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New Delhi: Indian tennis star Sumit Nagal, on Tuesday, issued a desperate plea to Chinese government officials via a social media post on X (formerly Twitter) after his visa to China was rejected without explanation. Nagal is set to represent India in the Australian Open 2026 Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-Off (AWP) in Chengdu, China, and was due to fly to the neighbouring country soon.
The number one tennis player from India is due to play in the singles category in the Wildcard Play-off (AWP) tournament and will be one of several players vying for the Main Draw Wildcards for the 2026 Australian Open. The play-offs are scheduled for the last week of November with prize money on offer.
However, the visa rejection has put his plans in jeopardy. Nagal took to social media to ask for help from the Chinese Embassy and its spokesperson in India.
[URGENT]
Respected @China_Amb_India and @ChinaSpox_India.
I am Sumit Nagal, India’s No.1 Tennis player
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 AO 2026 Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-Off is open to players from all nationalities from the Asia-Pacific region, except Australians, with a world ranking of 105+ for both male and female players.
Scheduled for 24-29 November 2025, the Play-off consists of 16-player men's and women's singles events, in addition to eight-player men's and women's qualifying draws, and 12-team men's and women's doubles events.
The AWP will be held at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre, with the annual tournament seeing top players from the Asia-Pacific region battling for the coveted Australian Open main draw wildcard.
Nagal has happy memories of becoming the first Indian male player in 35 years to defeat a seeded opponent in a Grand Slam by beating Alexander Bublik in the Australian Open 2024. His best Grand Slam performance is qualifying for the second round of both the 2020 US Open and the 2024 Australian Open.
