HSBC CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 19, 2026

Brandon Nakashima

Queens Club

Press Conference

B. NAKASHIMA/A. de Minaur

7-5, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Congrats, Brandon. Into a first semifinal at Queen's. How does that feel?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah, it feels great. You know, this is definitely one of my favorite tournaments throughout the year, so to be able to do well and have good results here, I'm super happy about.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Coincidentally, two years ago you broke into the top 50 because of your grass performance, including here. What is it about this tournament or this surface that makes you play so well?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah, well, first of all, this surface, I think my game suits the grass pretty well. I'm able to adapt pretty quickly with the footwork and the timing and everything.

Just this tournament in general, I mean, I feel very comfortable here. Obviously London is one of my favorite cities in the world, so yeah, just overall great feelings here.

Q. Great performance. In general, this is one of the biggest wins of your career in terms of ranking. Aside from the surface, why has it come now? What has been the buildup to a result like this for you?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah, I think, first of all, it's just consistency throughout the last few years. Obviously hadn't had any major results or anything or wins against top players, but I feel like I have been pretty consistent, you know, with my tennis, being able to, you know, make some deep runs at some tournaments.

You know, I put a lot of hard work on the practice court and the gym, so, you know, wins like this, you know, makes it feel all worth it.

Q. Did it always feel like a result like this was coming if you just kept on continuing?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah, for sure. I mean, you know, at this level, you know, I feel like anyone can beat anyone on any given day. So, yeah, I felt like, you know, eventually at some point my time was coming.

Q. What do you think made the difference today with Alex? Going into this match, head-to-head was 1-All between the two of you. Anything specific that you feel got you across the line this time?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah, I mean, going into the match against him, you know you're going to have to work for every point. You know you're going to have to kind of dig out some long rallies.

Today, there was quite a few long rallies, especially, you know, in the first set. You know, I just tried to stay patient, you know, focus on what I do best, which is, you know, serving and, you know, being aggressive about the first ball. I think, also today, I think I returned really well, too.

Q. There is a lot of golf on your Instagram. What is the origin and when did you start playing?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Golf?

Q. Yeah. How much do you play?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: I mean, I have always kind of played since I was 14, 15 years old, kind of as a hobby, but I kind of got more, you know, more into it pretty much the last year or so.

You know, any time when I can play on a day off, you know, it's always nice and relaxing. I feel like most tennis players, they have a pretty good golf swing, as well. It comes pretty naturally for them.

Q. You have also become a YouTuber recently, right? What's that been like? I like the content. I have enjoyed it.

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah, my agent and my team has kind of made me into the more influencer and YouTuber, which I think is good for my brand. You know, nowadays, you know, playing tennis and, you know, doing well out there on the court is one thing, but also kind of building your brand and showing people what you're kind of like off the court I think is pretty important, especially for sponsors and showing yourself a little bit more.

Yeah, it's been fun, you know, trying to do some different things outside the court and kind of show the fans, you know, what it's like outside the court, because they always see what's on the court, as well.

Q. Does that come natural to you, then? How do you feel about doing it?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Of course there are some awkward moments, but as you get used to it more, you become a little more natural, you know, in front of the camera and kind of in that space, as well.

Q. In general, after a result like this, what do you think you're capable of in tennis? What are your goals?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah, I mean, my goals and what I'm capable of, I have always thought that I can compete against all the top players in the world. You know, I have won an ATP title in the past, but, you know, to get to that next level is to do better at these higher-level tournaments.

I feel like I have the game for it, so yeah, it's just a matter of, you know, keep working on my game, and eventually or hopefully I'll be able to win another title.

Q. Who are you working with here? Who have you been traveling with?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah, so this week I actually started with Wayne Ferreira. Yeah, this is the first week we have spent together, actually. It's been working out pretty well.

You know, obviously he's a great guy. Had an amazing career. It's nice to have his experience and his expertise in the corner.

Q. How long was that in the works? What are your first impressions of Wayne?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah, obviously it's still kind of the beginning stages right now, so we're still getting to know each other, getting a feel for each other, but yeah, he's been great so far. I have definitely, you know, learned a lot from him. Appreciate him being here.

Yeah, for right now, we're planning to work together till the end of the year to see how it goes, and yeah, hopefully we'll continue to have success together.