He was a top-ranked national junior and ended his high school career as the #3 recruit in the country,[1] choosing to play for Billy Martin at UCLA.
During his tenure at UCLA, Thompson earned a BFA in creative writing with a minor in Film/TV, and during the entirety of his 2014 senior season, was the #1 ranked NCAA tennis player.
[4][5][6][7] Thompson enjoyed a brief career on the ATP Tour, reaching a high singles ranking of #408 in the world,[8] during which he amassed a cult following as a charismatic and fun player to watch.
[15] It was around this time that Thompson's talent was noticed and he was offered a contract to graduate high school early, forgo college and go straight onto the professional tour.
Citing his desire for a proper education, a career after tennis and also the social element of finishing his senior year of Crossroads, Thompson declined.
[16] Thompson had an immediate impact for the UCLA Bruins, slotting in at #3 singles his freshman year, where he led the team in dual match wins at 23–10.
He checked in at a high of #35 in the ITA singles rankings and was an integral part of the Bruins’ Final Four appearance at the 2012 NCAA Tournament and Pac-12 championship run.
Furious, Peter Smith protested the lineup and stated that in no world am I the number 1 player for UCLA and we only did it to stack and give Nick the best chance to beat Raymond.
Following a minor back injury, Thompson began the year at #5 singles and finished the season with a 22-4 overall singles record The Bruins had a strong year, winning both the PAC-12 regular season and tournament before going all the way to the NCAA Finals where they lost to Virginia, after having match points during the very famous “net touch” - when UCLA captain Adrien Puget thought he had won the championship for the Bruins before having the point called back due to his touching of the net with his foot.
“I realized how much tennis had done for me, put into perspective how privileged I am through this sport, and made me really honor it a lot more, and really take it seriously.”[20] Thompson's change in mindset inspired him to work harder than before over the summer.
[22] This string of wins started with the consolation draw at the All-American tournament, which booked him a trip to Flushing Meadows, NY and the ITA Fall National Championship.
Man, that memory is harrowing for me and I will never ever forget it.”[25] Returning from this trip, Thompson finished the remaining classes for his degree and graduated in Spring 2014 with a BFA in creative writing and a minor in film/television.
He received wildcards into ATP events including the Indian Wells Masters qualifying draw where he lost in the first round to 23rd seed Bobby Reynolds in straight sets and the only ATP main draw appearance of his career at the Hall of Fame Open where he lost in the first round to 6th seed Steve Johnson in straight sets.
[31] At the 2016 $100,000 USTA Challenger in Aptos, California, Thompson received a wildcard entry and won a round before losing to Bjorn Fratangelo 6–3, 7–5.
[33] During the course of this year, Thompson participated in a multitude of charity events[34] and gave many interviews discussing his interest in creating a healthier and more financially feasible pathway for young American tennis talents to transition to the pro tour.
[35] Thompson traveled with Gibbs as a trial run for the end of her 2017 season and then in 2018 accompanied her to the Shenzhen Open where she fell to world #1 Simona Halep 6–4, 6–1.