Bengaluru, Feb 5 (PTI) India’s number one singles player Sumit Nagal on Thursday said he is feeling “better day by day” as he continues his recovery from a minor hip tear ahead of India’s Davis Cup tie against the Netherlands here, even as he admitted that the last season was a harsh reminder of the unforgiving nature of professional tennis.
Nagal, who has slipped to a ranking of 281 after a difficult 2025 season marred by loss of form and the resultant lack of results, said the last three weeks of focused rehabilitation has given him confidence going into the tie.
“Feeling good, feeling better day by day,” Nagal said after a training session.
“I’ve been working a lot in the last two-three weeks. For me, the camp started right after Bangkok. I didn’t
feel so good there, but I flew down the same night, started my rehab and honestly, I don’t have any complaints. I did whatever I could to get ready for the Davis Cup.” The 27-year-old suffered a hip tear in Bangkok and admitted that the recovery phase was mentally challenging.
“Of course, there were fears. You don’t know how you’re going to recover. You look at it day by day, 24 hours at a time. Every day you wake up not knowing how sore you’ll be or how much load you can take. The fear is always there once you come out of an injury, especially before the first match,” he said.
Despite suggestions that slower courts might have suited India better, Nagal backed the decision to host the tie in Bengaluru, pointing to the strengths of the Dutch players.
“(Jesper) De Jong and Guy (Den Ouden), they are both very good on clay. They’ve done extremely well on that surface. So, I think it was good that we chose Bangalore. I’m comfortable here, I’ve spent a lot of time in my career playing in these conditions,” he said.
Nagal also underlined the importance of familiar surroundings, having shifted his training base to Bengaluru once the venue was confirmed.
“Once we found out Davis Cup was going to be here, we moved our camp. I stayed back after WTL, came early for the Challenger and tried to spend as much time here as possible.” Reflecting on a turbulent 2025 season in which he dropped out of the top-100, Nagal described it as a “big learning experience”.
“If you don’t perform in tennis, you lose ranking, you lose money, you lose everything. I was losing matches that I should win and not winning the close ones. That’s how the ranking started dropping,” he said.
Nagal played only two ATP Tour-level events last year and endured seven first-round exits on the Challenger circuit.
“It was unfortunate, getting sick, getting injured, losing rhythm. Towards the end of 2025, I started playing better again, but I had decided to play a limited schedule and finished my season early to focus on a long pre-season,” he said.
Having enjoyed an injury-free run in 2024, Nagal said the contrast with the following year was stark.
“Losing months means losing confidence. That was the biggest thing for me,” he said, adding that he has now recalibrated his schedule to include longer pre-seasons and greater emphasis on daily rehabilitation.
On his readiness for the tie, Nagal sounded cautiously optimistic.
“My body is ready to play a match. That’s what we’re testing in these practice matches. How the body reacts, how I wake up the next day. If I step on the court, I can’t think 80 or 90 percent. I have to go as hard as possible,” he said.
Despite his struggles, Nagal said he is relishing the chance to represent India again.
“Honestly, it was a very good day for me today. Everything felt good, and I’m looking forward to playing for India,” he added. PTI APS APS UNG
