Indian-American Nishesh Basavareddy, who challenged Novak Djokovic in Melbourne, gears up for US Open debut

Nishesh Basavareddy will step on the hallowed courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center next week to make his US Open main draw debut as a local wildcard.

However, whether that experience turns out to be at the same level as what transpired in Melbourne eight months ago remains to be seen. Basavareddy, awarded a wildcard at the Australian Open too, had 24-time Major winner Novak Djokovic on the other side of the net as he made his Grand Slam main draw debut.

Despite the daunting task of taking on his idol, the 5’11” youngster impressed the Rod Laver Arena crowd and even bagged the opening set. But the experienced Serbian eventually taught him a valuable lesson in the class of best-of-five-sets tennis.

“When I was rewatching the match, I saw a stat midway through the second set. I’d covered twice as much distance as him. That shows that he was moving me along and playing pretty aggressively and even though I was winning, he was making me feel it in my legs as well. In the middle of the second set, I started cramping up a little bit for a couple of games. I was able to recover fine for the third and fourth sets, but he definitely did a good job,” Basavareddy told Sportstar, reminiscing his 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 first-round loss to the 10-time Australian Open champion.

As a local wildcard, World No. 109 Basavareddy will enjoy the support of the American fans in New York. But the passionate Indian diaspora will also get behind one of their own – his parents moved from Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, to the U.S. in 1999 due to his father’s job. Six years later, he was born in Newport Beach, California. Watching his father and older brother play tennis recreationally at a local park encouraged the then five-year-old to pick up a racquet himself.

“I liked the individuality of the sport,” he said.

When he was eight years old, the family shifted to Carmel, Indiana. At a tennis camp led by their mutual coach Bryan Smith, Basavareddy connected with former doubles No. 1 and Indiana-native Rajeev Ram. Ram has been a mentor since then and was also present courtside during his battle with Djokovic.

On the junior circuit, he achieved a career high ranking of three and even won the junior US Open men’s doubles titles in 2022. But the journey to those milestones was painful as he had to endure three knee injuries.

“The first knee injury happened when I was 11. It came out of nowhere. I was playing a tournament when my kneecap dislocated and a part of my cartilage tore off. I was out for around six-seven months with that one,” said Basavareddy.

“Two years later, I tore my meniscus again and had two meniscus repairs after that. Both kept me out for a little over a year. Stopping and starting in juniors is never easy when a lot of your friends are playing tennis and you’re still developing and improving.

“But I was able to keep myself engaged mentally by sitting on a stool and hitting in tennis practice or lifting weights and doing other different things to get stronger.”

That mental strength reflected in how Basavareddy made the transition to the senior circuit. In 2024, he clinched two titles on the ATP Challenger Tour, the second tier of men’s tennis. He also finished runner-up at four tournaments at the same level.

The magnitude of his results helped him secure a spot at the Next Gen ATP Finals, a competition for top players aged 20 or younger, in Jeddah where the field included fellow Americans Learner Tien and Alex Michelsen, Frenchmen Arthur Fils and Luca Van Assche, China’s Juncheng Shang, Czechia’s Jakub Mensik and Brazil’s Joao Fonseca (eventual champion).

“Playing at the Next Gen Finals was really cool. That was the first big event of my career. I remember telling my coach that this is a really good group. I thought a lot of them would do well but maybe, I didn’t expect all of us to have such great results to start the year on the main tour,” said Basavareddy.

Barring Van Assche and Shang, the rest have proven him right. Fils, Michelsen and Mensik are already in Top 30 in the ATP Rankings. Mensik won the Miami Open, a Masters 1000 event, by defeating Djokovic in the final. Fonseca, the youngest of the lot, clinched his maiden tour-level title at the Argentina Open. Tien is on the verge of breaking into the Top 50.

When it comes to Basavareddy himself, at least the beginning of the season was promising. He qualified for the main draws of the ATP 250 events in Brisbane and Auckland before losing to wily Gael Monfils both times. In New Zealand, he became the youngest American to reach a tour-level hardcourt semifinal since 18-year-old Reilly Opelka in 2016.

But for his next main draw win on the tour, he had to wait for six months. He briefly stayed in Top 100 but missed the cut-off for the US Open and hence, needed a wildcard.

The final Major of the season offers Basavareddy another opportunity to bridge the gap between him and most of his opponents from Next Gen ATP Finals. Getting his maiden Masters 1000 win at the Cincinnati Open should also act as a boost for Flushing Meadows.

If he draws another top star like Djokovic in the first round in New York, he is likely to play that match inside the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium. There, he won’t have to search for inspiration. “Pressure is a privilege,” a quote by the legendary Billie Jean King, will welcome him as he’ll make his way to the court.