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Tennis players Brandon Nakashima, Marcos Giron, James Blake, and Zachary Svajda recently participated in an exhibition event to raise funds for Nakashima's childhood friend Ivan Smith.
Smith and Nakashima competed together regularly as juniors and developed a strong friendship over the years. On April 5, Smith was involved in a horrific accident when his car was hit by an unlicensed 18-year-old driver.
When the tragedy occurred, he was on his way to his team's practice session, where they were preparing for matches against Rice University and Texas A&M. Smith had to undergo surgery to restore his spine with 16 screws; his ribs and lungs were fractured, both clavicle bones were broken, and his spinal cord was severely damaged.
Brandon Nakashima took to Instagram to thank his fellow tennis players for showing up to support Smith and urged others to donate money for his friend's medical expenses.
"Thank you to everyone who came out to support my good childhood friend Ivan Smith yesterday, who unfortunately was in a horrible accident and requires expensive and intense medical care. This giving season, if you’d like to help, please consider donating to his GoFundMe. I enjoyed being part of this exhibition fundraiser with Marcos, Zach, and James," Nakashima wrote.
"I think it's a great achievement" - Brandon Nakashima on winning the 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals
Brandon Nakashima defeated Jiri Lehecka 4-3(5), 4-3(6), 4-2 to win the 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals. Nakashima won all five of his matches in the season-ending tournament.
In a post-match press conference, the American stated that it was a "great achievement" and that he would continue to work hard.
"I think it's a great achievement. I'm just going to keep working hard and look forward to next year," Nakashima said.
The 21-year-old also reflected on his 2022 season, saying:
"I think it's been a great season for me. I've definitely learned a lot with every match, with every tournament. Of course at the beginning of the year I had some goals. To win my first ATP title and to be able to do it in San Diego was super special a couple months ago. To finish off the year here winning the title at Next Gen is super special."
"I think the whole year for me has been very consistent. I've had such great memories both on and off the court. I'm super thankful for everyone that's been a part of it."
