Sumit Nagal receives direct entry into main-draw of US Open 2020
Aug 05, 2020
New Delhi [India], August 5 : Indian tennis star Sumit Nagal has received a direct entry into the men's singles main-draw of the US Open 2020.
The 2020 US Open main-draw entry list was announced on Tuesday. The competition is scheduled to be played from August 31 to September 13 at New York, United States.
Nagal is the only Indian to have received direct entry into the singles main-draw after the COVID-19 pandemic hit US Open this year.
Last year, 22-year-old Nagal made a lot of noise in the tennis world when famously took a set off Swiss Maestro Roger Federer in the 2019 US Open but eventually bowed out 6-4, 1-6, 2-6, 4-6.
World number one Novak Djokovic, in the absence of both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, will be vying for his 18th major win. Djokovic has previously won the US Open thrice in 2011, 2015, and 2018.
The entry list also includes seven of the world's top 10 ranked players - Dominic Thiem, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, Matteo Berrettini and David Goffin.
Defending champion Rafael Nadal has announced that he won't be playing the US Open, citing concerns over the coronavirus. The world number two men's tennis star also criticised the revised calendar for tennis and labelled it as "barbaric".
"After many thoughts, I have decided not to play this year's US Open. The situation is very complicated worldwide, the COVID-19 cases are increasing and it looks like we still don't have control of it," Nadal said in a tweet.
"We know that the reduced tennis calendar is barbaric this year after 4 months stopped with no play, I understand and thank for the efforts they are putting in to make it happen. We have just seen the announcement of Madrid not being played this year," he added in another tweet.
Federer will also not be a part of this year's Grand Slams as he continues to recover from an injury.
As a result, this US Open will be the first since 1999, that neither player has featured in the main draw of a Grand Slam event.
