Brandon Nakashima cruised to a 6-3, 6-2 lead in his Wimbledon second-round match on Wednesday against dangerous grass-court player Jordan Thompson. The Next Gen ATP Finals 2022 presented by the PIF champion hit 24 winners in just five unforced errors in two sets in as flawless a performance as you will see over the two days.
But then the thoughts started. Last year against the same opponent, Nakashima won the first two sets 6-2, 6-2 and lost the match in five sets.
“Obviously those thoughts came to my mind, I repeated in two sets and played very well. “But the player I am this year compared to last year, I feel like he’s a completely different player,” Nakashima told ATPTour.com. “Whether it’s tactical, playing back and forth, it’s obvious that the big confidence from playing a lot of games on grass has helped. But I’m just trying to stay focused and not let those thoughts translate into my game.”
This year, the 2022 San Diego champion finished the job, edging out Thompson in a tidy one hour and 37 minutes to reach the third round. Nakashima has won more draws this week than in his last six Grand Slam tournaments combined.
“I think more than anything, it was just confidence. Last year at the Slam, I lost in the first round of the four. “I was playing well, I couldn’t get through the first round,” said Nakashima. “Most of them were five-set matches and it was difficult to get through those times. But you have to experience these moments when you play better and you can gain more confidence to win these games.”
It’s easy to look at Nakashima’s 2023 and see him drop from the top 43 to outside the top 150 in six months. But the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
“Last year was not the first for me, I got more experience as a top 100 player. Maybe at the beginning of the year, I was injured a little bit, and I wasn’t playing as many games as I could have. I have hope,” said Nakashima. “So, definitely, the confidence was a little bit low. As a player, those tough times are hard to get out of at certain points. But I’m happy with the way we’re progressing this year and bouncing back from last year.”
Although the American player did not blame his stretch, Nakashima suffered from a left knee injury at the beginning of the year that kept him out for almost two months. He played just eight games in the first four months of the season and was never able to get back up to speed.
The 22-year-old player was proud of the way he responded to this challenge. By reaching the third round at Wimbledon, he has returned to No. 53 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. He reached the semifinals of the ATP Tour in Stuttgart, the third round in Barcelona – where he upset Andrey Rublev – and compiled a record of 26-8 on the ATP Challenger Tour this year.
“For talented young players, it’s good to rise and reach the top and be ranked high. But your next few years, when you have a lot of expectations, that’s when you show your personality, you show your character a little bit trying to deal with those expectations,” said Nakashima. “Even after the year I had last year, people would think, ‘Oh, it was just a one-year thing for him to do well, and he’s going to be an average player’. But the way I dealt with that difficulty and got myself back to where I want to be, I think a lot of people should think about it. [that].
“It’s not easy as a young player, especially after the good year I had a few years ago… I was training every day last year, the way I was this year, and I’m happy that the results are paying off.”
Last October, Nakashima started working with a new coach: David Sanguinetti, an Italian who won two ATP Tour titles and broke the Top 50 in the world.
“We worked hard. I work more on his mind than his shots,” Sanguinetti said. “I work a little on photography. But you have very good reasons and everything. Good to serve. We’re working a lot with his forehand and right now it looks like it’s working, so I’m happy right now. We are on the right track because we want to be in the Top 20 by the end of this year. But even if it’s hard – I’m not saying it’s easy – let’s see. Maybe if we get lucky in other tournaments, who knows?”
[ATP APP]According to Sanguinetti, what he likes about Nakashima is both good and bad.
“He’s always calm,” Sanguinetti said. “And sometimes I loved him [to be] slowly [of a] firecracker, as [to] explode, but he doesn’t. But when he’s focused, he’s a machine.”
The former World No. 42 admired his dedication and work ethic.
“He always listens, he always tries to do what you ask him to do, which is good for the coach,” said Sanguinetti. “He is always looking for something. He is like a sponge. He tries to get all the secrets from me, even if he doesn’t ask. But he always tries to listen to everything I try to tell him.”
Nakashima will hope that continues to bear fruit as she bids her way through the Wimbledon draw. He will attempt to reach the fourth round on grass for the second time on Friday when he plays 16th seed Ugo Humbert.
“It feels good, especially after the year I had last year and having trouble at the Grand Slams last year, to have some good matches here and get to the third round,” Nakashima said. “It’s a good feeling.”
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