Davis Cup 2024: Injured Sumit Nagal withdraws from India’s tennis tie against Sweden
Teenager Manas Dhamne has been named Nagal’s replacement ahead of the away tie later this month.
Tennis
Sumit Nagal, India’s highest-ranked singles tennis player, will not be available for India’s Davis Cup 2024 clash against Sweden due to a lingering back injury. The upcoming Manas Dhamne has been named as Nagal's replacement.
The Indian Davis Cup team is slated to play Sweden in their World Group I tie on the indoor hard courts at the Royal Tennis Hall in Stockholm on September 14 and 15.
Nagal, 73rd in the tennis rankings, had missed out on the clash against Pakistan in February as well. India were promoted to the World Group I after defeating their neighbours 4-0.
"I was really looking forward to representing India in the upcoming Davis Cup tie against Sweden. However, due to a back issue that's been bothering me for the past few weeks, doctors have advised me to rest for the next two weeks, leaving me without enough time to prepare and compete in Sweden,” the 27-year-old Sumit Nagal said on his social media page.
“I'm deeply disappointed to be missing this tie but I have to listen to my body to prevent the back from worsening so that I can finish the season strong and healthy. Good luck to the Indian team - I'll be cheering for you all from home!”
The All India Tennis Association on Monday said 16-year-old Dhamne will replace Nagal in India’s Davis Cup squad for the Sweden tie. India have never beaten Sweden in Davis Cup and trail 5-0 in head-to-head meetings.
Dhamne reached a career-best junior rank of 43 in 2023 and has become a regular in the men's circuit over the last year.
The teenager made his ATP Tour debut last year at the Maharashtra Open. He also created history at the 2023 Australian Open where he became the youngest player ever to win a first-round match in the boy's singles category.
The Davis Cup 2024 will be the first assignment for India’s new national team coach, Ashutosh Singh, a former national champion. Zeeshan Ali resigned as the national coach last month.
Indian Davis Cup 2024 team for tie vs Sweden
Players: Manas Dhamne, Ramkumar Ramanathan, N Sriram Balaji, Niki Poonacha, Siddharth Vishwakarma.
Reserve Player: Aryan Shah