Sumit Nagal to make Wimbledon main draw debut against Serbian Kecmanovic

PUNE: Sumit Nagal will take on Serbian 24-year-old Miomir Kecmanovic in his first-ever main draw match at the Wimbledon championships, starting on Monday.
Nagal, however, will be familiar and have happy memories of the hallowed lawns of the All England Club, having won the boys' doubles title with Vietnam's Nam Hoang Ly in 2015.
The Indian, ranked 71 in the world, is on a high after securing his spot in the upcoming Olympics by winning an ATP Challenger on clay in Germany earlier this month.
Nagal, 26, enters the grasscourt -- not his favourite surface -- major without playing a tuneup event. Having followed up his Heilbronn title with another week on clay in Italy, where he was runner-up, Nagal took a much deserved fortnight's rest ahead of his men's singles debut at the Mecca of tennis.
Kecmanovic, world No. 53, will pose a stern test for the Indian. The Serb, who touched a career-high 27 early last year, has maintained his top-100 ranking since 2019, the year when he finished runner-up to Jannik Sinner in the ATP NextGen Finals.
The right-hander, a junior world No. 1 and Orange Bowl champion, is yet to make an impact at the elite level but has been a constant at the Grand Slams and other top-tier tournaments.
Beating Kecmanovic could pit Nagal against Dutch 27th seed Tallon Griekspoor in the second round, and should he advance to Round 3, he could run into World No. 1 and top seed Sinner.