Bengaluru : Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna on Friday labeled Sumit Nagal as a ‘fantastic player’ and said that the budding tennis player is heading towards the right direction.
“He is a fantastic player. He is headed in the right direction, he played his first match against Roger Federer. We all saw how great he played, he is going in the right path. He is starting to believe in his own game, which orders well for him going into the future,” Bopanna told ANI.
Nagal had faced off against Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer in the first-round match of the US Open. The 38-year-old Federer defeated Nagal 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4, but in the match Nagal became the first Indian to win a set against Federer in a Grand Slam.
On September 13, All India Tennis Association (AITA) had announced the new dates for the Davis Cup tie between India and Pakistan.
The match will take place in Islamabad tentatively on November 29-30 or on November 30-December 1 this year.
“The security situation will be reviewed on November 4 whether the tie can be held in Islamabad or to be shifted to a neutral venue,” AITA said in a statement.
However, Bopanna said that the tennis players are waiting to hear from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) over the status of the match.
“We are still waiting to hear from the ITF. We are yet to know whether the match will be played in Pakistan or in a neutral venue. We are just waiting to hear to what they have to say,” Bopanna said.
The 39-year old said that he hopes of winning a medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Bopanna also added that if grassroots development of the sport takes place in the country, more tennis players will be able to surface in India.
“The good part about tennis is that we need to make sure our individual rankings stay good. I am looking forward to participating in Tokyo. I am really looking forward to winning a medal in the global event,” Bopanna said.
“Indian tennis is definitely going in the right direction. It can get better if we have grassroot programmes in the country. My main message to budding tennis stars has always been to believe in yourself and do the right type of training,” he added.