LAVER CUP

September 25, 2026

Brandon Nakashima

Patrick Rafter

O2 Arena

Team World

Press Conference

B. NAKASHIMA/J. Mensik

6-1, 3-6, 10-7

Team Europe - 1

Team World - 1

THE MODERATOR: Welcome, Brandon, Pat. Congratulations. A great win out there and the first point on the board to even the score.

Brandon, would you just tell us how that felt.

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah, it felt amazing out there. First of all, playing in front of the London crowd was amazing, almost a full stadium, and then, you know, being able to go out there and put a point on the board for the team and for the guys, you know, is an unbelievable experience for me.

Yeah, really happy with it.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Congratulations, Brandon. In the third set from 6-All, you won four out of the next five points. Can you explain how you locked in to secure the victory?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah, I mean, I was trying not to think about it too much. Obviously there was some nerves in that third-set breaker, but tried to just, you know, focus on what I needed to do out there, focus on, you know, what I do best, and just try to fight for every point.

Yeah, I was really happy about that and really grateful for Andre and Pat and all the guys on the team for their support, especially in the beginning or before the third-set breaker started.

Q. What kind of advice were Andre and Pat giving you, both during the first match of the session and then during your actual match?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah, I mean, I'm not too sure about the first match, Cerundolo's match, but during my match, I came out of the gate pretty solid, got off an early break. You know, they were kind of just telling me to keep hitting through my shots, keep kind of doing the same patterns as I was doing.

And then, eventually when Mensik was raising his level, just to try and stay solid, know that especially in the third-set breaker, his ball speed was going to go down a little bit, obviously because of some nerves, but just to keep fighting for every point, trusting my game out there. Obviously having their advice all the time has really been great.

Q. Brandon, congratulations on your win. Yesterday you said the call-up was a bit unexpected. Can you give us a bit of insight into how that happened? Did Ben give you a good-luck message? Where were you? Were you on holiday? What was the turnaround from getting the call-up to being here?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: No, I was actually back home in Florida, was kind of just doing a week of training with my coaches there. My agent called me, said that you got a spot on the team, and if you want to play, they would love to have you.

Obviously it was not much to think about. It was a quick yes from me, super excited about it, and really happy just to be a part of the team and be part of this event, as well.

Yeah, super, super excited to be here. Yeah, it's been a lot of fun so far.

Q. Congratulations to both of you. Pat, for you, what was it like being out there for the first two matches, which were so close? Can you talk about that and what you and Andre were saying to each other?

VICE CAPTAIN PATRICK RAFTER: Yeah, well, the tensions obviously are a lot more on the side of the court because you've got no control over it.

Sitting through the first one, was pretty deflated, but that's the nature of the game. And Andre came and said, We're going to have these roller coasters throughout the whole next three days.

Then, watching Nak go out there, I just said, Mate, just try and lock in the first few games.

He did it absolutely perfectly, and Jakub was a little bit tight to start off with. He took full advantage of it. You could just see the turn, and Jakub just started releasing, started looking really ominous.

The way to see Brandon just turn it around at the end of that second set, you could see he put a couple of good games together. I went, Okay, he's back in this, because all the momentum was with Jakub. He was starting to strike the ball very hard, was hitting it well.

Then just seeing his last service game before the tiebreaker and then the way he served and timed the ball through the tiebreaker, very, very proud of him. Very happy for him.

I don't really know Brandon, either, so I've got to be careful how much information I give him. I could give him an overload of information. So it's a fine line between -- I mean, I think the guy's, he's so dialed in, and I'm pretty sure he's reading the play, as well. I'm going, Hang on, is he actually seeing this sort of thing happening, these patterns?

I think he is. But he just sort of goes about his business. He's just one of those professionals that doesn't need that much information, by the looks of him. Probably the best thing for Andre and I to do is just shut up.

Q. Brandon, you sat out there for the whole of the first match after experiencing the opening ceremony. What was going through your mind as you were watching Cerundolo and thinking, I'm next?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah, I mean, just trying to get used to all the conditions and get used to that experience out there. I was lucky that he was able to take the court first so I could kind of get used to the crowd and the team atmosphere and everything, sitting on the bench.

You know, watching that match, being able to sit on the bench next to the rest of the team and kind of hearing their thoughts on the match, as well, definitely gave me a lot of insights.

Then going into my match, obviously was a little bit nervous, given my first-ever match at Laver Cup, first match with the team.

But, no, I was really confident in all the guys. I knew that if I needed help or I needed some support, they were going to give it to me. Yeah, I think it definitely helped, especially after the second set, you know, hearing their thoughts and getting me ready for the third-set breaker.

Q. Congrats, Brandon. I imagine these are the type of environments, these situations, that you might have dreamed of as a kid, picturing these intense matches. Just talk about the kind of stuff you imagined when you were first getting into the sport.

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: Yeah, you know, when I first turned professional or when I was growing up, the goal is always to play at a high, professional level, compete with all the top guys in the world, and to be able to be a part of this event where, you know, so many legends have played and is a part of, you know, it's incredibly fulfilling for me.

Yeah, just super excited to be here and, you know, to be around all the tennis greats like Andre, Pat, even the top guys now, it's a real great experience for me.

Q. Well done. You have been on the tour for a few years plugging away, but it feels these past few months you've made a real significant breakthrough. What's been the difference? Has it been something in the way you have approached the sport or your game has changed in a certain way? What do you think?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: I mean, I've always felt that I had the game to play at the highest level, to compete with all the top guys. I think the most recent thing, especially before the hard court summer swing, was kind of the change in mentality, I think going out there, obviously competing really well but at the same time, you know, enjoying the moments and just really trusting my game when, you know, it really matters most when it comes down to those pressure situations, to just feel very confident and really just trust my game and know what I'm capable of.

I have, you know, all my team back home to thank for that. I think they've definitely instilled that in me the last few months, and I think that's one part of, you know, all the results that we've been having.

Q. Being new to this event, what has surprised you the most about it?

BRANDON NAKASHIMA: I think just the whole team atmosphere. You know, being on the tour, you know, we don't get to spend a lot of time together outside of the court, outside of the tournaments.

So it's great to just, you know, get to know all these guys well that you're traveling around the world, competing against. To be able to hear their thoughts and their insights on the matches or different players or their strategy, I think it's great for me to hear all that. You know, it's just great to be a part of a team.