Catching up with Yoshihito Nishioka

IMG Academy‘s Yoshihito Nishioka has trained with the IMG Academy Bollettieri Tennis program since he was 14 years of age. He came to Bradenton, Fla. from Mie, Japan with the goal of representing his country among the ranks of elite professional tennis — a path already realized by his fellow countryman and IMG Academy trainee, Kei Nishikori from Matsue, Shimane, Japan, who currently ranks 17th in the world.

‘Yoshi,’ as he is known around campus, trains daily with his coaches Jose Lambert and Glenn Weiner, and has seen his star rise considerably in the past several months. He made the jump from amateur to professional status in February this year, and has already risen 106 spots in the rankings to 687th in the world. Yoshi qualified for the 2012 U.S. Open Juniors tournament and advanced all the way to the semi-finals. His tournament came to an end against eventual U.S. Open Junior champion, 18-year old Filip Peliwo of Canada (584th ATP). Next, he set off to Manzanillo, Mexico to play in the Mexico F11 Futures $10k tournament, where he advanced to the finals match, falling to Darian King (Barbados, 501st ATP).

Recently, Yoshi returned to IMG Academy and we were able to catch up with him to get his thoughts on playing at the U.S. Open, his training and more…

On playing in the 2012 U.S. Open…

“I played last year in the U.S. Open. Last year, I did not play very well. So this year, I went there to win. I was a little bit nervous, because everyone there were good, big players. In the first round, I played against a wild card guy from the U.S. [Ronnie Schneider], and he was very good. I tried to play consistent, and do that in every match. Everybody there was ranked, or ranked higher than me, so I had to make every ball. I thought I did very good.”

On his finals appearance in Mexico…

“I was so tired when I played in the first round. After the U.S. Open, it was tough, and Mexico is so hot. So I did what I could to recover my body, because I wanted to win. In the first round, I had to play Gianluigi Quinzi again, who I beat in the quarterfinals at the Open. I was feeling good after winning the final set 6-1. I was moving well – feeling healthy – so I tried to play the same way in all the matches.”

On playing alongside the pros at IMG Academy…

“If I practiced in Japan, I can’t play against the big, huge players with the big forehand. You just can’t practice that at home. In Japan, the players are smaller, there are some big players, but not many. But here, everybody has a big forehand and a big serve. So it’s good for me in practice. The [Athletic and Personal Development], too, because it has a big gym with everything I need. So it’s good for me on- and off-the-court.”

On other players he looks up to…

“I don’t really look up to anyone in particular, I’m just focused on my own game. Although, I have a deep respect for Kei Nishikori … I get to train with him sometimes, too.”

On why he chose IMG Academy…

“It has great facilities, strong players to practice with and I have to get better in English. If I train and study in the U.S., I can go to a tournament anywhere. Also, the location is better. If I had stayed in Japan, I would have to cross the ocean every time I played in a tournament. I would have to take a plane, and everything is far. So it’s easier to compete in tournaments just being here.”

On what he is working on the get to the next level…

“I need to practice hard on my serve. My serve is weaker than some other players. I am also working on placing the ball a little better with my forehand. I am trying to get more aggressive, while lowering my mistakes.”

On the biggest culture shock coming from Japan to the United States…

“The language barrier. It was my first time experiencing English. I can speak a little bit better now, but I started at zero. I moved here when I was 14, so I have only been learning the language for three years … I am a little shy. So it’s hard sometimes to go ‘Hey, what’s up?’ It’s scary sometimes because I’m nervous about my English, but I do have some great friends here, so it’s okay.”

On what he likes to do for fun…

“I love to sleep in. Although sometimes I will go to the mall to shop for clothes. So if I am not training, I love to relax. I also like videogames. I have the Sony PSP. Right now, I’m playing Monster Hunters a lot. It’s my favorite game at the moment.”