The young American Nishesh Basavareddy will remember his Major debut for good! The 19-year-old will face the ten-time Australian Open champion, Novak Djokovic, at Rod Laver are in the first round in Melbourne.
The Newport Beach native with Indian origins conquered the USTA Australian Open Wild Card Challenge following three notable Challenger results. Thus, he punched his Australian Open ticket and arranged the battle against the greatest player of all time.
Basavareddy experienced deep runs in Charlottesville, Knoxville and Champaign. The youngster lost two finals and added another semi-final to his tally to win the Challenge and prepare for his first trip to Australia.
Nishesh Basavareddy, Auckland 2025© Stream screenshot
Nishesh knows the vibes from the notable scene, traveling to the 2023 ATP Finals and practicing with Carlos Alcaraz and other players from the top. He gathered experienced and used it nicely in 2024, passing 320 rivals on the ATP ranking list.
Basavareddy is the former Stanford University star. He finished 12th in the ITA singles ranking in May last year, earning the Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year award! Feeling confident about his game, a teenager turned his focus to professional events.
He made the right call, displaying his A-game during summer and challenging the more experienced rivals. Nishesh reached the semi-final at the Little Rock Challenger in June and cracked the top-400.
Nishesh Basavareddy, Stanford University© Stream screenshot
A month later, he reached the final in Bloomfield Hills and finished runner-up. Basavareddy made his first trip to the US Open in August, passing two qualifying rounds before falling to Hamad Medjedovic, missing the main draw.
The American returned to Challengers and battled in Columbus, Charleston and Tiburon. He made an impressive progress and clinched his first Challenger trophy in Tiburon. It came at a perfect time, with the USTA Australian Open Wild Card Challenge waiting around the corner.
Nishesh lost early in Sioux Falls and raised his level. He fought for the title in Charlottesville and reached the semi-final in Knoxville for more valuable points. Basavareddy entered his sixth Challenger final in Champaign and experienced the fifth defeat!
Stanford University© Stream screenshot
However, he did enough to top the standings and secure the Australian Open wild card a couple of months after ending his College career! Nishesh gathered more experience in the opening two weeks of the new season.
The 19-year-old fell to Gael Monfils in the first round in Brisbane and achieved a notable result this week in Auckland. The young gun notched his first ATP semi-final, facing Monfils again and losing after a rock-solid battle.
Next week, Basavareddy will play his first match at Majors against Novak Djokovic at Rod Laver Arena, crowning his recent progress and earning a chance to experience the vibes of the most notable tennis scene. What should we expect from the 19-year-old?
Well, to give everything and challenge the greatest player of all time without pressure.
Tennis World USA