Who is Nishesh Basavareddy? Carmel grad to face Novak Djokovic in Australian Open first round

Posted by Admin January 12, 2025 Tennis

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Most likely while you’re sleeping, a Carmel High School graduate will be facing one of the greatest tennis players of all-time halfway across the world.

And no, it’s not Rajeev Ram this time.

Carmel grad Nishesh Basavareddy faces 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic at 3 a.m. Monday in the first round of the Australian Open.

Who is Nishesh Basavareddy?

Basavareddy and his family moved from California to Central Indiana when he was 8.

The 19-year-old Basavareddy was ranked the No. 4 recruit in the 2022 class, per Tennis Recruiting, and picked perennial power Stanford.

After earning second-team All-Pac-12 as a freshman in 2023, Basavareddy was named Pac-12 singles player of the year in 2024. A two-time All-American, Basavareddy turned pro in December after dominating on the ATP Challenger Tour (41-13 record).

In the buildup to the Australian Open, Basavareddy advanced to the semifinals of the Auckland 250, before losing to French veteran Gael Monfils.

Nishesh Basavareddy gets help from Rajeev Ram

Basavareddy and fellow Carmel grad Rajeev Ram met at a tennis camp ran by their mutual coach Bryan Smith.

“We’ve formed a pretty neat bond as two kids from this town, both of Indian American heritage, trying to make it in professional tennis,” Ram told WTHR this August.

“I’ve practiced with (Nishesh) probably as much as I’ve practiced with anybody in my life back home,” Ram told ATPTour.com. “He’s been a good enough player since he was about 13 or 14 for me to hit with.”

A 2000 Carmel graduate, Ram has 31 career men’s doubles titles in his career, with six Grand Slam titles (four in men’s, two in mixed).

“(Rajeev) has been super important for my growth because he played junior tennis, college tennis and made that leap to pro tennis after leaving the University of Illinois,” Basavareddy told ATPTour.com. “I think having all of his advice, what to expect on the pro tour, and the tennis advice has been huge for me.”

Nishesh Basavareddy plays vs. his idol Novak Djokovic

“I admire a lot of things in his game,” Basavareddy told ATPTour.com in October. “I think first, just his mental strength and all the toughness he has in every moment in his career. Also how he has left no stone unturned throughout his career. He’s worked on his diet, he’s worked on his physical strength, mental toughness. He has no holes.”

Nishesh Basavareddy and Andrew Luck lunch dates

Basavareddy has a big fan in another former Stanford product with ties to Indianapolis: former Colts QB Andrew Luck.

“I know him relatively well. I had lunch with him twice last year, so that was pretty cool,” Basavareddy told ATPTour.com. “He’s a super humble, down to earth guy. At one point in his career, when he was playing for the Colts, he lived five minutes from where I live. I think that’s a pretty cool thing that we share.”