Nishesh Basavareddy, a name that is making waves in the tennis world! This 19-year-old prodigy from America has been grabbing headlines recently. In the 2024 season, he ended on a high note by clinching two ATP Challenger Tour titles and reaching three more finals since October. His remarkable performance earned him a place at the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals, which is set to take place later this month. Becoming a professional tennis player was a dream for him, and now that dream has become a reality.

Meeting the Swiss Maestro

Earlier this year, Basavareddy had the incredible opportunity to meet the legendary Roger Federer. What advice did Federer offer to this young tennis sensation during his visit to Stanford? Basavareddy spent two years at Stanford University, where he achieved remarkable feats. He was a two-time ITA All-American and qualified for the ATP Next Gen Accelerator in both seasons. Born in Newport Beach, California, his family moved to central Indiana when he was just 8 years old. When discussing his dream of becoming a pro, Nishesh Basavareddy expressed, "Since I started playing tennis at three years old, it has been my dream to be a pro tennis player. Thanks to the support of my friends, family, coaches, Stanford family, and the USTA, I can fulfill my childhood dream."

Experiencing with Roger Federer

Recently, the young talent appeared on The Changeover Podcast and shared some wisdom he learned from Roger Federer during their previous meeting. In March this year, Federer made a surprise visit to Stanford University. He came to watch their match against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and even hit some balls on the court. After that, he joined the Cardinal for a private dinner. Speaking about this experience, Basavareddy said, "It's super cool hitting with anyone of that caliber. I think that's probably the best player I've ever hit with."During their discussion, Basavareddy revealed, "We were joking around that none of us blinked for 10 minutes." But what exactly did he say at that time? What advice did he give to these youngsters? Well, on the podcast, he said, "We got lucky enough that Roger came to visit us when we were at Stanford...and we were asking him about what he did for fitness like later in his career. He said that he didn't go above like 20 lbs. Like if he's going Bulgarian split squats, he'll just be holding both and just doing it and a lot of it was like bodyweight plyo stuff like that."However, he further added, "But when he (Federer) was younger, obviously he probably did the same stuff that we all do until the weights and getting a base. But then at the end of his career, he was just focusing a lot on core stability, movement, things like that." So, Nishesh Basavareddy has experienced multiple dreams in a short span. Can he achieve a historic feat at the Next Gen ATP Finals this year? Only time will tell, but Stanford's men's tennis head coach, Paul Goldstein, believes this young lad has a lot of potential.During a previous interview, Goldstein said, "Nishesh is a special young man whose successes on the tennis court are a tribute to his unique talent, highly disciplined work ethic, and sheer passion for our sport." But has he learned all these things from his favorite player? Well, who is his favorite player?

Choosing a Favorite Player

Nishesh Basavareddy has utilized all the coaching and resources from Stanford to make it as a wildcard at the AO 2025. However, several other people have also had a significant impact on his tennis career. In 2022, Basavareddy won the biggest paycheck as a 16-year-old, taking home $5000 for winning the Rajeev Ram Foundation Indy Challenger tournament. Speaking about Ram's role in his career, the youngster said, "Rajeev has been a big influence. I have known him for 10 years. He has been really supportive in my jump from juniors to college to pro. He made that jump as well a while back. He gave me a lot of advice on what to expect on the Tour and how to improve my game. He has had so much success." But is Rajeev Ram the favorite tennis player of Nishesh Basavareddy?Well, when asked about his favorite player, he added, "Djokovic is my favorite player. Del Potro is also inspiring. I had a couple of injuries when growing up, a couple of knee surgeries, so it is inspiring to see him come back strong so many times." And from the current generation, who does he look up to?"I would say I looked up to Alcaraz in the past couple of years. He has done it at such a young age, it has been incredible. It is incredible how quickly he shot up the rankings. That is something that other guys can't do, but it has been inspiring to see how quickly he has moved up and all the success he has," said the 19-year-old. Do you think he can do wonders for American tennis in the upcoming years? Share your thoughts in the comment box.