India's top-ranked male tennis player, Sumit Nagal, has appealed to Chinese authorities after his visa was denied for the Australian Open Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff tournament scheduled to begin on November 24, 2025, in Chengdu, China. The 27-year-old player took to social media platform X to request the Chinese Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, and the Chinese Embassy to intervene on his behalf after his visa was rejected without explanation.
Nagal posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2025: "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".
The Australian Open Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff is scheduled from November 24-29 at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre. The tournament is a 16-player men's and women's singles event and features 12 teams in men's and women's doubles. The event provides regional players a direct main-draw entry into the 2026 Australian Open.
Sumit Nagal is currently India's highest-ranked singles player on the ATP Tour, sitting at number 275. He depends on qualifying rounds and wildcard events to feature in major tournaments. After losing his place in the top 100, Nagal needs wild card entries or qualifiers to enter top events like Grand Slams.
Nagal has been a member of India's Davis Cup team since 2018. He reached a career-high singles ranking of 68 in July 2024. In January 2024, he competed in the Australian Open main draw, where he won against 25th seed Alexander Bublik in the first round, but he failed to qualify for the French Open and Wimbledon. He also became the first Indian male player to win a Masters 1000 match on clay in 2024 at the Monte Carlo Masters. In 2015, Nagal won the Wimbledon boys' doubles title with Vietnam's Ly Hoang Nam, becoming the sixth Indian player to win a junior Grand Slam title. One of Nagal's career highlights was taking the opening set of a U.S. Open match against Roger Federer in 2019.
As of November 12, 2025, neither the Chinese Embassy, Tennis Australia, nor the All India Tennis Association (AITA) have released any official statements regarding the matter. Missing the playoffs would be a significant blow for Nagal as he attempts to solidify his place in Grand Slam main draws.
