Brandon Nakashima cemented his name on the ATP Tour during the 2022 season. The 21-year old North American collected his first ATP title in San Diego last year, alongside winning the ATP NextGen Finals in Milan. He is the fifth-youngest player inside the world’s Top 50 and has slipped under the radar compared to the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune, and Jack Draper.
The San Diego-born man measures at 6’2″ and has a versatile game that can work on all surfaces. He has a career record of 55-37 on the Tour and has provided some sublime tennis throughout his short career. Nakashima could further develop into a real contender for the big tournaments if he builds upon his successful start the life on the tour.
The graduate from the University of Virginia is most likely to make a deep run on a hard surface. An impressive 46-29 career record on this surface has made him a candidate to win titles on this surface in the future. His consistent baseline game allows him not just to frustrate, but produce winners to outmaneuver opponents. Physically and mentally he is extremely solid, making him a tough match for anyone. He has gone toe to toe with the likes of Matteo Berrettini, Nick Kyrgios, and Jannik Sinner in Grand Slams in 2022, taking sets off all three in the process.
The United States has provided a lack of success in recent years in the men’s game. Brandon Nakashima has all the tools to make deep runs and take U.S. tennis back to the big time. 2023 will help us gauge the real prospects of his game, and weather he can build upon an excellent Tour start and start to make deep runs at the big tournaments.
Brandon Nakashima is expected to make a later start this year missing the season opening tournaments in Pune and Adelaide, with his success in the NextGen finals in Milan towards the back end of 2022 earning him an extended rest.
Main Photo from Getty.
