#NextGenATP Basavareddy turns pro: 'Living out my childhood dream'
#NextGenATP American Nishesh Basavareddy is turning pro, he announced on Instagram Thursday.
Basavareddy spent two years at Stanford University, where he was a two-time ITA All-American and qualified for the ATP Next Gen Accelerator both seasons. The World No. 138 in the PIF ATP Rankings will forgo his remaining college eligibility.
“Since I started playing tennis at three years old, it’s been my dream to be a pro tennis player. Thanks to the support from my friends, family, coaches, Stanford family, and the USTA, I can live out my childhood dream,” Basavareddy wrote on Instagram. “With that being said, I will be forgoing my NCAA eligibility to play pro tennis. Looking forward to what the future holds.”
[ATP APP]The teenager will soon be in action at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, which runs from 18-22 December in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Basavareddy is one of three Americans to qualify for this year’s edition of the 20-and-under event, alongside Alex Michelsen and Learner Tien.
Basavareddy began this season at World No. 457 before making a splash on the ATP Challenger Tour. The American won two Challenger titles and reached four additional finals at that level. He tallied a 41-13 match record, becoming just the third American in Challenger history (since 1978) to earn more than 40 wins in a single season. Tristan Boyer, another former Stanford player, also accomplished the feat this year.
Stanford’s men’s tennis head coach Paul Goldstein, a former Top 60 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, looks forward to watching Basavareddy continue his rise.
“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,” Goldstein said. “More importantly, he and his family are thoughtful, gracious, and wonderful people.
“Nishesh is truly realising a lifelong dream by pursuing his professional tennis career and I could not imagine being happier for someone that I am for him. Nishesh will always have a home at Stanford and will have our entire community enthusiastically behind him.”
Born in Newport Beach, California, Basavareddy and his family moved to central Indiana when Nishesh was eight years old. Basavareddy instantly connected with former doubles No. 1 and Indiana-native Rajeev Ram at a tennis camp led by their mutual coach Bryan Smith. The #NextGenATP teen, who was a practise partner at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals, has since regarded Ram as a mentor.
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