My Influences: Why does Juan Martin del Potro have a special place in Basavareddy's heart? | ATP Tour

Next Gen Influences

My Influences: Why does del Potro have a special place in Basavareddy's heart?

American discusses Alcaraz, Nakashima, Ram and more…

December 03, 2024

Nishesh Basavarredy finished the 2024 season on fire, winning two ATP Challenger Tour titles and reaching three more finals since October. The American prize is a qualifying spot for this month's Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, which will take place from 18-22 December.

Ahead of the Under-20 event in Jeddah, the 19-year-old opened up about those who have inspired him on his journey to this historic moment. Basavareddy shares his admiration for Carlos Alcaraz, Brandon Nakashima and Juan Martin del Potro and delves into his relationship with Rajeev Ram.

Read more about Basavarredy in the latest feature of our Next Gen series 'My Influences'.

Which former Next Gen champion are you most involved with?
I would say I looked up to Alcaraz a few years ago. To do it at such a young age was unbelievable. It's amazing how quickly you leveled up. That's something other guys can't do but it's been an inspiration to see how quickly he's come up and all the success he's had.

Do you remember the first time you watched Alcaraz?
I remember seeing him play for the first time against Jannik Sinner in Challenger. I remember a lot of people talking about it. He beat Tsitsipas at the US Open later this year and was only 18 years old. That was a crazy performance from the teenager and now he is a mainstay in the Top 3. I remember the Wimbledon final in 2023 against Djokovic. That was a crazy game and it sticks with me.

Read more in our Influences series

Do you have a good relationship with any other former Next Gen champions?
I know Brandon Nakashima a little bit and worked with the coach that helped out at Stanford a little bit. I got to meet him at Stanford last year and he's a nice, humble guy. He had an incredible year this year, he improved a lot and ended the year in the Top 40 [in the PIF ATP Rankings]so that's cool to see. I really like his game and how he is an all-court player.

Which former Next Gen champion do you know best about your game?
Maybe Chung. I don't move as well as him but he has a better back than before. He's a counter thrower and he can go to the net and he played a little bit like Djokovic with his backhand, so that's something I like.

Alex Michelsen and Student Tien will both be in Jeddah as well. How close are you with those guys?
I grew up with the Student. We played together for the first time when I was six years old, so he is a good friend. Same with Alex, I played with him since I was 10 years old. I lived in Southern California, so we were all there. We grew up together and were very close. Even Mensik and Jerry, I've known them since I was 14 and played juniors against them. It's great to see all their success and it will be great to share them on the big stage in Jeddah.

How inspiring is it to see the success that former Next Gen players are having?
It is very encouraging. It's a great start for a lot of these guys. Seeing basically every guy in the ATP Finals this year play in the Next Gen Finals before is inspiring. It shows something about the quality of the event.

Who were some of your influences growing up?
Rajeev was very influential. I have known him for 10 years. He has really supported me in my jump from junior high to college to college. He did that jump once a while back. He gave me a lot of advice about what to expect on Tour and how to improve my game. He had great success.

Then my family. My father, my brother. They both got me into tennis. And Djokovic as he is my favorite player. Del Potro is also encouraging. I had a few injuries growing up, a few knee surgeries, so it's encouraging to see him come back strong so many times.

What have you learned on the ATP Challenger Tour this year?
Everyone can play at this level, so it is important that you prepare 100% for every game. I think mental preparation is very important because every game is going to be a battle. Playing week in, week out is also tough physically and a lot of these guys can sit, so I need to improve in that area next year.