After a strong start in his first-round opener, Nishesh Basavareddy fell to a 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 2-6 defeat against Novak Djokovic. The Serbian wrapped up proceedings with ease in the fourth set to qualify for the next round. 

The Paris 2024 gold medallist won the third set 6-4 to take a 2-1 lead. It was total dominance from World No 7 as he sealed the second set 6-3 to level proceedings.

After losing the first set, Djokovic raised his game in the second; however, the 19-year-old Indian-origin American ace fought back, and at one point the second set stood at 3-3. But then exhaustion and fatigue got to him, gifting Djokovic a 6-3 win in the second set, reported The Hindustan Times.

The American youngster shocked Djokovic in the first set, clinching it 6-4 in their first-round showdown at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Monday, January 13. Djokovic looked out-of-sorts in the first set, and the American capitalised on it. But Djokovic found his footing in the second set against America's rising tennis sensation.

Basavareddy’s roots are from Andhra Pradesh. Parents relocated from Andhra Pradesh to San Francisco in 1999. He was born in California, and he was trained at Bryan Smith’s coaching camp, with Rajeev Ram as his mentor. 

At the junior level, he has a career-high ranking of No 3. Basavareddy hasn’t played a full Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour season yet and turned pro last year after qualifying for the Next Gen ATP Finals. 

He reached his first-ever competitive final at the Fairfield Challenger in 2023 and also lost in the finals in 2024 at the Challenger events in Fairfield and Charleston.