Despite being in the twilight of his career, Roger Federer was still performing at the very highest level in 2019.
The Swiss Maestro, in his late 30s at the time, picked up an ATP Masters 1000 title that year and was ranked inside the top three for most of the campaign.
Federer also came agonisingly close to winning Wimbledon in 2019, having squandered match points against Novak Djokovic in the final.
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After his appearance in the championship match at the All England Club, the 20-time major champion entered the US Open, where he played India’s best-ever tennis player in the first round: Sumit Nagal.
It looked like a fairly comfortable assignment for Federer on paper, but he got off to a very rocky start.
Sumit Nagal’s match against Roger Federer at the 2019 US Open
In an opening set that shocked Arthur Ashe Stadium, Nagal drew first blood in the match, winning the opener 6-4.
Federer wasted no time coming back into the contest, responding by taking the next two sets 6-1, 6-2.
Nagal was slightly more competitive in set four, and came close to breaking Federer in the fourth set, but it wasn’t to be for the then-world number 190, who lost in his bout with the legend.
Recalling the match in an interview with WION: “I was a little bit nervous. Obviously, you know, first slam, you play Roger in the US Open.
“Yeah, I still remember that walk was a very long walk. You start to feel the difference when, you know, the match is on, the crowd noise is very different, when I win a point, when Roger wins a point, which is very normal, you know.
“But honestly, I really, really enjoyed that moment. I got a little bit comfortable in the fourth set.
“A little unfortunate that I didn’t break him in the last game. I always talk about it. But overall, an incredible experience.”
Sumit Nagal describes playing the world’s best players
When asked what was different about playing Federer compared to every other star on the tour, Nagal said: “Because of him being a legend, you know, him being one of the greatest in the sport.
“Always, always fun. And obviously, you know, I played world number one Medvedev when he was one in the world. It wasn’t a great experience for me because of the match; the game style is so different.
“But you learn a lot from these matches, you know. You learn why they are so good, you know. You try to copy a few things out of them.
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“And the better players you play, you know that you cannot win this match on a 95%. You always have to go max out. And when you go max out, you have a chance to surpass your limits.”
Nagal, aged 28, is currently ranked 297th in the world, having been as high as 68th.
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