substitutes Rafael Nadal in the tennis main draw in Indian Wells in 2024
After Nadal withdrew from the qualifications, the Indian tennis player qualified as the fortunate loser. In the first round in California, Nagal will take on former world No. 3 Milos Raonic.
Rafael Nadal has been replaced by Sumit Nagal of India in the Indian Wells 2024 ATP Masters 1000 men’s singles main event.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal decided not to compete in the event because “he is not ready to play at the highest level,” which allowed India’s top singles player, Sumit Nagal, who is rated 101st in the world, to advance as the fortunate loser.
A player who advances to the main draw of a tennis event after losing their qualifying match is known as a lucky loser. This happens when a player withdraws and is replaced.
The ailment that necessitated surgery kept the 37-year-old Rafael Nadal out of the 2023 season for virtually the full time. After pulling a muscle during his comeback to competition at the Brisbane International earlier this year, the Spaniard was unable to compete at the Australian Open.
Although he has since stopped touring, he was scheduled to perform at the Indian Wells, which got underway in California on Wednesday.
Nagal participated in the ATP Masters qualification stages, however he was defeated by Republic of Korea’s Seong-chan Hong in his second and last qualifying match. Stefan Dostanic of the USA has previously lost to the Indian tennis player in the first round.
Nagal’s entry into the main draw was made possible by Nadal’s withdrawal and the fact that he was the highest-ranked player to fall in the qualifiers’ second round. On Friday, the 26-year-old will play Canada’s Milos Raonic, a former world No. 3 player.
Nagal has been having a successful season in 2024. After upsetting world No. 27 Alexander Bublik in the second round of the Australian Open, he became the first Indian tennis player to overcome a seeded opponent at a Grand Slam since Ramesh Krishnan in 1989.
Nagal made his maiden appearance in the top 100 ATP rankings last month after winning the Chennai Open ATP Challenger tournament. When he played at the Dubai Tennis Championships last week, he was defeated in the opening round by Italian Lorenzo Sonego.
