Sumit Nagal rues Wimbledon first-round loss, says he lost momentum

Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal reflects on his Wimbledon loss, highlighting the challenges of playing on grass.

Indian tennis ace Sumit Nagal feels he had the momentum in the third set of the Wimbledon first-round tie against higher-ranked Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia but his relative inexperience on grass cost him the match.

The 26-year-old Indian, who is set to participate in his second Olympics in less than a month, lost the Wimbledon men's singles opener to Kecmanovic, ranked 19 places higher than him, in a marathon four-setter lasting nearly three-and-a-half hours.

Nagal lost 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6.

The 71st-ranked from Jhajjar, making it to the Wimbledon main draw for the first time, won the second set to come on even terms but the Serbian, ranked 52nd, won the next two to advance.

"This is my first main draw at Wimbledon, and playing on the grass surface is not easy; you need a bit of experience. But I think I did whatever I could, I fought hard. I felt like I could have served better, and there were a few things here and there in the match I could have done better," Nagal told Star Sports.

"Later on in the third set, the momentum was kind of shifting towards me. I think, like I said, if I could have broken him at 5-3, him serving, I think the match could have changed in a funny way." He said the SW19 experience was the one to cherish.

"It was a great experience. Obviously, when you play for three, three-and-a-half hours, you always feel like, 'this could have been done or that could have been done.' But like I said, if I could have changed things in the third set, I would have really liked that (broken the opponent at 5-3).