India’s No.1 ranked tennis player, Sumit Nagal, on Tuesday urged the Chinese Ambassador to India and the Chinese Embassy in India for assistance after his China visa was rejected. Nagal is set to participate in the Australian Open Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-off, a qualifying event for the 2026 Australian Open. The tournament is scheduled to be held from November 24 to 29, 2025, in Chengdu, China. By competing in this event, Nagal will have the chance to secure a wildcard entry into the prestigious Australian Open 2026.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Nagal stated that his visa was rejected “without reason” and requested the authorities to intervene.
“Respected @China_Amb_India and @ChinaSpox_India, I am Sumit Nagal, India’s No.1 tennis player. I am supposed to fly to China soon to represent India at the Australian Open Playoff. But my visa was rejected without reason. Your urgent help would be much appreciated,” Nagal wrote on X.
[URGENT]
Respected @China_Amb_India and @ChinaSpox_India
I am Sumit Nagal, India’s No.1 Tennis player
I am supposed to fly to China soon to represent India at the Australian Open Playoff. But my visa was rejected without reason
Your urgent help would be much appreciated
— Sumit Nagal (@nagalsumit) November 11, 2025
After losing his place in top-100, Nagal cannot enter the top events like Grand Slams as direct entrant and would depend on wild card entries or Qualifiers. The 27-year-old from Jhajjar, Haryana, is currently India’s highest-ranked singles player, placed 275 in the latest ATP standings. He was scheduled to travel to Chengdu to compete in the Australian Open Playoff event, which will give the regional players a main-draw entry into the 2026 Australian Open.
There has been no immediate response from the Chinese embassy or tournament organisers regarding the issue.
If the matter is not resolved swiftly, Nagal would be forced to miss the event, which could hurt his chances to enter 2026 season’s first Grand Slam.
Last year, he competed in Australian Open main draw, losing in the opening round and fell in the qualifying for Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
He played a crucial role in India’s Davis Cup win over Switzerland, winning both his singles against lower-ranked players.
(With PTI Inputs)
Topics mentioned in this article
