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In an interview with the Indian newspaper, the Telegraph, Indian player Sumit Nagal revealed what Roger Federer told him after their US Open first-round match. Nagal said: "That day he didn’t (say) much. He wished me the best.
I heard him say nice things about me in an interview and it was so nice of him. He also told my coach something, but I never asked him about it! Arthur Ashe is the biggest stadium in tennis. Playing Monday night is the best night if you don’t count the finals.
There were a lot of people I have grown up watching and thinking that would I play them someday." On his mental approach, Nagal added: "I just wanted to enjoy. I knew I was going to be nervous. This wasn’t an opportunity that I was going to get every week or tournament.
So how would you survive the nervousness that you are going to have for the first 30 minutes? Keep your focus on the things that you are supposed to. I could have done better. There were some crucial points where I played a little bad, tactically, especially in the fourth set, when I had a few break points to break him.
But looking back, representing your country at such a big event for the first time, getting so many messages from friends and people, whom I don’t even know... I think I did okay. After I lost, I didn’t speak to anyone for a day...
went to the locker room shower, ate and left... woke up... Mahesh (Bhupathi) sent me a message saying, ‘I am so proud of you. You almost made me cry!’. I told him I wasn’t happy. He was like: ‘Don’t be an idiot. Call your parents.’ When I called my parents, they were so happy. Then I calmed down."