American Rising Star Likened To Novak Djokovic Aspires Of Claiming Number One Spot

The success Novak Djokovic has attained is something American teenage sensation Brandon Nakashima is looking forward to in his early young career. The manner of how Djokovic plays on the court throughout the years serves as the golden standard for several young players to aim for in the professional tour.

The 18-year-old was off to a strong start in the US Open as he kicked off with a win against 38-year-old Paolo Lorenzi. The young star showed a variety of moves and a focused demeanor that propelled him to a three-set win, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6.

With aspirations to go deeper in his career, Nakashima shared that he wants to be on top of the tennis world.

“I’ve always wanted to be No. 1 in the world and win a Grand Slam,” Nakashima said by way of ATP.

The potential is evident in Nakashima’s game as his Serbian coach Dusan Vemic often compares him to Djokovic.

“It’s just a matter of developing my game during this time and just trying to get more experiences like this under my belt and we’ll see how it goes from here,” Nakashima continued.

The success that the world number one Djokovic has achieved is often included in the greatest of all-time debate. Currently, as the world’s top player, Djokovic has constantly steamrolled through his opponents.

During the Southern & Western tune-up tournament, Nakashima was able to share the court with Djokovic.

“He’s a good guy. He’s definitely funny at times, especially on the court when he’s not hitting. He’s always laughing, having a good time,” Nakashima recalled.

With the amount of time rallying with the 17-time Grand Slam winner, Nakashima was able to gain insights and a better perspective of the game.

“But when it comes to practicing and hitting on the court, he’s definitely locked in, all down to business, so it’s great to see that,” Nakashima shared.

The next challenge Nakashima faced was the number five seed Alexander Zverev. Despite losing against the high-level opponent, the American was still able to put up a fight in four sets, 5-7, 7-6, 3-6, 1-6.

“I knew it was going to be tough no matter who I played here, but I always knew I had a good game to compete with these guys,” Nakashima shared as he’s ready to improve moving forward.