Meet Nishesh Basavareddy: The Indian-American prodigy challenging Novak Djokovic

Dubai: Former world No. 1 Novak Djokovic is aiming for his 11th Australian Open crown after enduring a barren Grand Slam run last year. Standing in his way in the first round is American teenager of Indian origin, Nishesh Basavareddy.

The 19-year-old American, whose parents moved to San Francisco from Nellore in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh in 1999, turned professional after a stellar 2024 season on the ATP Challenger Tour. Basavareddy, who spent two years at Stanford University, claimed two Challenger titles and reached four additional finals at that level last season. He compiled an impressive 41-13 match record, becoming just the third American in Challenger history (since 1978) to secure more than 40 wins in a single season.

Born in Newport Beach, California, Basavareddy achieved a career-high world No. 133 on January 6. His strong form continued on the ATP Tour, where he reached the semi-finals of the Auckland Classic on Thursday.

Basavareddy defeated fellow American Alex Michelsen 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 to become the youngest American to reach a tour-level semi-final on hard courts since Reilly Opelka in 2016 (Atlanta).

Last month, Basavareddy fell to Michelsen during the round-robin stage of the Next Gen ATP Finals in Saudi Arabia, but he showed resilience in Auckland. The teenager’s aggressive returning and clean ball-striking proved decisive as he advanced after one hour and 42 minutes. He won 52% of second-serve return points, compared to eighth-seeded Michelsen’s 33%, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“I didn’t serve great in the first set and he served really well, so it got away from me quickly. But I made some adjustments, and I’m happy that I turned it around,” Basavareddy said. “It means a lot. This is one of my first ATP Tour events, and to make a deep run gives me a lot of confidence going forward.”

The American qualifier defeated second-seeded and defending champion Alejandro Tabilo of Chile in the second round and has set up a semi-final clash with veteran Frenchman Gael Monfils.

Basavareddy, who has risen to No. 106 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, will be keen to avenge his recent loss to Monfils in Brisbane’s first round—their first head-to-head encounter. A victory against Monfils will give Basavareddy the confidence to face Djokovic, who is intent on securing his place in tennis history by extending the dominance of the Big Four.