Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal has qualified for the main draw of the men’s singles event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after several players pulled out of the Summer Games.
"Yes, he has qualified but we have to look at many things," All India Tennis Association (AITA) secretary-general Anil Dhupar told news agency ANI.
"Due to withdrawals, Sumit Nagal has become eligible [according to] this mail we have got, now we will talk to Sumit. We are already in the process, will talk to him if it's possible for him because the notice is very short. If it works for him accordingly, we will respond to the concerned authority," Dhupar added.
If 23-year-old Nagal, who is 154th in the ATP rankings, participates at the Tokyo Olympics, India will be represented in two tennis events.
Earlier in July, Sania Mirza and Ankita Raina had already confirmed their participation in the women’s double event at Tokyo 2020 after entries were officially announced.
2015 Wimbledon boys' doubles champion Nagal was ranked 144 when the top 128 ATP rankings were to be considered for direct entries.
Meanwhile, another Indian singles specialist Prajnesh Gunneswaran has failed to make the cut after his ATP ranking was 148 on the cut-off date.
Interestingly, India’s top-ranked singles player Yuki Bhambri had earlier qualified for the main draw. However, he decided to withdraw his name after he underwent a procedure on his right knee in the US.
The Indian tennis contingent will look to clinch their first Olympic medal since Leander Paes won a bronze at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.
Featured photo: Twitter/SumitNagal
