Who is Nishesh Basavareddy? All you need to know about 19-year-old Indian origin tennis sensation

Nishesh Basavareddy gave a big scare to Novak Djokovic in the first round of the Australian Open 2025.

Nishesh Basavareddy made his Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open 2025, directly making it to the main draws after a phenomenal 2024. However, the American faced a challenging first round against 10-time Australian Open champion, Novak Djokovic.

The 19-year-old impressed in his maiden stint at the iconic Rod Laver Arena as he made the Serbian toil hard, even taking the first set to stun the crowd and the 25-time Grand Slam winner. However, Djokovic struck back in the second set, and fatigue got to the youngster who seemed to struggle with an injury at the end of the second set.

Also Read: Top 10 players who have withdrawn from Australian Open 2025

Once, Djokovic seemed to find his rhythm, it was game over for Nishesh Basavareddy, who bowed out of the marquee event, with the Serbian claiming the match 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-2, to keep his hopes of a 100th career title alive. Although the 36-year-old won, it was the young sensation of Indian origin who won everyone’s heart.

19-year-old Indian origin Nishesh Basavareddy give his best against Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open 2025, but in the end he had to face defeat 🙌Score: 6-4 3-6 4-6 2-6#Tennis #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/Q6s9iHBeq0

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) January 13, 2025

All you need to know about Nishesh Basavareddy

Nishesh Basavareddy is a 19-year-old American tennis player, of Indian heritage. His parents moved from Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, to San Francisco in 1999. Basavareddy was born in Newport Beach, California. His family shifted to central Indiana when he was just eight years old.

At a tennis camp led by their mutual coach Bryan Smith, Basavareddy met former World Number One doubles player and American sporting icon, Rajeev Ram, who has similarities with Basavareddy. Since then, Rajeev Ram has been a mentor for the youngster.

At the junior level, the 19-year-old achieved a career-high ranking of No. 3. He won the boys’ doubles title at the 2022 Junior US Open alongside compatriot Ozan Baris. Despite undergoing two knee surgeries in 2016 and 2018, the American made a strong comeback.

Also Read: Novak Djokovic backs Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz to break his records

In 2024, Basavareddy clinched Challenger titles in Puerto Vallarta and Tiburon and finished runner-up at four other events. His performance earned him a spot at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah, where he secured his maiden tour-level win by defeating China’s Juncheng Shang in the group stage.

The youngster officially announced his decision to turn pro on social media ahead of the Jeddah competition. His remarkable improvement last season was marked by a meteoric rise in the ATP rankings, climbing from 457 at the start of the year to finish at 138.

The American began the 2025 calendar year on a high by qualifying for the main draws at Brisbane International and Auckland Open. In New Zealand, he became the youngest American to reach a tour-level hardcourt semifinal Reilly Opelka in 2016. He went down in the semifinals to eventual champion, Gael Monfils.

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