Some tennis phenoms burst onto the scene when they’re barely teenagers, and they’re impossible not to notice.
Think Coco Gauff, who made a splash at Wimbledon as a 15-year-old three years ago, or Rafael Nadal, who exploded into public consciousness by winning the French Open as a 19-year-old in 2005.
But for the vast majority of pro players, the climb is slow and steady, with major milestones visible only to them.
San Diego’s Brandon Nakashima, coached as a kid by area legend Angel Lopez, has been rising out of the spotlight for the last two years.
But at this year’s Wimbledon, the 21-year-old had a chance for a splashy win, the kind that would make everyone take notice.
Nakashima made a run to the fourth round at the All England Club and was up two sets to one against flashy Australian Nick Kyrgios, who possesses the polar opposite personality of the quiet, unassuming San Diegan.
Unfortunately, Nakashima wasn’t quite able to close the deal, losing in five sets to Kyrgios. But getting that far and pushing the eventual finalist left Nakashima feeling hopeful, a feeling that carried over to the U.S. Open.
Nakashima won two rounds here at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, including a win over No. 17 seed Grigor Dimitrov, before falling to No.11 Jannik Sinner on Sept. 3.
“It stayed with me for a couple of days, but it was all positive from that match, nothing negative,” Nakashima said. “I went further than I had before at a Slam so it was a great experience, that gave me a lot of confidence.”
Nakashima needed that confidence after his ranking, once as high as No. 49 in 2021, his first full year on the ATP Tour, had slipped a bit in 2022, as he’s currently ranked 68th.
No longer a newcomer that other players were unaware of, Nakashima’s strong baseline game and powerful serve became known enough that opponents could now game-plan for him.
“This year people know him and they start to find weaknesses in his game,” said Eduardo Infantino, Nakashima’s coach since May. “It’s part of the learning process. But Brandon is finding his way, and has been playing consistently well this summer.”
At the U.S. Open, Nakashima won many fans with his huge forehand, 125-miles per hour serves, and all-court game. He played maybe his best match of the year against Dimitrov, attacking the net and not letting the Bulgarian into the contest at all.
“Eduardo tells me to keep playing my game and be aggressive out there, no matter the situation,” Nakashima said after the win. “Plus the crowd support here is pretty special. The atmosphere at the Open, when an American is playing, is awesome.”
Nakashima said he’s been happy with his growth this season, even as he’s dealt with completely unexpected off-court issues like “Let’s go Brandon” becoming a catchphrase in some parts of America.
“It’s been … a little weird,” he said with a smile.
His second full season, he added, has resulted in him becoming more comfortable traveling the world, seeing exotic cities, and not being thrown by different challenges at different tournaments.
“You get used to the environments and learn how to adapt,” Nakashima said.
With the U.S. Open behind him, Nakashima plans to travel to the ATP Tournaments in Europe and Asia this fall, but first, he’s coming home. The San Diego Open, beginning Sept. 19, is an ATP 250 event this year.
“It’s always nice to go home and see family,” Nakashima said. “Anytime we get to play a tournament in America is a great thing.”
Infantino said he thinks his charge simply needs to be a little more consistent with his strokes to break back into the Top 50 and beyond.
“He’s got a great mentality, and he’s a hard-working guy with the commitment to be a good professional,” Infantino said. “He’s got a lot of ability, we’re just working to refine his identity as a player. But he is coming along great.”
