WEBVTT - The Sit-Down with Sumit Nagal 0:00:02.120 --> 0:00:05.080 Hello and welcome to the Sitdown. I'm Viv Christie, Managing 0:00:05.200 --> 0:00:06.640 editor of Australian Tennis. 0:00:06.320 --> 0:00:09.360 Magazine, and I'm Matroop, a writer for ozopen dot com. 0:00:09.520 --> 0:00:11.799 And Viv tell us why we're sitting down this week 0:00:11.840 --> 0:00:12.799 with Sumitt Nogale. 0:00:13.000 --> 0:00:15.159 Well, it's almost time for the Australian Open and one 0:00:15.200 --> 0:00:17.760 of my favorite stories from this year's tournament was the 0:00:17.800 --> 0:00:20.840 success of Summitt Nogal, who qualified, played a couple of 0:00:20.840 --> 0:00:23.640 great matches, used that as a platform for his top 0:00:23.680 --> 0:00:26.680 one hundred breakthrough. I also love the story of his 0:00:27.160 --> 0:00:30.240 journey in tennis generally, which actually started with cricket. 0:00:30.480 --> 0:00:33.120 Yeah, and it was so funny. Just before we spoke 0:00:33.159 --> 0:00:36.160 to Suemitt, Rafael Nadala retired and there was that iconic 0:00:36.200 --> 0:00:39.040 tweet from Sumit where it said alas no more Nogal 0:00:39.120 --> 0:00:41.960 versus Nadala. I think it was Nogal versus Nadal will 0:00:42.000 --> 0:00:44.239 remain a dream and we thought that was great and 0:00:44.280 --> 0:00:46.159 we also use that as an opportunity to ask him 0:00:46.159 --> 0:00:51.000 about it in our chat with him. Sum At Nogal, 0:00:51.080 --> 0:00:52.959 thank you so much for joining us on the sit 0:00:53.040 --> 0:00:53.680 Down podcast. 0:00:53.680 --> 0:00:54.920 It's great to see you and great to. 0:00:54.880 --> 0:00:58.280 Have you a big vim and where in the world 0:00:58.280 --> 0:00:59.560 do we find you at the moment. 0:01:00.080 --> 0:01:03.240 I'm currently in Mumbai, India. I'm playing a tennis league 0:01:03.280 --> 0:01:06.039 in India. I'm playing my first match today in a 0:01:06.040 --> 0:01:07.440 few hours. I'm looking forward to it. 0:01:08.080 --> 0:01:10.040 Fantastic. So I've got you right in the middle. Is 0:01:10.040 --> 0:01:11.920 it does this count as preseason or is this a 0:01:11.920 --> 0:01:13.440 continuation of the season? 0:01:13.480 --> 0:01:15.640 How does this fit? I think it's more like a 0:01:15.680 --> 0:01:18.679 first week of my preseason. I'm starting very slow. I 0:01:18.680 --> 0:01:21.640 did some sort of very easy fitness yesterday and I'm 0:01:21.680 --> 0:01:26.280 gonna keep doing that for this week. Post post this league, 0:01:26.319 --> 0:01:29.960 I'm gonna go to Dubai. I'm gonna start uh playing 0:01:29.959 --> 0:01:32.080 a lot of tennis and a lot of heart fitness 0:01:32.360 --> 0:01:36.160 for next two three weeks, I would say, and then 0:01:36.760 --> 0:01:38.600 fly to Australia around Christmas time. 0:01:39.360 --> 0:01:39.959 Fantastic. 0:01:40.440 --> 0:01:43.040 So you caught our attention just the other day actually 0:01:43.080 --> 0:01:47.720 with your tweet Nadal versus Nagal remains a dream. 0:01:48.040 --> 0:01:49.640 Yes, what prompted that is that? 0:01:50.160 --> 0:01:52.600 Do you know Rapha had you ever got to meet 0:01:52.640 --> 0:01:54.160 him or have anything to do with him? 0:01:54.720 --> 0:01:57.480 Like obviously you see you see these players, you know 0:01:58.400 --> 0:02:02.200 in every tournament you say Hi, Hello, but like I've 0:02:02.200 --> 0:02:04.720 never really sat down with him or even actually never 0:02:04.760 --> 0:02:08.519 even pact us with him, So it's like, yeah, it's like, 0:02:08.520 --> 0:02:10.639 like I said, it's stayed a dream. How would have 0:02:10.680 --> 0:02:13.440 been incredible to play him in the in French Open? 0:02:13.520 --> 0:02:16.720 You know, I know he's the greatest ever to be 0:02:16.760 --> 0:02:19.120 come out of out of that court, but there, you know, 0:02:19.320 --> 0:02:22.520 to to to have that challenge to step on the court, 0:02:23.120 --> 0:02:25.880 to feel that aura that he has on that court, 0:02:26.080 --> 0:02:28.000 I think would have been something to experience. 0:02:28.800 --> 0:02:31.160 Yeah, so you told us, yes, you're you're back home 0:02:31.200 --> 0:02:33.760 in India. For tennis players, obviously they're on the road 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:36.520 for so long, how special is it or good for 0:02:36.600 --> 0:02:38.520 you is it to be back in India? Like and 0:02:38.560 --> 0:02:40.240 he said, you're just about to go to Dubais, So 0:02:40.360 --> 0:02:42.679 like what do you enjoy about that occasion to be 0:02:42.720 --> 0:02:43.079 at home? 0:02:44.160 --> 0:02:48.160 I would say, you know, family, friends, food, my my 0:02:48.200 --> 0:02:50.280 training bases in Germany, So I don't really get to 0:02:50.320 --> 0:02:52.760 spend so much time in India. Maybe I'm I'm here 0:02:52.800 --> 0:02:55.240 too three weeks a year, so whenever I get a 0:02:55.320 --> 0:02:58.079 chance to come back, I come back. You know, yeah, 0:02:58.120 --> 0:03:00.600 I miss a lot, but I don't really have a choice. 0:03:00.600 --> 0:03:02.240 If I really want to do well in Vennis, I 0:03:02.280 --> 0:03:04.800 need to stay away from from India. 0:03:05.800 --> 0:03:08.320 That that's a similar for Australian place too. It's even 0:03:08.360 --> 0:03:12.519 further to Guy. And it was such a special season 0:03:12.560 --> 0:03:14.440 for you. So when you look back at it, what 0:03:14.480 --> 0:03:16.360 would be the highlight mm hmmm. 0:03:16.520 --> 0:03:18.480 I would say my first few months of the year 0:03:18.520 --> 0:03:23.000 were very good. Breaking in top hundred by Wanning that 0:03:23.160 --> 0:03:26.440 challenger in India was very emotional because of the people 0:03:26.480 --> 0:03:30.880 who were around, and to break it in India, I think, 0:03:30.919 --> 0:03:36.240 I think it was a pretty pretty nice, nice, nice 0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:39.640 week having friends and family around here. I don't think. 0:03:40.440 --> 0:03:43.160 I mean if if you see the videos, I was crying. 0:03:43.240 --> 0:03:46.160 You know, I've never cried on the court, So yeah, 0:03:46.160 --> 0:03:49.320 there was a lot of a lot of emotion coming 0:03:49.360 --> 0:03:52.920 out of my body, feeling feeling I would say a 0:03:52.960 --> 0:03:57.880 little bit relieved, yeah, and then I would say the 0:03:57.920 --> 0:04:02.600 second would be in the Olympics again, you know, I 0:04:02.640 --> 0:04:07.320 think it's I I really really loved playing playing Olympics 0:04:07.320 --> 0:04:11.200 for India. Unfortunately I didn't do well. I ended up 0:04:11.200 --> 0:04:16.200 losing to Mute, but to to experience that atmosphere again 0:04:16.320 --> 0:04:20.360 playing a French and hole where it was it wasn't 0:04:20.400 --> 0:04:23.480 easy but yeah, I mean, these are the moments, these 0:04:23.480 --> 0:04:25.839 are the matches that makes you tougher and makes you 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:28.960 more compete, even even at a higher stage. 0:04:29.440 --> 0:04:31.560 I was wondering if you could take us back to 0:04:31.680 --> 0:04:35.200 your start in tennis. We we know that your first 0:04:35.200 --> 0:04:38.200 sporting love was cricket. How did tennis win you? 0:04:38.279 --> 0:04:45.360 Ever? Didn't really win me. So when I was a kid, 0:04:45.400 --> 0:04:47.120 I would I would play a lot on the streets, 0:04:47.160 --> 0:04:50.320 like I would be out and out whole day, and 0:04:50.440 --> 0:04:52.240 especially if you if I, if I had a day 0:04:52.279 --> 0:04:54.200 off or holidays were going on, I would be a 0:04:54.520 --> 0:04:56.760 guy who would go who would leave his house at 0:04:56.839 --> 0:04:59.719 nine and be back at nine pm. And I would 0:04:59.760 --> 0:05:01.680 fell a lot of time playing cricket like like we 0:05:01.760 --> 0:05:05.440 call it gutty cricket, like playing cricket on the streets. 0:05:07.000 --> 0:05:09.919 And my father saw, you know how much energy I'm putting, 0:05:10.720 --> 0:05:14.240 and he didn't really wanted me to play any team sport, 0:05:14.320 --> 0:05:15.960 looking at you know how tough it is to get 0:05:16.000 --> 0:05:18.880 into a team sport in India. And then we had 0:05:18.880 --> 0:05:21.919 a we had a family friend whose daughter was playing 0:05:21.960 --> 0:05:24.120 tennis at that time, so they were the one guide 0:05:24.160 --> 0:05:27.240 that my father saying, let let let him try some tennis. 0:05:27.440 --> 0:05:30.560 And I think from the day one when I when 0:05:30.600 --> 0:05:33.000 I got a racket, I don't think we ever looked back. 0:05:33.080 --> 0:05:35.800 There was no question of like, hey do you want 0:05:35.839 --> 0:05:38.479 to you should we try other sports? It was day 0:05:38.480 --> 0:05:41.080 one was tennis, Day two was tennis. Day fifty was 0:05:41.120 --> 0:05:42.440 tennis tennis. 0:05:42.640 --> 0:05:47.120 Yeah, and then of course you you joined MAHESHBA Parties Academy. 0:05:47.279 --> 0:05:47.920 Can can you. 0:05:47.920 --> 0:05:48.960 Talk us through that? 0:05:50.520 --> 0:05:55.200 Yeah, there's a funny story behind it. But this would 0:05:55.240 --> 0:05:59.719 be two thousand and seventh December. We heard there's a 0:05:59.760 --> 0:06:02.920 pro there's a there's a program coming in. They're gonna 0:06:02.920 --> 0:06:05.400 select a few kids. We me and my father had 0:06:05.440 --> 0:06:08.040 no idea how many harmony were they going to select. 0:06:08.040 --> 0:06:10.400 And I wasn't really high ranked around that I'm in India, 0:06:11.400 --> 0:06:14.040 but we my mom, my dad mom were like, yeah, 0:06:14.080 --> 0:06:17.080 I just tried. Who cares, you know, nothing to lose, 0:06:17.120 --> 0:06:20.160 it's in our city. So I ended up going a 0:06:20.560 --> 0:06:24.479 few few things happened. I I actually went up to 0:06:24.520 --> 0:06:26.560 my hage saying, can you please look at my game? 0:06:26.720 --> 0:06:29.600 And you know you're picking up kids that I usually beat. 0:06:29.760 --> 0:06:32.240 That's that's how I said it, which I apparently he 0:06:32.240 --> 0:06:34.080 he really liked that I had a lot of confidence 0:06:34.080 --> 0:06:37.000 at the very young age, and from there on, I 0:06:37.000 --> 0:06:39.640 I got selected for the for the for the program, 0:06:39.760 --> 0:06:42.719 I went to Bangalore for two years and from there on, 0:06:43.360 --> 0:06:45.080 I've just always been under my age. 0:06:45.839 --> 0:06:48.120 Well so he still plays a role in your. 0:06:48.000 --> 0:06:51.680 Career now, yeah, yeah, yeah, sure, he's still my manager. Yeah, 0:06:51.720 --> 0:06:55.120 he's he's the manager, mentor friend, whatever you want to say. 0:06:55.200 --> 0:06:57.960 He's he's always been there, fantastic. 0:06:58.240 --> 0:07:01.159 Who else would you say has been influential in your career? 0:07:02.760 --> 0:07:06.960 Obviously my parents, you know, because they've seen they've seen 0:07:07.080 --> 0:07:11.600 up and downs of last whatever, seventeen years, fifteen years, 0:07:11.600 --> 0:07:14.240 whatever you want to say it, you know, so, yeah, 0:07:14.280 --> 0:07:18.760 they've been very supportive, especially especially my mom. She doesn't 0:07:18.760 --> 0:07:21.640 really care much about how good I do on tennis core. 0:07:21.760 --> 0:07:24.880 She cares more about how I feel, which is yeah. 0:07:25.040 --> 0:07:26.680 You know, every time I've come out of the match, 0:07:26.720 --> 0:07:29.680 if I don't do well, She'll be like, how was it? 0:07:29.760 --> 0:07:31.600 I say? I lost? She's like that, I know, But 0:07:31.720 --> 0:07:34.800 how you're feeling, which is yeah, which is which? Like 0:07:34.880 --> 0:07:37.280 you know, you know, sometimes you feel like coaches don't 0:07:37.320 --> 0:07:39.320 never ask that, you know, coaches like Ellison, you should 0:07:39.320 --> 0:07:41.480 have done this that So of course that mom. Mom 0:07:41.520 --> 0:07:45.760 fills up that role. And some of my friends, you know, 0:07:45.800 --> 0:07:47.680 they've been They've been there for ten years, twelve years, 0:07:47.760 --> 0:07:52.120 fourteen years, always been around, always been pushing. So fortunate 0:07:52.240 --> 0:07:54.120 to have these people of course. 0:07:54.280 --> 0:07:57.680 Yeah the Australian Open, we remember your run so well 0:07:58.440 --> 0:08:00.960 at the start of this year, or we wondered what 0:08:01.000 --> 0:08:03.160 your memories were of that because you qualified, she Pade, 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:06.280 Alexander Bublake. There was a great atmosphere around your matches 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:08.880 as well. It was yeah, what what what stands at 0:08:08.880 --> 0:08:09.600 to you with that run? 0:08:10.440 --> 0:08:12.640 To be honest, that was the first time I ever 0:08:12.720 --> 0:08:15.680 did well in Australia. So every time I come to Australia, 0:08:15.720 --> 0:08:17.880 I was like, man, every time I go on, the 0:08:17.920 --> 0:08:21.120 court is so windy and the coach are so fast. 0:08:21.440 --> 0:08:25.120 Every code is different. But last year I somehow, I 0:08:25.200 --> 0:08:29.320 think I felt like maturity came in. I was, I 0:08:29.320 --> 0:08:32.560 would say, an older player on the tennis court comparing 0:08:32.600 --> 0:08:35.000 to my last four, five, six, whatever, comparing to my 0:08:35.120 --> 0:08:37.880 juniors and seniors in Australia, and I think that was 0:08:37.920 --> 0:08:41.040 the biggest change that I felt on the court, that 0:08:41.120 --> 0:08:44.760 I was able to deal with things better comparing to 0:08:44.760 --> 0:08:48.680 the last few years and I think the yeah, like 0:08:48.720 --> 0:08:51.560 you said, the atmosphere was was was crazy. A lot 0:08:51.559 --> 0:08:54.120 of Indians showed up to to support me, which was 0:08:54.160 --> 0:08:56.840 which was yeah, which was incredible States and especially playing 0:08:57.000 --> 0:09:00.360 Jerry Shang in the second Old I mean you should 0:09:00.360 --> 0:09:04.320 have seen it. It was very, very loud. But yeah, 0:09:04.360 --> 0:09:08.040 I'm looking looking forward to Australia again. I think I 0:09:08.080 --> 0:09:11.520 think I'm gonna gotta be better this time. 0:09:11.920 --> 0:09:14.280 And do you think it like set you up, like 0:09:14.360 --> 0:09:16.199 set your season off on a good track or a 0:09:16.240 --> 0:09:16.760 good path. 0:09:17.320 --> 0:09:20.319 Yeah, for sure, because get me confidence right, gave me confidence. 0:09:20.720 --> 0:09:23.319 I was playing on a very high level. Majority of 0:09:23.360 --> 0:09:25.520 the year I played, I played on the ATP two level, 0:09:25.640 --> 0:09:28.040 had some really good matches, So I think I think 0:09:28.120 --> 0:09:32.680 the Australian two really gave me, gave me a jump start, 0:09:32.720 --> 0:09:35.200 I would say. And again, you're looking to do the 0:09:35.240 --> 0:09:38.160 same kind of schedule. Start in Canberra, start very fucking 0:09:38.240 --> 0:09:41.120 camebra is faster than Australia, so you know I'm faster 0:09:41.200 --> 0:09:44.040 than Melbourne, I would say, So we can start there 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:46.920 and then maybe maybe see what to play the second 0:09:46.920 --> 0:09:50.880 week and then be ready by being ready by Melbourne 0:09:50.920 --> 0:09:52.720 starts awesome. 0:09:52.960 --> 0:09:56.240 You mentioned the atmosphere being so good at the Australian Open, 0:09:56.480 --> 0:10:00.400 and then you talked earlier about winning the challenge title 0:10:00.400 --> 0:10:02.240 in India and cracked the top hundred and us so 0:10:02.320 --> 0:10:04.560 emotional if it happens to you was gride at the II. 0:10:04.640 --> 0:10:06.559 What was it like on home soil? Like did you 0:10:06.640 --> 0:10:09.160 have many home fans watching that tournament and what you 0:10:09.240 --> 0:10:09.880 achieved there? 0:10:10.800 --> 0:10:14.920 It's a big good. That stadium in China is huge, 0:10:15.040 --> 0:10:17.080 so I don't know how many people were there, but 0:10:17.080 --> 0:10:19.559 I would say the people were as like lower lower 0:10:19.559 --> 0:10:22.480 stands as were quite full. Obviously the mac cord I 0:10:22.559 --> 0:10:26.200 played in Australia was smaller than the chene One because 0:10:26.240 --> 0:10:28.199 it's that word where they played the two fifty events. 0:10:28.200 --> 0:10:31.440 So it's a huge stadium. But I would say maybe 0:10:31.440 --> 0:10:35.120 I felt like Australia was louder because of the way 0:10:35.200 --> 0:10:38.240 the things were. Fans on this side fan but nothing 0:10:38.240 --> 0:10:39.880 on this side, so you feel like, you know, it's 0:10:39.920 --> 0:10:43.840 it's like right here. And obviously India hoors to China, 0:10:43.920 --> 0:10:46.560 you know it's gonna get a little bit heat so 0:10:47.120 --> 0:10:51.439 but but yeah, I think the Chennai week pretty much 0:10:51.440 --> 0:10:53.360 a lot of people showed up for a challenge that 0:10:53.400 --> 0:10:56.200 I don't think I ever seen something like this. I 0:10:56.240 --> 0:11:00.559 think also maybe because of me doing the lee well 0:11:00.559 --> 0:11:03.080 in Australia played a big part. I was on the news, 0:11:03.080 --> 0:11:05.440 so people showed up, which was very nice, Yeah, which 0:11:05.480 --> 0:11:06.480 was really really nice. 0:11:06.920 --> 0:11:10.199 And those emotions you talked about, like winning that challenger, 0:11:10.360 --> 0:11:13.200 cracking the top one hundred, what was behind those emotions. 0:11:13.320 --> 0:11:16.320 Was that anything to do with, you know, challenges you've overcome, 0:11:16.559 --> 0:11:19.240 the hip surgery, things like that, or is there something 0:11:19.240 --> 0:11:20.120 else behind that emotion? 0:11:20.720 --> 0:11:25.120 I think I think pretty much mix off everything, you know, injuries, 0:11:26.720 --> 0:11:31.120 waking up at six am doing yeah, taking buses at 0:11:31.160 --> 0:11:33.000 five am. Sometimes when I was a kid, I would 0:11:33.000 --> 0:11:35.640 take a bus at five years to go practice at eight. 0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:37.680 You know, the bus ride would be two two hours 0:11:39.640 --> 0:11:44.800 then to yeah, to to sleeping on chairs sometimes when 0:11:44.800 --> 0:11:47.000 I was a junior, I would put two chairs together 0:11:47.120 --> 0:11:49.520 and sleep on it, you know, sleeping at the airport. 0:11:49.600 --> 0:11:52.160 So yeah, those things where where you don't have to 0:11:52.200 --> 0:11:57.080 do by hopes, but those things came in play, you know. 0:11:57.320 --> 0:12:00.480 You how you get a very fast flashback off of 0:12:00.520 --> 0:12:03.760 the things that you really did enjoy but when you 0:12:03.800 --> 0:12:04.280 were a kid. 0:12:04.360 --> 0:12:09.640 But yeah, just sort of stearing the conversation a little 0:12:09.640 --> 0:12:13.800 bit towards tennis in India. So you are the sort 0:12:13.800 --> 0:12:16.920 of the standout top one hundred player for India at 0:12:16.960 --> 0:12:19.640 the moment, do you feel a sense of like a 0:12:19.720 --> 0:12:21.840 role model responsibility that comes with them. 0:12:22.640 --> 0:12:25.480 I don't know if I feel like a responsibility or 0:12:25.480 --> 0:12:27.440 it comes, but I do want to change it. I 0:12:27.440 --> 0:12:30.480 do want to do it. I have been very vocal about, 0:12:30.520 --> 0:12:35.280 you know, having things change, have a system, but obviously 0:12:35.280 --> 0:12:37.880 it's very it's easy to say, but it's very hard 0:12:37.920 --> 0:12:39.840 to do it. You know, it's very hard to change things. 0:12:40.720 --> 0:12:43.040 But yeah, I would really like if there can be 0:12:43.080 --> 0:12:45.720 a system, if we can follow our system and have 0:12:46.520 --> 0:12:48.800 good people involved in the Indian tennis. 0:12:49.200 --> 0:12:51.120 Who are your role models when you were growing up? 0:12:51.960 --> 0:12:55.560 I mean me being Indianized, I watched a lot of 0:12:55.559 --> 0:13:00.240 some dev devironment. Yeah, he actually helps me as well 0:13:00.360 --> 0:13:03.840 some weeks he travels with me. If I say internationally, 0:13:03.880 --> 0:13:06.840 I would say David Ferrer. I watched a lot of 0:13:06.880 --> 0:13:09.640 David Ferrer as well. I watched a lot of Hewitt 0:13:10.120 --> 0:13:13.839 as well. And then I would say I really enjoy 0:13:14.760 --> 0:13:16.760 Joko and Andy Murray's matches as well. 0:13:17.600 --> 0:13:20.839 Sure, David Ferraan and lighton Hewitt, Are there are kind 0:13:20.880 --> 0:13:23.920 of any qualities of theirs that you particularly admire? 0:13:24.920 --> 0:13:27.920 There're are fighters, Yeah, you go on that sort. You're like, 0:13:28.240 --> 0:13:30.120 this is not going to be easy no matter what. 0:13:30.400 --> 0:13:35.000 You know, that that quality it's it's not easy to build. 0:13:35.640 --> 0:13:37.760 It's probably one of the hardest thing to do in 0:13:37.800 --> 0:13:40.520 tennis to have that quality for sure. 0:13:41.360 --> 0:13:45.760 And just tennis in India generally, how popular is it 0:13:45.840 --> 0:13:48.280 at as a sport at a grassroots level? 0:13:49.200 --> 0:13:52.400 I think I think there were better, better times. I 0:13:52.440 --> 0:13:56.360 would say right now, maybe some other sports are picking up. 0:13:56.400 --> 0:13:59.920 You know, badminton's very high right now in India. Uh. 0:14:00.320 --> 0:14:04.559 I would say maybe tennis is at five or six 0:14:04.760 --> 0:14:07.200 in India. I would say something like this. You all, 0:14:07.240 --> 0:14:09.960 football has suppos been playing a lot in India. Obviously, 0:14:10.000 --> 0:14:14.240 cricket is number one by far. Now I think shooting 0:14:14.320 --> 0:14:17.280 is going to come in play, yeah, because we've got 0:14:17.280 --> 0:14:19.520 some medals. So I think I think tennis is kind 0:14:19.560 --> 0:14:21.400 of unfortunately stepping down a bit. 0:14:22.360 --> 0:14:22.480 Uh. 0:14:22.880 --> 0:14:25.480 But that's also because of you know, not not having 0:14:25.640 --> 0:14:29.760 players playing on the highest tour year and after a year. 0:14:29.840 --> 0:14:33.880 You know, you mentioned earlier that you train now in Germany. 0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:37.680 I believe you also spent some years in Canada developing 0:14:37.720 --> 0:14:41.280 your game. So tennis has certainly taken you to many 0:14:41.320 --> 0:14:44.720 places anywhere that you particularly love well. 0:14:44.800 --> 0:14:47.200 I loved Barcelona. I was there for like two summer. 0:14:47.800 --> 0:14:52.200 I was a pup or Slam Tennis Academy. Fernando vet 0:14:52.240 --> 0:14:54.920 and Galo Blanco, Hio Aleesco, they are the people who 0:14:55.000 --> 0:14:59.080 own this academy. Yeah too. I think to live it 0:14:59.120 --> 0:15:01.640 was it was very much, but I really had a 0:15:01.640 --> 0:15:04.480 lot of financial problem back in twelve, twenty twelve and 0:15:04.520 --> 0:15:08.400 thirteen uh Germany. I think I really enjoy the people 0:15:08.440 --> 0:15:11.840 I work with, but to to like to live in Germany, 0:15:11.880 --> 0:15:16.600 I don't know. I'm not so so certain about it 0:15:16.640 --> 0:15:19.080 because you know, the culture difference is huge from India 0:15:19.160 --> 0:15:22.920 to Germany. But the people I work Sasha ancel Is, 0:15:22.920 --> 0:15:26.160 the tennis coach, milosch Colleges is the fitness center have been. 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:28.680 I've known them for a decade now, working with them 0:15:28.720 --> 0:15:32.400 for six years. This is my seventh year now. Yeah, 0:15:32.520 --> 0:15:34.360 I think it's very tough to find people like them, 0:15:34.400 --> 0:15:37.280 you know, it's they become they become like family to me. 0:15:37.480 --> 0:15:39.640 I stayed with my tennis coach in his house, so 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:41.000 there you go you know it's like this. 0:15:41.240 --> 0:15:44.160 Yeah, and I've read that you are also inspired by 0:15:44.200 --> 0:15:47.280 Japanese culture, so you also love Japanese culture so much 0:15:47.320 --> 0:15:50.440 so that it has inspired some of your tattoos. Where 0:15:50.480 --> 0:15:52.160 where did that connection come from? 0:15:52.440 --> 0:15:55.240 I this came from Canada. So when I went to Canada, 0:15:55.360 --> 0:15:57.840 obviously I was very young, right, I was twelve thirty 0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:01.800 and I was alone. I was I would say I 0:16:01.880 --> 0:16:04.720 was staying with my coaches, but my parents were in India. 0:16:05.120 --> 0:16:08.480 I would go doing them maybe once a year, so 0:16:08.480 --> 0:16:12.960 so do do. Let's say, every time I would start 0:16:13.000 --> 0:16:15.600 missing my family, I would watch something try to get 0:16:15.640 --> 0:16:17.800 my mind out of it, you know. And that's how 0:16:17.840 --> 0:16:20.200 I picked up a lot of anime to to watch, 0:16:20.240 --> 0:16:23.240 to watch to trick it may back in time. You 0:16:23.280 --> 0:16:25.680 could watch so many episodes or so many great shows, 0:16:25.880 --> 0:16:28.400 so you know, not not like if I watch a movie, 0:16:28.440 --> 0:16:30.760 movie is done in nineteen minutes, but their animated chats 0:16:30.760 --> 0:16:33.320 has six hundred episodes, seven hundred episodes, so it would 0:16:33.400 --> 0:16:35.800 keep me busy. And that's how I started, you know, 0:16:35.880 --> 0:16:38.040 That's how I started watching it. And I grew up 0:16:38.080 --> 0:16:41.520 and I would always imagine, you know, how things would 0:16:41.520 --> 0:16:44.240 be if if Yeah, and from that imagination it went 0:16:44.280 --> 0:16:47.360 into into into liking the culture you mentioned. 0:16:47.920 --> 0:16:50.360 You know, you were alone when you were younger, developing 0:16:50.360 --> 0:16:54.160 your game overseas. It's quite a lot of sacrifice. What 0:16:54.160 --> 0:16:57.280 what character traits do you think has to do best 0:16:57.600 --> 0:16:58.360 in your career? 0:16:59.040 --> 0:17:01.840 It's very, very tough to say it because obviously there 0:17:01.880 --> 0:17:05.000 were moments where you would doubt yourself. You know, I 0:17:05.040 --> 0:17:08.600 think I think I had to build up a character 0:17:09.440 --> 0:17:12.960 going through so many, so many different things, going through 0:17:13.000 --> 0:17:16.040 so many good and bad days. I would say a 0:17:16.040 --> 0:17:20.639 lot of failures, a lot of setbacks. I there were 0:17:20.760 --> 0:17:26.640 time where you know, when I would walk from from 0:17:26.680 --> 0:17:29.040 a bus stop to to the house, I would cry sometimes, 0:17:29.119 --> 0:17:32.359 you know, uh would be so cold, but I didn't 0:17:32.359 --> 0:17:34.760 really want to walk because I know I never actually 0:17:34.840 --> 0:17:38.000 I never thought Canada would be so cold, right, I 0:17:38.119 --> 0:17:40.679 mean yeah, coming from India, Yeah, worst case, what is it? 0:17:40.720 --> 0:17:42.920 Two degrees and you go Canada as minus lipped in 0:17:43.000 --> 0:17:46.640 You're like, what is this? You nice say? But I 0:17:46.800 --> 0:17:50.359 also believe that for me, I felt like it was 0:17:50.400 --> 0:17:53.920 really necessary to go through that, to to to be 0:17:54.080 --> 0:17:56.240 to build that character. Like I said, I don't know 0:17:56.240 --> 0:17:58.520 if there's a name to it. I want to put it, 0:17:58.560 --> 0:18:02.720 but I think it's just mix mix of so many emotions, 0:18:02.760 --> 0:18:05.280 so many incidents that happened that that made me a 0:18:05.280 --> 0:18:07.639 person that I am today, and so simmer. 0:18:07.720 --> 0:18:11.199 When you think about the season starting really soon, it 0:18:11.240 --> 0:18:14.440 sounds like you're quite motivated to start in Australia. Return there, 0:18:14.560 --> 0:18:16.280 you know, start the season off on a good on 0:18:16.359 --> 0:18:19.160 a good note. Is this kind of the most excited 0:18:19.200 --> 0:18:22.080 you felt or the most motivated you felt for the. 0:18:22.000 --> 0:18:24.320 Bland slide all the start of the season. Yeah, well, 0:18:24.600 --> 0:18:27.760 there said I totally Like before last year, I never 0:18:27.800 --> 0:18:30.280 did well in Australia, never won a round. So I 0:18:30.320 --> 0:18:32.960 was like, yeah, whatever, you know, I would. I would 0:18:32.960 --> 0:18:35.320 already look for like February schedule, Like where do I 0:18:35.359 --> 0:18:38.679 start in February. When I'm telling you my Australian Melbourne 0:18:38.720 --> 0:18:40.560 trip has been for like three three four four days. 0:18:40.640 --> 0:18:42.160 Is that you come and you play, you go out, 0:18:42.200 --> 0:18:43.840 you come and you play soll But this time, like 0:18:43.880 --> 0:18:46.240 I said, I feel like I am a better player 0:18:46.280 --> 0:18:48.120 on those fast quotes. Now I can I can play 0:18:48.119 --> 0:18:51.560 better tether and I don't really care like who I play. 0:18:51.640 --> 0:18:53.080 Now I feel like I can, I can be there. 0:18:53.560 --> 0:18:55.439 We're happy to hear that you're excited to come to 0:18:55.440 --> 0:18:58.520 a city which is really good. Also there we remember 0:18:58.600 --> 0:19:00.640 last year you got to go to the end, which 0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:02.800 was a really cool chance for you to you know, 0:19:02.920 --> 0:19:04.679 indulge you a lot of cricket and say that's out 0:19:04.760 --> 0:19:07.840 and they're literally right next to each other. So yeah, 0:19:07.840 --> 0:19:09.439 what were your emotions like when you went to a 0:19:09.520 --> 0:19:12.040 ground that's as famous as the MCG was. 0:19:12.080 --> 0:19:14.679 Definitely unique, you know because I've never thought that tennis 0:19:14.680 --> 0:19:17.560 would take me to cricket and I actually got to 0:19:17.640 --> 0:19:20.159 got to play as well. I panted up for the 0:19:20.200 --> 0:19:24.200 first time life. Yeah, to play play with the red ball. 0:19:24.760 --> 0:19:27.359 I would say it was a very nice, very nice experience, 0:19:27.600 --> 0:19:29.680 very very nice experience. I enjoyed it. 0:19:30.600 --> 0:19:35.160 So obviously there's the Australia India Test Boxing Day in Melbourne. 0:19:35.200 --> 0:19:36.199 Does that in tasio at all? 0:19:36.240 --> 0:19:38.680 To come earlier to Australia to cash on cricket. 0:19:39.000 --> 0:19:41.520 I let's se if thing goes well, I don't mind it, 0:19:41.560 --> 0:19:44.000 to be honest, you know, with ourm landing at Dettlement 0:19:44.320 --> 0:19:46.760 because I haven't booked my Melbourne to whatever, I'm playing it. 0:19:46.920 --> 0:19:49.600 So if that works, our show And so if you 0:19:49.640 --> 0:19:52.200 look ahead to season twenty twenty five, not just Australia 0:19:52.240 --> 0:19:53.960 but as a whole. What do you do You have 0:19:54.000 --> 0:19:56.240 any goals that you're willing to share with us? 0:19:57.119 --> 0:19:58.960