Considered one of the top American prospects after a stellar 2022 season that saw him go 8-4 at the majors, American Brandon Nakashima would soon encounter a crisis of confidence. 2023 started as a blank slate, then morphed into an abyss.
As he battled to recover from a left knee injury, the San Diego, Calif., native went winless at the majors last season, and spiraled from a career-high ranking of 43, all the way to 151, in 12 months’ time.
If there was a silver lining to Nakashima’s troubles it was the fact that he was young and ingenious, not to mention gifted. With the 2023 nightmare in the rearview, a determined Nakashima vowed to put his plan B into effect this season.
He hired former world No. 42 Davide Sanguinetti and former world No. 9 Mariano Puerta to coach him, then at their behest made the decision to drop down to Challenger level (tennis’ equivalent to baseball’s minor leagues) to regain his confidence.
Nakashima, a former University of Virginia standout before turning pro in 2019, played nine Challenger tournaments from October of last year through March of 2024, and won 27 of 35 matches as his ranking jumped back inside the Top 100.
Confidence crisis? Not anymore.
“I’m just kind of gaining that confidence back,” Nakashima told reporters on Monday after toppling No.15 seed Holger Rune, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4. “At the beginning of the year [my coach’s] advice was to play a few Challengers. I got a lot of wins under my belt, even if it was at the lower level, just getting those wins and rising up the rankings a little bit helped.
“Once I got back to the ATP tournaments, it was just a matter of staying consistent with my game.”
The game has never been a problem. Nakashima has a smooth, reliable backhand and a serve that screams. There are no glaring weaknesses in his game, but he had to shore up what was between the ears before he started winning again.
“He was low on confidence last year. He didn’t play well, he was a little bit injured,” Sanguinetti tells USOpen.org. “We were working a lot on his mentality, and we are still working, because it’s a long journey. Right now he’s listening, and he’s believing.”
A stream of steady results in the spring and summer, including wins over compatriots Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz in back-to-back weeks, helped Nakashima return to the Top 50. His win over Rune in Stadium 17 on Monday gives the American three Top 20 wins in August alone—the most he’s ever notched in a single month in his career.
“I’m really focused [on Brandon’s success] because I want him to achieve his best ranking,” says Sanguinetti. “Maybe it won’t be this year but I think he has the potential to be a Top 10, Top 20 player. Let’s see it.”
Sanguinetti, an Italian who reached the Round of 16 in Flushing Meadows in 2005, says he was interested in working with Nakashima because he has the kind of easy power he wishes he had when he was a pro.
“He’s a good baseline player and also he has a huge serve,” he says. “There are so many things that we need to fix, that’s for sure. I think I need a little bit more time to fix a few shots here and there, but after that it’s just mental. He’s on the way.”
Nakashima isn’t surprised about his recent success. He’s become much more self-assured this season, and it shows in his tennis. This year, he’s simply achieving the type of results he believes he’s capable of.
“I don’t think [I’m] surprised,” he told reporters after breezing past Rune. “I kind of knew once I turned pro that my game was up there with all these top guys, it was just a matter of getting these wins under my belt and getting that confidence, knowing that I can win these close matches against these top guys."
Meanwhile, ever the motivator, Sanguinetti encourages Nakashima to set his sights on the Americans that are above him in the rankings. With five American men inside the ATP’s Top 20 at the moment, the challenge is real.
“If I was him, I would use them as a goal,” the Italian says. “This is what I want from him. I know to be No. 1 in the USA is not easy, but to be No. 1 in your country is the best thing ever.”
