MONTE CARLO: Sumit Nagal said that he gets ‘extra confidence’ playing on the clay court. Nagal caused a big upset in the Monte Carlo Masters by beating World No. 38 Matteo Arnaldi of Italy in three sets in the first round of the event being played at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in France on Monday.
Nagal defeated Arnaldi 5-7 6-2 6-4 to register the third-best win of his career by ranking of opponent. It was also his third win over a top-50 player and 11th against a player in the top 100 in the event being held at the French town near the border with Monaco.
Earlier, Nagal had become the first from India in 42 years after Ramesh Krishnan in 1982 to play in the opening round of the tournament.
“It’s my childhood. When I was young, I started playing tennis on clay when I was 8, 9 years old. I didn’t get much clay when I moved to Canada, but I have been living in Germany for the past 10 years. Somehow, I fell in love with clay, I move well, it gives me extra confidence and I feel like clay gives me that,” Nagal told Tennis TV.
Nagal next play World No. 7 Holger Rune in the Round of 32. Nagal lauded Rune for holding his spot in the top 10 of the ATP rankings, but talked about focussing on his strengths and enjoying his game.
“To be honest, I will try to enjoy the match. I am playing well, my body is feeling alright. So, you get on the court, you hit some balls. Everyone knows he is a very good tennis player, being in the top 10 for the past few years, a runner-up here. So, it’s about enjoying the competition, enjoying the match in front of such wonderful people,” Nagal added.
After the win over Arnaldi, Nagal also gained 2 places to achieve his career-best ranking of No.93. Earlier this year, he broke into the top 100 after beating Alexander Bublik in the Australian Open, followed by a triumph in the Chennai Open.