remains confident and is looking forward to playing in the Paris Olympics.

"I keep on climbing the rankings. There are a few goals that I need to finish, and that will be one of them — to keep on climbing the rankings.

"Now, I'm going back on clay to get ready for Paris. I'm looking forward to it; it's going to be my second Olympics, and I'm super, super excited for it."