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Ready to do more damage: Sumit Nagal

NEW YORK: Roger Federer won the US Open first-round clash on the packed-to-capacity Arthur Ashe stadium court. But Sumit Nagal , 22-years of age, owned that raucous New York night. His hope and hustle won him a set, but he lost the match to that Greatest Of All Time, from whose racket strings music flows. 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 is the scoreline, but the story lay in the spirit of the boy, who would become man in the near three-hours in the middle.Nagal’s stride wears the swagger of an outsider, who has strayed on the rough roads, before steering to the middle.“It was the first time I was walking out on such a big stadium. It felt amazing,” Nagal told a bunch of international media just minutes after he walked off court. “You are aware you’re playing Roger Federer once you step on the court. You are aware.”The 5 ft 10’ pro is a regular on the Challenger Tour, where he’s earning his points and pennies. The India No.3 hadn’t won so much as a set in a Tour-level feature until 24 hours ago.Nagal got on the scoreboard in the third game of the match with a break of serve, courtesy a Federer doublefault. ‘It’s Gonna Be A Long Night’ played on the sound system. The Indian, scrambling and swinging, broke again in the ninth game. With the full-house delighting in the ebb and flow of the encounter. Nagal then closed out the set on a Federer error in the tenth game.That’s when the world No.190 started flirting with his boyhood dream. A whisper of a possibility on a dazzlingly-lit night. “I started thinking too much, focusing on winning, thinking I’m a set up,” the New Delhi-based pro rued. “You get a little nervous and the energy goes down. Then boom everything goes down, it changes in a second.”Federer, who has played so many young hopefuls in his enduring reign, was quick to spot the anxiety across the net. He piled on the pressure and expertly upped pace of play in the second and third sets, posing teasers in his inimitable style. “He was getting a bit down on himself after sets two and three,” Federer observed. “That's why it was key to stay ahead in the fourth set, and I did. It was a pity to get broken at 2-1, give him sort of a life back.He did a good job to stay with me. I had to close it out.”For his part, Indian knew exactly where he had faltered. “You’re playing a player who reads the game better than anyone, who changes his strategy every three points. He’s always doing different things, that’s what makes him so good,” Nagal said of the 20-time major winner. “He loves putting pressure on you, he mixes it so well, you have no idea what is coming at you.”The US Open is where Nagal, who thrives on clay courts, played his first major junior event. Interestingly it’s also where he has debuted in a Grand Slam main draw.“I love this city,” he said, before applauding the full house. “Why wouldn’t the fans cheer for him? He has 20 Slams, he has earned it. I thought the crowd was fair today.”The 22-year-old, who was cheered by a contingent of Indian pros, Prajnesh Gunneswaran, Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan, said, “I have a big country behind me, I take energy from them. Whatever I’m doing I’m doing for a billion people. This always motivates me, doesn’t matter what tournament I’m playing, what court I am playing on.”The 38-year-old Swiss, who congratulated Nagal at the net, also wished him well for the rest of the season.Later, at the post-match conference, Federer said he was surprised with how Nagal handled the moment. “It’s never easy to come out and play your best. Even though it's what you live for, you dream about,” Federer noted. “His game is based on being really consistent, moving well, moving the ball around well. Sort of very much a clay-courter. He knows what he can bring. That's why I think he's going to have a very solid career. It's not the game that comes out with the biggest surprises. It's really consistent.”Asked if Monday night would be a good story to tell young sporting aspirants back home in India, Nagal paused in thought before committing to a laugh. “Would’ve been a better story to tell if I had won it,” he said, adding, “or else the kids will be asking me, what happened after the first set?” His arms locked across his chest, the fully tattooed left over the right, Nagal then played one quietly into the night. “Maybe I will have a better story to tell in the next few years,” he said.August 16, 1997 (age 22 years), in Jhajjar, HaryanaClay, hard courtSasha Nensel & Milos Galecic in Paine, Germany.US Open. Fittingly, he made a dream Grand Slam debut – in the US Open, against the great Roger FedererReached semis of Milan Challenger, Bratislava Challenger, Lyon Challenger, Samarkand Challenger and the Savannah Challenger.Father Suresh Nagal is a teacher, mother Krishna Devi Nagal is a homemaker.Won the 2015 Wimbledon boys' doubles title with Vietnamese partner Lý Hoàng Nam.Turned professional in 2015, is currently ranked 190 in the world.Trained in a junior programme started by Mahesh Bhupathi in 2008. He then moved to Canada, and is now training in Germany.He is being supported by the Virat Kohli Foundation's Athlete Development Programme."Staying disciplined and listening to people is the change. I have a big problem that I don't listen sometimes. This is where my trainer Milos (Galecic) comes in. He is hard to work with but he is great to work with. With him, it's about being healthy. Fitness part does take time. It takes about a year and this is the first time I have played almost a full year without getting injured. We are ready to do more damage.""It's about being disciplined both on and off court. Doing the same things for three hours and doing the same thing for 90 minutes, that's the difference. I am doing my best to do the same thing for hours and hours until I get good at it. Understanding my game and how to play points in my favour... that's is the most important thing about working with coach Sasha (Nemsel)."