By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday January 13, 2025
Though he didn’t come away with the victory on Monday night in Melbourne, 19-year-old American Nishesh Basavareddy made a significant impression on the big stage as he battled 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic across four tough sets inside Rod Laver Arena.
Djokovic himself, who was outplayed by the former Stanford standout for the first set and a half, came away with a glowing review of what he saw from the Southern California native.
“I was very impressed by him,” the 37-year-old Serbian said after notching a 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-2 triumph. “I think the whole stadium was really. That’s why he got a great round of applause and appreciation from the crowd. They saw what he did on the court, the quality of tennis he put in, the fighting spirit.”
Many are comparing Basavareddy’s style of play to Djokovic’s, due to the fact that the American has a very well-balanced game and excels at changing direction of the rallies and producing penetrating depth on his groundstrokes.
(The following is a comment on play style and technique, not a prediction of future results)Nishesh Basavareddy does the best Djokovic impression I’ve ever seen. Not close.
— Gill Gross 🍍 (@Gill_Gross) January 13, 2025
He also displayed extreme poise and mental toughness, not unlike Djokovic. After cramping at the end of the second set, Basavareddy kept his wits about him, saw the trainer and loaded up on fluids so that he could attempt to continue with the battle. He didn’t get the win but he certainly won a lot of respect for his effort.
Naomi Osaka, who was scheduled to play after the Djokovic – Basavareddy match, took notice as well.
Novak Djokovic reacts on Nishesh Basavareddy having his picture as his WhatsApp profile picture after their match at #AO2025 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/86XVo8By4b
— FirstSportz Tennis (@FS_Tennis1) January 13, 2025
“I was really impressed by [Basavareddy], the kid that Djokovic played,” she said. “I thought it was really cool how focused he was. Even though he cramped, he was still intent on playing the match.”
Djokovic says we can expect big things from the current World No.107.
“Huge credit to him for stepping out in his debut in a Grand Slam, first time on a big court, playing the way he did play,” he said. “So well done. I’m sure if he keeps going, as I said on the court, this way, he’s very young, we are going to see quite a bit of him in the future. He’s got really great hands. Overall quite a complete player. Of course, he can always improve the shots. He already has a really good game.”
