BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — India's top-ranked male tennis player, Sumit Nagal, is seeking assistance from Chinese authorities after being denied a visa to participate in the Australian Open wild-card playoff tournament scheduled to begin on November 24 in Chengdu. The tournament serves as a pathway for players to gain entry into the prestigious Grand Slam event.
Nagal expressed his concerns on social media, reaching out directly to Xu Feihong, the Chinese ambassador to India, as well as the Chinese embassy. "I am supposed to fly to China soon to represent India at the Australian Open playoff," he posted on Tuesday. "But my visa was rejected without reason. Your urgent help would be much appreciated."
The Australian Open officials were approached for comments regarding Nagal's visa issue on Wednesday, but no immediate response has been provided. The upcoming Australian Open, the first Grand Slam event of the year, is set to commence on January 18, 2026, in Melbourne.
Recently, relations between India and China, two of the largest countries in the world by population, have shown signs of improvement. Last month, the two nations planned to resume direct flights connecting certain cities after a suspension of five years, indicating a gradual thaw in diplomatic tensions.
Despite Nagal's appeal, there has been no immediate response from either the Chinese embassy or the playoffs organizers, according to a report by the Press Trust of India. The 28-year-old Nagal previously achieved a career highlight by taking the opening set against Roger Federer in a U.S. Open match in 2019, although he ultimately lost the match in four sets.
Nagal reached a career-high singles ranking of 68 in July 2024; however, his current ranking has slipped to 290. He has also been an active member of India's Davis Cup team since 2018. Earlier in January, he faced an early exit in the first round of the Australian Open and was unable to qualify for the French Open and Wimbledon. Notably, he captured the 2015 Wimbledon boys' doubles title alongside Vietnam’s Ly Hoang Nam, becoming the sixth Indian player to secure a junior Grand Slam title.
The Asia-Pacific wild-card playoff for the Australian Open is slated for November 24-29 at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre in Chengdu. The event features 16-player draws in both men's and women's singles, along with 12 teams participating in men's and women's doubles competitions.
In the previous year's Asia-Pacific playoff, also hosted in Chengdu, Chinese player Zhang Shuai and Thailand’s Kasidit Samrej earned spots in the main draw of the 2025 Australian Open. Zhang triumphed over American McCartney Kessler in the first round before succumbing to 24th-seeded Yulia Putintseva in the second round. Meanwhile, Samrej, who had never previously competed in a Grand Slam venue, gave a strong performance against fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev, extending the match to five sets before being eliminated in the first round.
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