■18-year-old Sakamoto won this year's Australian Open Junior Championship and won the doubles title in the U.S. Open’s junior division. He announced his intention to turn professional before the start of the tournament and entered the qualifying rounds as a wild card (recommended by the organizer), but the result was bittersweet. Nardi is 21 years old and has a personal best ranking of 70. He is a rising star who participated in the NextGen ATP Finals last year, a competition for top players under the age of 21. The difference in ability and experience was clear. In addition, Sakamoto had to fight the nerves of his professional debut, and said, biting his lip, “ I was nervous and my mind was blank the entire time.''

■He was nervous because, “It's been my dream stage since I was little. I had high expectations for myself, and thought, if I won, there will be a lot of things that would come with it like being able to play one more match or getting ranking points, so I could not handle it.” He continued to reflect saying “you can't play well if you can’t calm down your excitement and nerves. I didn't have that balance.”

■Still, Sakamoto saw the experience as a blessing in disguise. "It was a nerve-wracking match on a big stage. It was clear that I wasn't up to the level of the tour. I think that was a positive outcome. I realized that my footwork and mental strength are not good enough for me to compete at this level.” It turns out that there is a lot of work to be done. It looks like the 18-year-old will take home something just as important as a win.