The tennis world is in a twist trying to pronounce Nishesh Basavareddy, too many vowels for the vocal tract maybe. The 19-year-old Indian-American, who plays his idol Novak Djokovic in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday, has grabbed eyeballs, as much for his opponent, as for his own recent run.
Basavareddy, who started the 2024 season ranked No. 457, when studying Data Science in Stanford University, is now at a career-high No.107 in the Live Rankings, courtesy his maiden charge into a Tour-level semifinal, last week in Auckland.
