“Since I started playing tennis at 3 years old, it’s been my dream to be a pro tennis player,” revealed an elated Nishesh Basavareddy last year ahead of his pro journey that he always aspired to live. Going into his first-ever Grand Slam, at the Australian Open in Melbourne this month, the 19-year-old teenage American sensation is ready to step into the big boys’ arena. But his skills seem to have already impressed several notable experts. Take for example ex-WTA pro Shelby Rogers. She thinks Basavareddy is a promising player to watch out for, ahead of his showdown against 10-time ‘AO King’ Novak Djokovic!

For the unversed, Basavareddy is a rising American ATP talent. In late 2024, he turned pro and even won two Challenger titles. Firstly, he won the Challenger Campaign at Tiburon California in early November. Later that month, he lifted the Challenger trophy at the Puerto Vallarta Open. He even qualified for the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah. There, however, he was eliminated in the round-robin stage. After breaking into the top 100, he succeeded in punching his way into his first Major appearance. In December, he made it to the wildcard list of the 2025 Australian Open.

On January 12, he will step on the court against 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. But according to former American player Shelby Rogers, Basavareddy should be able to shine and prove his mettle while playing against Djoker. She’s showing a lot of trust in the rising talent, based on her own experience of watching his encounters. “I’m such a fan of Basavareddy’s backhand and it’s no secret this week here at Tennis Channel, I’ve had the privilege of calling a couple of his matches,” Rogers said in an episode of the Tennis Channel Live podcast, dated January 10.

“And he is just so exciting to watch his composure on the court as well. But this is a massive moment,” she added while mentioning how big of an opportunity it will be for Nishesh to make his presence felt against the Serb maestro.

“It’s going to be a packed stadium. He gets a big crowd, a big moment. It is, you know, slam debut. I mean, he is making moves not only in the rankings but just in his experiences on tour so quickly,” Shelby concluded.

Speaking more of Basavareddy, he’s grown up watching and learning from his idols in tennis. No, they are not the ‘Big 3’, but young guns like – Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner and Alcaraz might be occupying the top two positions in the world rankings, but they are still at an early stage of their careers. Their massive achievements have made a big impact on the American youngster.

Not Novak Djokovic, but Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are Nishesh Basavareddy’s heroes

Alongside figures like Brandon Nakashima, and Juan Martin del Potro, Basavareddy is a huge fan of Sinner and Alcaraz. In fact, he’s been following the latter for a long time now. Alcaraz has been his favorite since the Challenger days in 2019 when the Spaniard faced Sinner. “It’s incredible how quickly he shot up,” Basavareddy recalled, last year while sharing the experience of watching Alcaraz and Sinner’s first-ever encounter at an ATP challenger event. “That was a pretty crazy match for a teenager,” he added.

But that match was just the start of what would turn out to be an incredible journey for Alcaraz. At just 21, the former World No.1 has raked in four Grand Slam titles. But Basavareddy’s favorite is Alvaraz’s win at 2023 Wimbledon. In that year’s final at the All England Club, the Spaniard beat Djokovic to reign supreme. “That one really sticks out,” said the American teenager.

Sinner, on the other hand, was the most dominating player on the tour last season. He claimed the top spot in the ATP rankings and won two major titles as well – the Australian Open and the US Open. Not to mention the victory at the ATP Finals in Turin before leading Italy to a historic Davis Cup win in Malaga.

Basavareddy will be taking inspiration from his idols as he’s set to make his own Major debut at the Australian Open. It will be intriguing to see how Nishesh fares against the 10-time champion Djokovic. Do you think he can give a tough fight to the Serb maestro?