Harry Styles Fan Nakashima Talks Dinner Guests & Engineering

#NextGenATP American Brandon Nakashima will aim to reach the title match at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals Friday when he plays Jack Draper.

The 21-year-old, who lifted his maiden tour-level trophy in his home city of San Diego in September, soared through the Green Group in Milan, holding a 3-0 record. Ahead of his blockbuster clash against British lefty Draper, Nakashima caught up with ATPTour.com to discuss his interest in engineering, admiration for Tom Brady and more.

[ATP APP]

If you weren’t a tennis player, what job would you want and why?
If I wasn't a tennis player, I would probably have a job in computer science or engineering.

Those were always my favourite subjects in school when I was younger. I would say something along those lines. I'm still interested in it now. I try to still keep on track with those subjects and just try to learn stuff every day.

If you could have dinner with three people, who would they be and why?
I have to say other sports athletes. I think Tom Brady would be cool to sit down with. Roger Federer would be cool to sit down with. I have never met him. I like golf a lot, so also Tiger [Woods]. I think [it would be fun to learn] about how they are and how they go about their daily lives.

I'm always interested in other sports, how similar and how different it is in training or during competition. That's something I would try to learn from.

Describe your perfect day if you are not playing tennis?
I think during the day I would go to a beach and walk around a little bit. Then have a nice dinner. Nothing too crazy, just relax, chill, have some walks and just try to enjoy my time.

Who has had the greatest impact on your life and why?
I would have to say both my parents. I can't choose one of them. They have made a tremendous impact on my life. They've sacrificed a lot for me, especially at a young age, to give me this opportunity to pursue my passion in tennis. I'm always thankful for everything they've done.

They're always giving me good advice when I need it. I'm always super thankful whenever I'm around them and when I get to spend quality time as a family.

What is the most interesting thing you have ever done in your life?
I think the most interesting for me would probably have to be this past summer in New York where I went to a concert for the first time. I went to see what the music industry is like and how other celebrities and other professionals do their work. So it was pretty interesting to see. I saw Harry Styles in New York with my girlfriend. It was fun.