It was only a few days before he hopped a plane to Europe, a whirlwind trip that will take him across the continent on what will be an annual journey for Brandon Nakashima. The San Diego native, now in his fourth year on the pro tour, was asked about his aspirations for this year’s event at Roland Garros.
Along with his desire to advance well into the draw, to compete against the world’s best, and to test his mettle on red clay, the 20-year-old offered one particular word that stood out. He described the experience of traveling and competing in France as “a privilege.”
That perspective, one that is refreshing for a modern-day professional athlete, pretty much sums up the mild-mannered Nakashima. Even since his junior days here in Southern California, Nakashima has always been a quiet but steady presence on the court. After a year of college ball at Virginia, Nakashima burst on the pro scene in 2019 to methodically begin his climb up the ATP rankings list. He’s captured five ATP Challenger events and twice reached the second round of the US Open. On the World TeamTennis tour in 2020, he earned Rookie of the Year honors while helping push the Chicago Smash to a championship final.
Last October, Nakashima made his hometown return with the ATP Tour at the San Diego Open. It was a full-circle moment. “I’ve enjoyed every minute out there traveling and competing at the top-level tournaments against players from all over the world,” Nakashima told USTASoCal.com. “It’s what I dreamed of when I was little kid, and you want to be able to fulfill that dream now and compete all around the world. At that same time, it is a tough sport playing against all the top players, and to travel all the time, it takes a toll on you and your body. But I’ve enjoyed every part of it and I’m excited to keep doing what I’m doing.”
At the recent Tennis Fest in San Diego, Nakashima made a rare appearance before jetsetting to Paris. At the event, he spent time helping draw attention to the story of Ivan Smith, a friend and longtime tennis peer whom he’s known for years while growing up in SoCal. Smith was seriously injured recently in a car accident while on his way to tennis practice, and suffered life-altering injuries.
“He’s been a good friend of mine,” Nakashima said of Smith. “We used to compete with each other, practice with each other. We kind of went our separate directions a little bit (for college), but we’ve stayed in touch over the years. It’s a tough situation right now. It’s very sad, but we’re just trying to do everything we can to help him out and hopefully have him recover from this.”
Generous with his time and his words, Nakashima credits his family for years of support that have carried him to the world tour.
“It is very important to me,” he said of his culture, being celebrated nationwide during AAPI Heritage Month. “Especially always knowing where I came from. My family are the biggest supporters of my tennis, so I always remember where I came from. I think it’s really important for me.”