AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 13, 2025

Nishesh Basavareddy

Press Conference

N. DJOKOVIC/N. Basavareddy

4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: What's the last few weeks been like for you? I saw you in Brisbane. You had a great run in Auckland. Your Grand Slam debut against Novak on Rod Laver. What's the whole experience of the last few weeks feeling like?

NISHESH BASAVAREDDY: First I want to start with a sad note. I just want to say prayers to all the people in Southern California dealing with the fires. Really bad out there.

I used to live out there, went to Stanford, have a lot of friends from the LA area. I just want to start with that.

Yeah, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind. I started in Jeddah, my first tour event technically. That was a really cool experience with the other seven best under 20 players in the world. Then played my first couple ATP Tour events in Brisbane and Auckland.

Got a lot of cool match experience there against top-level opponents. Got to play against Monfils, who I have watched a lot on TV, and a lot of other guys that are ranked high. I think that gave me a lot of belief going into this week.

Obviously today was just something else. An experience that only you like dream of from when you're young. Definitely really cool.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Firstly, can you just tell us what's happening with your body, and when did you first feel the cramps and how are you feeling right now?

NISHESH BASAVAREDDY: Yeah, obviously he makes it really physical out there. Started feeling a little bit in the second set. But it only lasted a couple of games. Unfortunate timing, I guess. I took a couple of things, couple drinks and stuff, that helped it go down in the third set.

I feel better now. Just unfortunate timing in the middle of the match.

Q. You obviously are a fan of Novak and you watched a lot of his matches. What is it like playing him as against watching him, in a sense?

NISHESH BASAVAREDDY: Yeah, the coin toss is a little surreal, just seeing him in front of me, going to be competitors today. Just a cool feeling, for sure. Obviously on the court he does everything really well, just serving really well. I think that's the biggest thing he's improved in his career. Today that was a big difference between me and him, I think, that ended up giving him the win.

Just how solid he is and all that, I think there is a lot to learn from his game. Definitely learned a lot today.

Q. Obviously Novak had Andy Murray in his box, which would have been intimidating. How helpful was it for you to also have a Grand Slam champion in Rajeev Ram, if you could just speak about your relationship with him?

NISHESH BASAVAREDDY: Yeah, definitely. Really get to have someone that has that much experience help supporting me, he's given me a lot of advice. This is my first Grand Slam, so giving me a lot of advice on what to expect with three-out-of-five play. He's dealt with a lot of these players. Played Djokovic in doubles, played a lot of guys I'm playing now back in his singles career. It's been really great having him.

Just from when I was young, the transition from juniors to college to pros and everything, he's helped me a lot. Can't thank him enough for everything he's doing for me.

Q. What would you say is the biggest difference you found in playing against Djokovic from other players you have played?

NISHESH BASAVAREDDY: Yeah, I would say accuracy on the serve was something special today, for sure. Then also just the amount of returns he gets back on you quick. I feel like I'm serving and the ball is already on me.

Everybody says that, but you don't really feel it until you actually play him. He just makes you play an extra ball on a lot of the serves. I think that kind of affected my serve percentage today, just putting a lot of pressure on me every single service game.

Q. Going back to what you were just asked, just curious what you think of this thing now that they're trying out here with having a coach right there.

NISHESH BASAVAREDDY: Yeah.

Q. Accessible, easy to hear maybe than normal, but your opponent also has that. What do you think about that?

NISHESH BASAVAREDDY: Yeah, played a slam where the boxes are a little further. I feel like this is pretty similar to how it's been on the challenger tour, 250 level. For me wasn't really different. I kind of like it just so you can have a conversation with them when you go to the towel. Yeah, I think it's interesting.

I don't know if it's beneficial or better than what it used to be, because it also benefits having everyone in the same spot. I think it's something interesting, for sure.

Q. Was it odd a little, I mean, a little surreal, aside from the setting, the stage, the opponent, and then also there is this guy Andy Murray who has won Olympic gold medals and Grand Slam tournaments sitting right there in Djokovic's corner?

NISHESH BASAVAREDDY: Yeah, yeah, you try to focus on the court, but sometimes I go to my towel and I see him saying "Let's go, Novak," and look over and it's pretty crazy. A lot of tonight was pretty crazy. It's cool.

Q. At the coin toss, you seemed to want to know about whether the towel would be brought to you or there was some confusion, and you asked the umpire. I was wondering what that confusion is. And also, when you start cramping, you didn't really know whether you could take a timeout and you were asking. So just wondering about all those kind of things. Is it something you forget during a match because...

NISHESH BASAVAREDDY: Different rules tournament to tournament for the towel stuff, regards to that.

Physio, yeah, I wasn't sure what I would be doing in that time. It's kind of stressful when you start cramping. I wasn't sure at the time if I would be able to finish the match.

I asked my team what they thought I should be doing. It worked. I was able to get some physio work and take some drinks and stuff to help make it go down. It was just stressful in the moment.

Q. Is there a particular moment from tonight that you think you'll carry with you as a memory that stands out?

NISHESH BASAVAREDDY: I think just the walkout was really cool, seeing, I don't know, 15,000 fans there, whatever, going crazy for him and me. It was really cool.

And then also winning a first set against a player like that was something really cool and shows me that I have the level going forward. And there are some things I need to improve, but I think I can hopefully be back on this stage in the future. Couple things, yeah.

Q. What's your plans in the sort of short, medium term, next three months? What's your schedule looking like? How are you going to use this going forward?

NISHESH BASAVAREDDY: I will take a little bit of a training block right now, take whatever I have learned these last couple of weeks and take the next month or so to work on my game, and I'll play in the American swing: Delray, Acapulco, Indian Wells, Miami. And hopefully the clay court season. Start playing a full tour schedule and see how it goes.