2021 US Open Series Interview: Brandon Nakashima

After opening the 2021 US Open Series with a run to the Atlanta Open final, 20-year-old Brandon Nakashima is set to make his main-draw debut at the ATP Masters level this week at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. 

The San Diego native, who turned pro in 2019 after an ACC Freshman of the Year and All-ACC First Team season at the University of Virginia, also reached the final at the ATP 250 event in Los Cabos, Mexico in late July on his favored hard courts. After falling to top seed Cameron Norrie in Mexico and six-time champion John Isner in the Atlanta final, Nakashima upset British No. 1 Dan Evans on his way to the third round at the Citi Open, a US Open Series event in Washington, D.C.

Those big matches and results have set him up well for his two biggest tournaments of the hard-court summer. After competing in qualifying for the Western & Southern Open in New York in 2020, Nakashima was awarded a wild card for this year's event in Cincinnati. One year after notching his first Grand Slam win as a wild card at the 2020 US Open, he'll have to qualify for the 2021 main draw, barring another wild-card entry. After beating Italy's Paolo Lorenzi in straight sets at the 2020 event, he fell in four tight sets to eventual finalist Alex Zverev in Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Ahead of his first-round Cincy matchup with fellow American Mackenzie McDonald, Nakashima sat down with USTA.com for a Q&A. Read on for his thoughts on his strong summer run, being a part of a recent resurgence in American men's tennis, playing in front of the U.S. fans and more.

Q. It's been a really big year for you. You recently became the youngest American in the Top 100 with impressive final round showings in Los Cabos and Atlanta. Heading into Cincinnati in the U.S. Open, how does this make you feel, knowing that everything is steadily coming together?

Brandon Nakashima: Yeah, I'm definitely playing with a lot of confidence right now, especially making those two finals back-to-back and just carrying the momentum, having a good couple of wins in D.C. Then starting off here in Cincinnati and then the US Open, I'm just feeling comfortable with my game, feeling confident out there where I'm playing, and I'm always enjoying all the matches out there. 

Q. What would you say is that major factor for you finding success so quickly? 

Brandon Nakashima: I think all the experiences throughout the year kind of kind of help with with all these matches. And, you know, you put in a lot of the hard work on the practice court and everything. So I think just getting all my strokes down and just improving my my fitness as much as possible definitely helps get through some of these matches.

Sometimes you lose some tough matches like I did over in Europe for the clay and grass season. But you just try to make the most out of those matches and try to learn from them as much as possible to help you to get over the line in some of these other matches.

Q. You said recently that a big part of your recent success was your mental strength and an  improved mentality on the court. I'm curious, in reaching the two finals and losing to two very experienced players, what did you take from that, mentally, for next time?

Brandon Nakashima: It's always tough when you lose the finals of any tournament at any level. But, you know, I learned a lot from both of those matches and throughout the whole tournaments, too. I think I definitely learned a lot about my game, kind of see what it takes to to get through the whole tournament and become the winner at the end. So it's definitely a lot of physical aspects I need to improve and also the mental aspects as well—just being able to show up for every match and throughout the whole tournament to eventually win that last match in the end. 

Q. Of course you've been in a ton of finals as a junior and at the ITF level. But did those matches feel different to you, to be an ATP final? Did you treat them any differently than in the past? How would you compare those to your past finals that you've played in?

Brandon Nakashima: It's obviously different for me, especially from the juniors and also the Challenger matches as well. Played the finals of an ATP event is a much higher level. There's a lot of more things going into your mind the night before and going into the match. So I think you have to prepare a little bit differently as opposed to what I was in the juniors or the Challenger matches. But, like I said, I learned a lot from those matches, as far as preparing for the match and also during the match as well, playing against those top players. So it's definitely been a lot of good opportunities for me.  

Q. Your cool and calm demeanor on court is a big asset for you. Was there anyone growing up that you looked up to in terms of their mentality and how they carry themselves on the court? 

Brandon Nakashima: Growing up, I've always idolized and always liked watching Federer play, whether it's on the TV or live. I think, with my mental aspect and just my calmness out there, I've always had that at a pretty young age, so I think it's just gotten better and just carried with me throughout juniors and now at the professional level. I think it's super important out there to to get through these tough matches. So, yeah, I mean, growing up, I always enjoyed watching Federer out there and learning from him.

Q. You also recently mentioned, in an interview with the ATP, that you want to show that you belong with these guys and that you can play on the ATP Tour. Would you say this mindset of proving yourself is a big motivator for you? What do you think you have left to prove?

Brandon Nakashima: It's a really big motivator for me, especially playing all these top guys at these high-level events and just getting those opportunities to play them on the biggest stages. So I think I could definitely learn a lot from all those opportunities. And, you know, I'm just trying to develop my game as much as possible, keep improving and hopefully I'll be able to win one of those ATP tournaments in the future. 

Q. As of this week, there are now 14 American men in the Top 100, the most since 1996. What does it mean to you to be a part of that history for American tennis?

Brandon Nakashima: It means a lot for me. It's definitely really cool to see all those top Americans now in the Top 100. I feel like the past couple of years, maybe there was as much or American tennis was maybe a little bit down. But I think with some of the young up-and-coming players and also the longtime veterans up there still, I think American tennis is only going to keep improving. It's nice to see all the Americans doing well. 

Q. With the young American players, besides you, there's Jenson Brooksby and Sebastian Korda both doing some big things at a young age. Right now, you guys are all in the Top 8 for the Race to Milan and the Next Gen ATP Finals, which would be pretty cool. Does that take any pressure off you at all—or maybe the opposite—to have a couple of guys with you as part of the wave of the next generation in American tennis?

Brandon Nakashima: I would say maybe not so much. I think for me, I just try to focus on myself as much as possible, not worry too much about how they're doing or what they're doing on the court out there. But, of course, I'm always happy when they're doing well out there, always happy when they're winning matches and doing well in tournaments. But I think for me, it's just a matter of focusing on myself right now to get to that next level and, you know, keep improving as much as possible.  

Q. You're set to begin your campaign in Cincy against Mackenzie McDonald, who is also coming off a great showing in D.C. What will you be most focused on in this opener? 

Brandon Nakashima: We're both on some pretty hot streaks right now. I feel like we both feel confident out there. He's a pretty good friend of mine. We practice a lot together. So I think it'll be a good battle between us—two Americans going at each other at a big tournament in the U.S. So I think it'll be great for the fans and everything, and of course, I'm always looking forward to playing out there.

Q.  Last year you played in qualies at the Western & Southern, then got a big win at the Open before playing Alex Zverev tight in the second round—but unfortunately there were no fans. How much is the atmosphere different and the vibe different this year? How does it feel knowing you're going to have to have some American fans to cheer you on these these big-time events. 

Brandon Nakashima: Yeah, it'll definitely be more exciting. I'm always looking forward to to playing in front of fans, especially in the U.S. And I think coming up, the US open, I think since I've been since I've been doing well the past couple of months here, I think, yes, there will be a lot of fans being able to come watch and cheer me on, so that's always exciting. I'm always looking forward to to coming to New York. Unfortunately, last year there weren't any fans. But, you know, it's an exciting time this year, again, with things starting to go back to normal and fans being able to come out there and watch.

Q. Lastly, I wanted to ask about your recent visit to UVA. So much has changed since your playing days there. How was it being back on campus?

Brandon Nakashima: Yeah, it was great to come back there. It's been a while since I've been back. And just to see some of my friends that were there and hang out with them to just kind of mentally reset a little bit from those long three weeks of playing. So it was it was great to see all of them and also I was able to put in the hard work on the practice courts, too, the whole week. So it's definitely a good trip for me there, seeing all of them. And I think it's definitely helped me mentally reset a little bit in order to make the big push in Cincinnati and the US Open.