New soccer nut Nakashima shining at home of Messi's Inter Miami

Lionel Messi, one of the greatest football players in history, thrills fans with his performances on Inter Miami at Hard Rock Stadium. Although the venue is currently playing host to the Miami Open presented by Itau, football connections are not far away.

Brandon Nakashima, who is into the third round of the Miami ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time, has over the past month become a football fanatic.

“I've really gotten into more soccer. Growing up, I wasn't really interested in it. I wasn't watching it at all,” Nakashima, who will next face David Goffin, told ATPTour.com. “San Diego, my hometown, they got a soccer team in the MLS, and the season just started. I've been following and learning more about soccer here and there.”

After reaching the semi-finals at the ATP 500 event in Acapulco, Nakashima traveled home to San Diego for one day before continuing on to Indian Wells. He found it the perfect opportunity to support San Diego FC.

“That day, they had their home-opener match, and it was the first professional soccer game in San Diego,” Nakashima said. “It was pretty fun. It was a crazy atmosphere. It was nice to see. And I always love supporting my home teams.”

The 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion understands the effort that goes into competing on the global stage. The 23-year-old has grown to admire how football players perform their job.

“Especially being another athlete, I appreciate how hard they work, and how much running they do during the game. There are no breaks or anything,” Nakashima said. “It's nice to see other athletes performing in their respective fields. You just have a greater appreciation for what they go through and what you go through as well.”

It has been an up-and-down journey for Nakashima, who began last season as World No. 134. But quietly, the 2022 San Diego champion has found the best form of his career.

“It's obviously really cool. My team and I, we put a lot of hard work in the preseason, and even though the first month of the year wasn't how we wanted it to go, it's nice to see, getting a lot of wins and the hard work paying off,” Nakashima said. “Always when you get a career high, it's always nice and rewarding. But at the same time, you always want to keep pushing for higher.”

Nakashima has long been a difficult player to face, with his forehand and serve potent weapons that help the American put pressure on his opponent. One of the improvements he has made recently, which helped turn his PIF ATP Ranking in the right direction, is on the mental side of the sport.

“I'd say I've got a better understanding of my game and how I want to play out there, being a little more aggressive and obviously, getting more mature, stronger and faster since a couple years ago,” Nakashima said. “I think I've grown a lot in that. But I mean being stronger, faster, that also helps the serve, it's gotten a lot better. I’m a lot more solid from the baseline, being able to defend better.

“I think [in] all those, I think anyone can see the improvements from three, four years ago.”

Nearly three years ago, Nakashima cracked the world’s Top 50 for the first time. But he is not the same player now that he was then. This is the new-and-improved Brandon Nakashima.

“I think I've definitely learned and grown a lot. When you're at that young age, every experience is new to you, and you're just taking everything in,” Nakashima said. “Now I feel like I've become a more mature person, both on the court and off the court as well. I have to deal with real-life situations. And even though everything is not always good or bad — but having to deal with certain situations, I think off the court as well — I think it's been pretty important for me.”