Sumit Nagal achieved a new career-high ranking of 71 in the latest ATP Rankings released on Monday, making him the joint-fourth highest-ranked Indian man ever since the introduction of the computerised system of rankings in 1973.
The 26-year-old Nagal, who finished as runner-up at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Perugia on Sunday, climbed six spots to move past Leander Paes and join Sashi Menon on the all-time list. Paes had a career-high singles ranking of 73 in 1998.
Ahead of Nagal and Menon, who was ranked 71st in the world in 1975, are Somdev Devvarman (62), Ramesh Krishnan (23) and Vijay Amritraj (18).
Here’s the full list of Indian men who have been ranked inside the Top 100 at some stage in their careers (along with their career-high rankings):
Vijay Amritraj – 18 (1980)
Ramesh Krishnan – 23 (1985)
Somdev Devvarman – 62 (2011)
Sumit Nagal – 71 (2024)
Sashi Menon – 71 (1975)
Leander Paes – 73 (1998)
Anand Amritraj – 74 (1974)
Prajnesh Gunneswaran – 75 (2019)
Yuki Bhambri – 83 (2018)
Jasjit Singh – 89 (1974)
It has been a breakout season for Nagal. The Indian started the year by qualifying for the main draw of the Australian Open where he shocked 31st-seeded Kazakh Alexander Bublik in the opening round. He became the first Indian man in 35 years to defeat a seeded player in a Slam.
He then won the Chennai Open ATP Challenger to make his Top 100 debut in the ATP Rankings.
He also became the first ever Indian man to record a main-draw win at Monte Carlo Masters, beating Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi in the first round.
Nagal made his French Open debut and is also set to feature in the main draw at Wimbledon.
Recently, the Indian clinched his sixth title on the Challenger Tour in Heilbronn, Germany, a result which has likely secured him a spot at Paris Olympics.
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com