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<\/p>\n Player Features
\n After watching Federer & Djokovic as a kid, Nakashima in Indian Wells spotlight<\/p>\n
Nakashima discusses matchup with Zverev<\/p>\n
March 08, 2026<\/p>\n
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Luke Hales\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Brandon Nakashima is 0-5 against Alexander Zverev .
\n By Andrew Eichenholz<\/p>\n
California local Brandon Nakashima<\/a> remembers attending the BNP Paribas Open<\/a> as a kid, running around the grounds and sitting near the top of Stadium 1 to watch some of the best players in the world.<\/p>\n \u201cI watched Federer, Djokovic,\u201d Nakashima told ATPTour.com. \u201cI watched them play some great matches. Those are definitely some of the special memories for me here.\u201d<\/p>\n Now Nakashima is the one creating those memories for the kids in the stadium. The American will try to make a memorable one for the fans Sunday when he tries to upset two-time Nitto ATP Finals<\/a> champion Alexander Zverev<\/a> in the third round of the season\u2019s first ATP Masters 1000 event.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s obviously a tough matchup for me. He\u2019s beaten me every single time we\u2019ve played so far, so obviously I need to try something different to change that,\u201d said Nakashima, who is 0-5 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Zverev. \u201cBut it\u2019s going to be an exciting match for sure. It\u2019s the first time I\u2019ll be playing him in this tournament in front of the home fans, so that\u2019s something I\u2019ll feel a little more and I\u2019ll maybe be able to get some more energy from that.\u201d<\/p>\n Zverev has swept all of their previous meetings, but they have not been entirely one-sided affairs. At times, Nakashima has gained the upper hand, only for Zverev to find his game, spin his web to neutralise Nakashima\u2019s offense and surge to victory.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has a great serve, one of the best serves in the game right now. And I think overall from the baseline he\u2019s just super solid, doesn\u2019t have many holes,\u201d Nakashima said. \u201cIf I want to give myself opportunities or give myself a chance to win, I think I have to play my game and be able to take a little bit more risk out there, go for my shots and do what I do best.\u201d<\/p>\n There have been times in recent weeks when Nakashima has shown the game with which he climbed to a career-high No. 29 in the PIF ATP Rankings. In Acapulco, the American had control of his semi-final at the ATP 500 against Frances Tiafoe<\/a> before his countryman was able to shift the momentum.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m focusing on what I can control out there,\u201d Nakashima said. \u201cI think my serve is definitely one of my biggest assets in my game, it\u2019s something that I rely on a lot. And I think from the baseline, of course being super solid, but at the same time trying to be a little more aggressive out there, come to the net a little bit more and add a little bit of variety.\u201d<\/p>\n
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