Indian men’s singles tennis is currently navigating a challenging period, with no player featuring in the top 100 of the ATP Tennis rankings.
The absence of a marquee presence at the very top is evident, marking a downturn in the singles category. Yet, the scenario isn’t all bleak as India still has 12 players inside the top 1000, a testament to the emerging depth and resilience in the system. Among them, three names stand out for their performances and promise in 2025: Sumit Nagal, Aryan Shah, and Karan Singh.
The 2025 season so far
For Sumit Nagal, the 2025 season has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. Injuries and loss of rhythm saw him exit early in several tournaments, including a first-round defeat to Tomas Machac at the Australian Open and disappointing qualifying-round exits at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. The slide even pushed him out of the top 100 earlier in the year. But just when it seemed like the season was slipping away, Nagal rediscovered his touch. His grit shone through at the ATP Trieste Challenger and ATP Tampere Challenger, where he battled into the semifinals, proving he still has the firepower to fight back.
In contrast, Aryan Shah has been the story of resurgence and promise. After a shaky start with early-round exits in Indian Challenger events, the teenager regrouped impressively. His breakthrough came at the Pozo Blanco Challenger, where he came all the way from qualifying to upset top seed Ryan Peniston in the Round of 16, marching into the quarterfinals. He carried that momentum into the Segovia Challenger, stunning No. 1 seed Duje Ajdukovic in the opening round and ousting sixth seed Oliver Crawford en-route to the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Karan Singh has been the steady builder. The early part of his season mirrored Nagal’s struggles, with early losses in Indian Challenger tournaments denting his rhythm. But his fortunes turned dramatically at the ATP Astana Challenger, where he delivered his best tennis yet. Taking down former world No. 65 Egor Gerasimov (7–5, 6–1) and outlasting third seed Ivan Gakhov (6–3, 7–6(7)), Karan powered his way to the quarterfinals, showing he can match up against seasoned campaigners. This run has given him the much-needed momentum and confidence for the second half of the year.
Who is likely to end the year as India’s No. 1?
Currently, the live rankings of Sumit, Aryan and Karan are 299, 392 and 401 respectively.
The schedule of Sumit for the next month includes playing at the Genesis Trading Cup and qualifying rounds at Tulln Challenger. Whereas, Aryan will play the qualifying rounds of Genesis Trading Cup and feature in the main draw of Cassis Challenger and Karan will feature in the qualifying matches of Istanbul Challenger.
As things stand, Sumit Nagal (299) remains the frontrunner in India’s rankings race. Despite slipping out of the Top 100 earlier this year, Sumit’s proven ability to go deep in Challengers keeps him a strong contender. However, the real challenge for him lies in defending his 2024 ranking points, earned largely from his Chennai Challenger title and semi-final runs in European Challengers. That means Sumit has the most to lose if he cannot replicate that success in the coming months. With tournaments like the Genesis Trading Cup and Tulln Challenger qualifiers lined up, his season could swing either way, either consolidating his position or leaving the door wide open for his younger compatriots.
On the other hand, Aryan Shah (392) enters this stretch with comparatively fewer points to defend from 2024, as his real breakthrough only came this year. Last season, Aryan collected less than 60 points post-August, meaning his ranking position is far more flexible. With main-draw action secured at the Cassis Challenger and a qualifying spot at the Genesis Trading Cup, Aryan is well-positioned to climb. His fearless runs at Pozo Blanco and Segovia, where he toppled seeded players, showed that he thrives against higher-ranked opposition. If he can convert those quarterfinal and semifinal appearances into a Challenger final or title, Aryan could very realistically close the gap on Sumit by year-end.
Meanwhile, Karan Singh (401) faces a similar opportunity to Aryan. Having earned only about 50 points in the last four months of 2024, he too has very little to defend, which means even one deep Challenger run can trigger a big rankings jump. His quarterfinal showing at the Astana Challenger, with wins over established names like Egor Gerasimov, proved his potential at this level. The upcoming Istanbul Challenger qualifiers present another chance to build momentum. However, between the three, Karan still appears slightly behind in terms of consistency. If Sumit falters in defending his 2024 points, Aryan looks the likeliest to take over as India’s new No.1 by December, while Karan may well finish as a strong No.3.
It will be exciting to see how they perform in the remaining few months of the 2025 season and how the rankings will fluctuate based on the results. We can only hope that they remain injury free and perform to the best of their potential, with a dream to see Indian representation back in top 100.
