Sumit Nagal’s visa application rejected for Australian Open wildcard playoffs

The 28-year-old India No.1 has received a direct entry to compete at the 2026 Australian Open Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff – a tournament in which the winner is granted direct entry into the main draw of next season’s first Grand Slam.

The Playoff event is scheduled to begin in Chengdu on November 24.

“I applied last week, on Monday. I’m supposed to fly to Dubai on Friday to practice for a few days, and then travel to China on November 21,” Nagal told Hindustan Times.

“I applied Express, and I just got a rejection - nothing written, nothing said. And this for someone who has applied for a Chinese visa so many times, and I have so many stamps on my passport. And I’ve played the biggest tournaments in China - the Shanghai Masters, (ATP 500) Beijing, Challengers, the Asian Games (in Hangzhou). This is the first time ever that I’ve been rejected for a visa anywhere.”

The rejection could also affect his training plans in Dubai, where he was to practice with world No.42 Alexandre Muller of France.

He has reapplied for the visa and has sought support from the sports ministry, he said. But a delay will cause him to potentially truncate his practice schedule in Dubai before going to China.

“The whole preparation goes,” he added.

Nagal, currently the world No.275, is looking to get back into the top 100. He had reached as high as 68 in 2024, but for a series of injuries that saw him drop down the ranking ladder.

After the event in Chengdu, he is supposed to begin his off-season training in Goa, before beginning the 2026 season at the rescheduled ATP Challenger in Bengaluru.

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