My US Open: Brandon Nakashima

My US Open

My US Open: Brandon Nakashima

American speaks exclusively to ATPTour.com

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images Brandon Nakashima reached the fourth round at the US Open in 2024. By ATP Staff

Brandon Nakashima returns to the site of one of his best Grand Slam showings: the US Open. Twelve months ago, the American upset Holger Rune and Lorenzo Musetti in a breakout fourth-round run at his home major.

Now firmly established in the Top 40 of the PIF ATP Rankings, the 24-year-old Nakashima will hope to channel home support once again to notch further successes in New York. ATPTour.com caught up with the American to talk his US Open memories, his approach to the stunning culinary scene on offer in ‘The Big Apple’ and more.

Read more US Open insights and memories from ATP Tour stars in our ‘My US Open’ series.

What is your first memory of watching the U.S. Open?

Growing up, I never went to it live to watch. But watching on TV, I remember always watching [Roger] Federer play there when I was super young. I would always wait until he was playing to turn on the TV, it didn't matter what time of the day. I think that was one of the earliest memories.

What do you remember about playing it for the first time?

Playing it for the first time, I remember it was in the men's qualifying when I was 16 because I won the National Boys' 16 and under and that got me a wild card into the men's qualifying. I remember winning the first round 7-6 in the third and losing the second round to [Ugo] Humbert in a pretty close match. I also remember playing juniors that year and I think making the second or third round.

What was that experience like?

It was an unbelievable experience. For any young tennis player to be able to compete at the US Open is super special. And for me, it was definitely very eye-opening to see how Grand Slams work, how all the players, top players, are going about their schedule every day there and just seeing their routines, and also with the fans there, too. It was the first time where I was playing with some big crowds and having that attention, so that was definitely a special experience.

What about the venue? Because you get there, you're coming from Manhattan, and you see Arthur Ashe Stadium.

That's also another thing. I remember going around the grounds for the first time and people are going crazy. There's a lot of music and loud support from all the fans across all the courts. That was something that I remember. It was like this huge event that I was playing in. And it was a shock for me at the beginning, too.

Do you have a favourite court at the US Open?

I've never played on Arthur Ashe before. I'd say favourite for me has to be Court 17. Last year, I had a couple of great matches there, had some great atmosphere on that court, too. That is definitely one of my favourites for sure right now.

How about a favourite match that you’ve played?

It has to be last year against Musetti in the third round. That match was one of the best atmospheres I've played in. People were going crazy all around the court, the whole match. I also had a lot of friends from college there and a lot of my family there. So that was one of my favourite matches in my career so far.

What about the city of New York? How much do you enjoy that? Is there anything about it you like?

I definitely enjoy it during the tournament there, just everything being so busy there. There’s so much stuff to do when you're not at the courts, so many nice restaurants that we’re able to go with the team, with some family and friends some evenings. It's always a nice time in New York. At the end of last year, I spent a couple of days in New York as well, so that was also nice.

Are there any tourist attractions you like?

I've walked around Times Square a bunch and Central Park, too. That's always nice and relaxing to walk around the park. Other than that, we've had a lot of great restaurants, a lot of great dinners there, so those are always fun times too.

Any favourite restaurant?

I've been to Cote, it's a Korean barbecue place. I also know the owner of Fly Fish Club, which is also a great restaurant and I've had some great memories there. There are a bunch of restaurants that I would also like to try that are pretty famous.

With Wimbledon you think of strawberries and cream. What do you associate the US Open with?

Probably the American fans. They definitely go crazy for the US players, which is always nice. And the atmosphere on the courts, especially at night, is something that you don't get anywhere else, I think.

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