This is a detailed interview of Nishesh Basavareddy, a top-100 ATP Tennis player, with Alex Gruskin of Cracked Racquets.

Alex Gruskin: And now you’re number 100 in the world. I know there’s a lot that’s happened in between that I want to address here today, but first and foremost, this first year of pro tennis, the whirlwind that it’s been, have you allowed yourself to process what this year has been like? Have you taken some time to reflect on the first year of the journey?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, I mean, immediately when I started playing in the summer, for the rest of the year of 2024, I was just playing nonstop. I probably had like one or two weeks off. I played, I think, like 16, 17 events in the second half of the year. So, it was definitely a whirlwind. But after Australia this year, I took a little bit of time to give my body and my mind a rest. And I think that’s when it kind of hit me, everything I’d done in the last seven, eight months up until that point. But yeah, the last year has been incredible, obviously, but it’s also been really fast, I guess. Like, I mean, I feel like it was just yesterday that I was still at Stanford, but now I’m obviously playing on tour, traveling the world, so it’s a good lifestyle.

Alex Gruskin: No, it’s very cool to see. And obviously, all of us who have gotten to watch your rise, we’re rooting for you along the way, and you’ve given us plenty to root for. So thank you for that, my friend. But you mentioned it. Since leaving school, 79 matches. Let me say that again. 53 and 26 overall. Which, by the way, bravo, my friend, considering all the different levels of pro tennis you’ve had to navigate. But that is a ton of tennis for someone who, and I know you have talked about this openly in the past, you dealt with a ton of injuries. You weren’t always able to play the match schedule you would have liked. What was it like on the body? 79 matches over this last year, by the way, coming off of a college season where you probably add another 30 to that mix as well. Like, what just physically has that been like for you?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, yeah. I mean, the second half of last year I really didn’t have any issues. And I think in the second half of last year, I played 55 of those matches. This year’s been a little bit less, and I think my body started feeling the effects of that a little bit. But overall, I’m quite glad with how my body’s held up. I’ve had a couple of things here and there this year, but, to have played 80 matches in a year, I think for any pro player is a lot. In juniors, you play a lot of matches. But once you get on tour, you start losing a lot more. Maybe you don’t play as many matches. So I think that’s obviously a huge number. But, yeah, it’s definitely taxing on the body for sure. When you go deep, deep in challengers, and then when you start playing tour events, it’s a little different. But, yeah, I think it’s definitely taxing.

Alex Gruskin: How have you changed your schedule to accommodate for that fact? Do you make more time now for training? Do you make more time for even if it’s little things like lifting daily? How have you had to change your routine to prepare for that sort of rigorous schedule?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, yeah, I’ve definitely tried to. I mean, at the end of last year, I wasn’t trying to play more than three weeks in a row. The last stretch I played five because I was chasing the Next Gen finals and I don’t think I would ever want to do that again if I’m going deep every week. But obviously, once I, like this year, I’ve played more of a tour schedule and I’ve been playing more back-to-back weeks because if you don’t go deep, I think you get a little bit more rest. But for sure, I think moving forward it’ll be important to continue having these training blocks. After Australia, I had a month off to sort of work on my body, get stronger, get fitter. And I think moving forward I’ll continue to try to fit those blocks in the year when it’s obviously difficult. You want to play every week, everybody’s playing every week. But I think that’ll definitely be important for me.

Alex Gruskin: No, and I know you in particular love to be out there playing. That’s why you got into this sport. And so I’m sure people have to hold you back, not ever ask you, “Hey, do you want to play this week?” because they know the answer to that is yes. And you know, we’ve known each other for more than half a decade now, so if you’ll allow me to say, body looks good my friend. Like the chest looks a little bigger, the legs look a little stronger and it’s a testament to you that you’ve been able to make those improvements while actively playing. And you know, I want to unpack that, I want to talk about that Next Gen finals chase because boy was it exciting. But let’s go in reverse order here. You just mentioned you’re in London getting ready for the start of the grass court season and obviously it’s going to be an exciting one, your first full grass court season, but you’re also coming off of your first full clay court season. And you know, I have the numbers in front of me. You’ve played 12 career clay court matches, nine of them coming here this spring. How was it adjusting to the European dirt? Like what, how different is the style of play? How different is it physically the environment? What did you learn from this spring?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, yeah, I learned a lot for sure. I mean I didn’t have the best results, for sure. But I think going into it I had confidence from juniors. I had some very good results on clay in juniors. I won a couple, I won all my titles actually on clay in juniors on the ITF circuit. But obviously, the pros are a little different. I think early on in the spring especially, it’s a little colder in Europe. Conditions are slower. Obviously, guys are much fitter at this level than in juniors. So I think it was a work in progress. The movement, staying disciplined out there, not wanting to bail out with drop shots or different things like that that maybe work on a hardcourt, a faster hardcourt. So I think, yeah, I definitely learned, definitely learned a lot. But I think towards the end of the season, I started finding my footing a little bit better, started playing a little better. And I think moving forward for sure it’ll be a good experience this year. I was over there for eight weeks. I think I was probably there the longest out of any of the Americans, but I think it’ll hopefully pay dividends in the future.

Alex Gruskin: Well, no one again would ever accuse Nishesh Basavareddy of not being willing to go on the grind and you know, a couple of follow-ups. Just on the clay specifically, you mentioned finding your footing. Is it literally that specific of like, “Hey, it takes me a month to get acclimated to moving on this surface at this level?” Was that the hardest part of the transition? Even more so maybe than the tennis?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, yeah, I would say so. I’d say that. And just the discipline of being willing to play longer points. But yeah, especially for us college players, we don’t play at all on clay. Of course, I was only there for two years, but it’s still been three years since I had stepped on a clay court until March this year. So, it definitely took probably two, three weeks for me to sort of figure out how I was going to move, sliding and all that sort of stuff. But once I did that, I think it was more just getting the tennis back and all that. But yeah, finding your footing is definitely, definitely important.

Alex Gruskin: What was it like to deal with the heaviness of the Stan Wawrinka ball? You got the chance to play him in Aix-en-Provence, and obviously I know he was able to get you in straight sets there, but just a very competitive match, you got to feel that ball for two hours. Just how different is it? And you know, again, what do you take away from a match like that?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, I’ve had, I’ve been quite lucky this year to play a lot of older guys, the generation that maybe they’re closer to retiring, a lot of legends, Monfils, Djokovic, and Wawrinka. And I don’t think, I mean, the draws have been lucky to me in that sense. Obviously, I didn’t get a win in any of those matches. But, you learn a lot, definitely when you play guys like that. The way they manage the match, especially in big moments, I feel like they do things slightly differently than other guys, and I’ve had chances in a lot of those matches. But I think they just step up their level quite a bit in those moments. So I think it was cool to see that. But yeah, his backhand obviously is a thing to behold, the backhand down the line and all that. So, yeah, it was cool, for sure.

Alex Gruskin: Was there ever a moment where you’re like, “Damn, he just hit a backhand line on me?” Like, you kind of mentioned it there, where he sneaks one by you and you’re like, “Oh, how did I not think to sit on that?” It’s Stan Wawrinka. And you mentioned it, playing all the legends. Obviously, we’re going to get to the Djokovic match. How could we not? Even though I know you’ve talked about it a million times, but just. Is there. Do you allow yourself to have that sort of awe in the moment? I know obviously every player wants to say, “I’m staying professional, I’m staying focused,” but you mentioned it. It’s Stan Wawrinka on the other side. Is there a moment where he stings you with a line and you’re like, “Yeah, that’s why he’s Stan?”

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, yeah. When they, when they hit their signature shots, like when Monfils wins the ridiculous rally that he has no business winning, I think I was like, “Oh, wow. This is pretty cool that I’m playing him and he’s doing what I’ve watched him do so many years against me.” Same with Stan, same with Novak. So I think, yeah, definitely, definitely. You allow yourself to think those things in the moment, but you want to try to brush it aside to focus on the match. But yeah, I’ve definitely had a couple of “pinch me” moments this year for sure.

Alex Gruskin: Yeah. I again want to ask you about a couple of them more moving forward. The tennis itself and, you know, again, anyone who’s had the opportunity to watch you play, the tennis was never in question. You’ve always had all the skills that one could hope for in trying to craft a pro tennis package, a package of skill sets. What have you noticed in adjusting to the pro level in facing top 100 players in the world? I think you’ve faced something like 17 of them now at this point in your career. Is there a difference in the ball they hit? Is it a discipline? Like, what is that difference between top 100 tennis and the really good tennis you were competing against beforehand?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, yeah. It’s tough to say right now, especially like, you hear a lot about how the challenger tour is deep and obviously guys at 200, 300 are beating guys in the top 100. And I mean, I’ve talked a lot about it with my team, my coaches as well, but I feel like obviously from the back, I think it’s quite similar, I would say. I mean, guys can beat anyone on their day. I think from what I’ve seen, just the serving, I think like spot serving, things like that gets better as the level goes up and then obviously the way they manage matches, their experience in those moments. And then the movement is especially at the very top of the game. I haven’t played a lot of the guys in the top 10, top 20 still, but I think that’s the biggest difference I’ve seen. Like when I was a hitting partner in the Next Gen Finals in 2023, I felt like the movement was the biggest, the biggest difference. The way they got from defense to offense. And I mean watching Alcaraz in person on clay, especially him, and he’s the best in the world, probably in his movement, the way he just glides around the court, I feel like that’s probably the biggest difference. But I think in terms of the ball, I don’t think it was too much different. Even playing Djokovic or someone like that. They don’t hit the ball so much harder. It’s more the discipline. The accuracy of the ball is better.

Alex Gruskin: No, it makes a lot of sense. And, how have you gone about adjusting your game to acclimate for that? I mean, again, the numbers speak for themselves. I think we mentioned the record earlier. Over the last 52 weeks, it’s 53 and 26 overall. Obviously, you look at the success you’ve had at the challenger level, I think making six different finals since turning pro full-time last spring. What have you done? What do you think you’ve been able to do that’s allowed you to have that sort of success?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, I think it’s just playing my strengths to other guys. Obviously, you always want to try to impose your game on other guys. I’m not the biggest guy, so maybe guys more aggressive can do that to me. But I think especially in challengers, I was able to be aggressive on returns, serve, and play aggressive from the back, take my chances, move pretty well. And I think as I’m going up the levels, I think there’s still some things I want to improve on. Like obviously my serve, to get more free points, get ahead in the point there, and continue building my strengths as well. But I think it’s been a combination of things that have helped me.

Alex Gruskin: No, I had the opportunity to be here in Bloomfield Hills, I say be here because I’m at my parents’ house which is right near Bloomfield Hills, for that challenger final you made. I got to see you compete in Lincoln as well. That is something I noticed. And look, you’ve always been someone who wants to impose themselves against opponents. But it felt like you were doing that more diligently. It felt like you were trying to do that more quickly. Dare I say within the course of the rally. Has that been a conscious change you’ve had to make as you’ve continued this ascent?

Nishesh Basavareddy: I think it’s probably more of a subconscious change, like just knowing that a lot of the matches are won in under four shots, and those one-to-four shot rallies. So trying to get that first point early in the rally. But yeah, I think that’s probably something that just slowly shifted in my mentality from juniors to the pros. Maybe in juniors, I was a little more willing to let the rally come to me. But maybe now I’m trying to play a little more aggressively sometimes. But obviously, that changes on surfaces, things like that. But I think it’s been more subconscious.

Alex Gruskin: Yeah, yeah, no, it’s again, it’s been fun to watch and as you alluded to earlier, you made the decision to play a ton last season. I have the number in front of me: 41 and 13 at the challenger level. Considering that your challenger season really started in June. I mean again, 54 challenger matches down the home stretch, that doesn’t include playing the Next Gen finals and any other pro tournaments you may have dabbled in. Was that always the plan or did that come out of necessity of, “Well, hey, I’m kind of having this success. The Next Gen finals is right there for me. Let’s make a push.” And ultimately how do you reflect upon those, you know, again, that first six-month sprint?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think it was always the plan to play a lot of events, but I didn’t expect to play an average of four matches an event, where I was averaging a semi-final. So I think that that sort of shifted as I started getting more success and the Next Gen finals. I mean, I remember my brother and my dad were saying, like, “Oh, it’s maybe a possibility” in that last stretch, like starting in Sioux Falls or Charlottesville. But I think it really only became apparent to me in, like, Knoxville with the last three weeks. I sort of gained a lot of points then, and it was coming down to three or four guys that were left in the race. And then I ended up really going after it, going to Mexico for an extra week after Champaign as well and getting the title there. But, yeah, that was, that was definitely really fun. A lot of pressure those last couple weeks. But it was worth it for sure for that event.

Alex Gruskin: No, it’s. Look, I hear what the bonuses are per match, I have to imagine it was worth it, my friend. By the way, for anyone who wonders where you get your work ethic from, obviously you’ve been fortunate enough. You have your brother traveling with you often as a hitting partner. I also, I know I can speak to the domestic events we’ve overlapped. Dad, first man in the workout room every day. Is your dad, first man in there always? I can always count on him. We can get our chat in, but when I’m doing my morning run as well. And so to have your family by your side, to have your brother as your hitting partner, how helpful has that been in acclimating to the pro lifestyle? Why make that choice and not, you know, ask Bryan, “Hey, come on, like, you’re coming on the road with me” or whomever it may be. Why was the choice your brother, and how helpful has that been?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, yeah, obviously Bryan can’t travel every week. He’s got a club to run at home. Got a family now. He’s got another young son, a young baby. But, yeah, I think when you’re starting pro tennis, it can maybe be a little lonely, you know, like, obviously you have friends on tour, but just traveling with a smaller team, especially in challengers, lower levels of the game. So I think it was important for me to have someone that I knew, that I was close with. So traveling with my brother has definitely helped with that a lot. Seeing the world with him, it’s been fun. And then also having my parents at some of these events, I think it’s just fun doing it as a family for sure. So, yeah, I don’t think a lot of people can say that. So since my brother’s been able to hit and coach me a little bit, I think that’s just been an added bonus.

Alex Gruskin: This is a really dumb question, but again, I’ve known your family for a while now. That includes your brother. How’s his game? Like, is he getting better quietly too? Being like, “Well, look, I gotta step up. Like, Nishesh is raising his level.”

Nishesh Basavareddy: So do I. I mean, he’s got to hit the practice court a little more. He’s not hitting enough balls. He’s complacent coaching. But, I don’t know, maybe.

Alex Gruskin: Yeah, I like that. No, I, I see him out there, I’m like, “Oh, game’s looking good, my friend.” No, it’s just. It’s got to be fun to get to travel the world and be with your brother and, you know, again, 100 in the world, it’s an arbitrary number, but we have forever. As tennis fans have talked about the top 100 to get there within your first year. I’m sure that was a goal, but how does having accomplished that, you know, change the trajectory of what you try to map out? You know, for instance, you went to Europe, you spent eight weeks there, you played a full clay court season is the mentality now, you know, it’s, first you chase to get there, then you chase to stay. How, how does that tangibly impact what your schedule looks like moving forward?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah. Yeah, I think. I mean, I had myself in a pretty good position for French and Wimbledon main draw. So, I knew it was okay to go over to the clay and maybe experience that even if I didn’t have the best results, just for experience, moving forward. I had a little bit of leeway with my ranking, and obviously that’ll be. It’s important to know how to play on all surfaces if you want to be a top player, keep moving up the rankings. So that’s something important. But I mean, as a player, you’re always looking to move up the rankings, so I don’t think it’s changed too much from that perspective. I didn’t expect to get to the top 100 so fast, for sure. But, now you obviously keep adjusting your goals to accommodate for that. So you’re always moving on to the next step, sort of.

Alex Gruskin: No. And again, now you’re able to play main draws at Slams and have these opportunities and certainly again, particularly impressive. How eight weeks in Europe, just eight weeks consecutively, had you ever taken a trip that long anywhere in your life before? How taxing does just eight weeks away from home, that road life, what does it actually look like for fans behind the scenes who want to peek?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, yeah, no, I mean I’ve definitely not done a trip longer than I think four weeks probably. So that was the first one. But I mean we’re going to nice cities, we’re going to Madrid, Rome, Paris. So you can’t really complain but obviously it gets a little bit long. The weeks get long. Maybe if you lose and you have a full week of practice, it can get a little bit longer. You’re waiting for your next match. But, but it’s all part of the process, part of learning and you learn to enjoy different things, go around the city a little bit. But, but yeah, it can definitely get mentally draining a little bit. I think it was important for me to come home after the French, reset the mind a little bit. Went to Stanford for a couple of days. So you guys there and then, get fresh again before I come back for the grass. So, yeah.

Alex Gruskin: Were you following your team’s run to the NCAA semifinals? Were you following Stanford this year? Was there ever a moment where you’re like, “I know this qualifying in Madrid is really fun, but I could be playing Wake Forest right now?”

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, I mean I was definitely following it. I didn’t get to watch the semis. It was late there. I was playing two days in the French Open. But I saw a bunch of their matches this year. It was obviously really cool to see. They had a chance there at the end. But, we always joke around. Some of the college guys like Ethan, Elliott, and I, we would, we followed it quite a bit and we’re like college tennis is the best sport out there. I mean you cannot not watch it when it’s a good level and teams that you know, guys that you know. So, yeah, I was following it a lot for sure this season.

Alex Gruskin: Was making that transition to the challenger level. I mean, to your point, you saw a lot of those guys like Jake was there, Elliot was there. All these guys who are rising correspondingly with you at the Colton, Smith, Murphy, Cassone, all these different guys. Did you think you guys would all translate this quickly? Like what. When you’re playing within it, is there an awareness of like, “Oh, this level is higher than I thought?” Does it surprise you to see all these guys having success? Like what do you make of that?

Nishesh Basavareddy: I mean at the time I thought the level was extremely high, but I didn’t think like ranking-wise that we were actually going to be there. But now I think guys in college probably have more confidence seeing us all like sort of rise to the top 100, top 200. And I think now they’re probably realizing that every match at one singles, two singles is challenger level quality. Because all these guys have won challengers, made the finals of challengers, things like that. So it’s been really cool to see but I think at the time I definitely didn’t expect all of us to move up this quick. But then when I started playing challengers I was like this level is really not different at all than what I’ve seen the whole season. I played Colton three times, played Jake, played Elliot, played all these guys. So yeah, same level for sure.

Alex Gruskin: Now I should throw Learner in that mix as well. He had a cup of coffee at USC. So we’re going to take credit for him in the college realm. Upon reflection to have those accelerator opportunities. Like, I mean, I guess the difference is he made the next gen finals and it went well enough for you where it’s like, “Well I don’t have to go back because my ranking is already there,” but to have those opportunities right away. You might have even had some junior exemptions from your time there as well. Just how, I mean how many of those did you end up ultimately using? Like was that the mechanism you were able to get into these events with so frequently early on?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, I mean in 2023 I had the junior exemptions and that really helped me. I played four or five challengers. The first two I think I won one maybe. But then I made a final and that bumped my ranking up. So when I left college I was already in the qualies of all these challengers, which definitely helped a lot because it’s tougher starting at the futures and working your way up. But yeah, I used probably five or six of them and they were a huge benefit because I was able to, I don’t think I’ve played a future since I was in juniors, since I was 15 or 16 years old. So it allowed me to sort of skip a step, which was obviously really nice and I think it’s a great initiative that the ATP is doing.

Alex Gruskin: Yeah, No, I mean, you say since you were 15 or 16 years old, the listeners know that was like, yesterday. So it has been a while, but it hasn’t been that long. But no, certainly to your point, again, it’s credit that you didn’t have to do that, that you were able to have those accelerator points. And I so thoroughly agree. Like, we see the level, we see where all these players are. The only thing they need are those opportunities. So really, really cool to see you all get those sorts of opportunities. And then, you know, again, I tried to wait as long as possible, but 22 minutes in, it’s time to ask the question. You got to play Novak Djokovic at this year’s Australian Open, and not only did you get the chance to play him, you were up a set to love on him. Just talk me through that match. I mean, anyone who watched you guys go backhand crosses, it was very clear to see the influence he has had on your game. What’s it like to get to line up against him in Melbourne of all places? What was that experience like for you?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, it was an unbelievable experience, for sure. I was in Brisbane. I had qualified and played Monfils first round. And if I had won my first round, I was gonna play him. And I was extremely. I remember I won the second set. I was going to the bathroom, I saw he was winning, and I was like, “Oh, come on, one more set.” And I ended up losing that. And I was pissed that I was like, “This is my opportunity to play him.” But when the draw came out and I saw I was playing him, I was just really excited. You can’t really ask for more in your first slam main draw. And I think before going out on court, I was just. I was scared to not lose 6-0, 6-0 or something like that, to just throw in the bed when I go out on court, so to say. But once I got that first hold, I think I started getting more belief and obviously started playing very well. And I won the first set and everything. But, yeah, obviously he picked up his level. It became physical. And he ended up getting it in four. But, yeah, it’s a really cool experience.

Alex Gruskin: What goes through the mind of a player when you’re up a set to love on Djokovic in a major? Like, I know it was so early to your point that it’s all still so fresh and you can’t like, look back in your head and be like, “Well, I’ve gone five before, and I have this result to lean upon as well.” But just like you’re up a set to love on Djokovic. What goes through your head in a moment like that? How difficult is it to stick to your routines?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, yeah. I mean, like you said, I had no three-out-of-five experience. That was my first one in my career. So, I really didn’t know what to expect physically or just how the match was going to go. I think at that moment, I had a belief that I could win, which was definitely something new, but I knew it was a long, long way. He’s come back from a set down a million times, come back from two sets down a bunch of times. So I knew there was still a lot of room for him to get back in the match. But I was pretty focused in the moment then. I think that match in general, I was in the moment the whole time, which helped me play well. But, yeah, I think especially against him, since he has that aura. He has, his opponents always know that he’s come back so many times that you don’t really think about the finish line, I think, as much as you would against another player.

Alex Gruskin: Now, you mentioned. I look, I know asking for trade secrets, it’s sometimes tricky. What’s the game plan going in? Like, what are you and Bryan talking about? As. It’s like, “All right, here’s what you’re going to try to do to beat Novak Djokovic,” which, by the way, is just a fantastic sentence to say out loud, and it speaks to your accomplishments. And again, having known you since you were a teenager, very cool to see, my friend. Like, if you’ll allow me to ask, what was the game plan going in? Because it was working in set number one.

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah. Yeah, obviously, I mean, he maybe wasn’t playing his complete best in the first set, but I think. I mean, going out there, you try to look at the stats, see where he likes to serve. Obviously, he can hit every spot, but maybe take away his favorite serves on the bigger points, play aggressive, try to just get him out of his rhythm a little bit. But obviously, there’s not so much you can do to really bother him apart from playing better than him, I guess, from the baseline, coming in a little bit. But I think at the beginning, I was doing a good job just putting some pressure on his serve, second serve, and playing a little better from the back, but once he started getting a little more depth on the shots and serving better, it was tough to maintain that pressure on his serve. And while he was getting more pressure on my serve in my service games. So I think that’s where it sort of shifted. But, yeah, in terms of strategy, I mean, against other guys, maybe you’re like, “Oh, they struggle with this type of forehand, this type of backhand,” but he’s fine with every shot. So you just try to get him out of his rhythm. I think that was the main thing. And take away his favorite serves.

Alex Gruskin: Which was that serve? Slice wide on the deuce?

Nishesh Basavareddy: No, I don’t think it’s a secret by any means, but I think his favorite one, or at least the stats, they slide it on that. That was the only one that maybe he prefers. But even that one, he, you can’t really lean anyway against him. He can hit every spot, but I think that’s the one that historically he goes to on big points.

Alex Gruskin: No, but who knows? That’s fair. And again, up a set in a four-set push that. I know it was your first three out of five. Were you. I don’t mean to say you were unprepared, but what would you have now, having had that experience? Will it be more beneficial for you physically the next time you try it, or mentally when you next time you go out there? Like, I’m just curious. For me, you guys are all in such good shape. I feel like adding an extra set. That’s not the issue. It’s that extra hour of focus or extra two hours of focus that you just cannot prepare yourself for. Am I on to something there?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, Yeah. I think against a top player, you’re not going to lose the focus because, you know, you always need to be there. But maybe if I’m up a little bit, you might lose a little bit of focus. But I think mentally it’ll definitely help me the most. That match, I was going, not to say I shouldn’t be going full out, but I was only able to go 100% for 90 minutes before I sort of hit a wall for 20 minutes there. And then I got it back in the third and fourth sets, but I think maybe going forward I’ll learn how to manage it a little bit better. Maybe play at 90% instead of 100%, do a little better with my breathing, those types of things. I think that’s where it’ll help me the most.

Alex Gruskin: It makes a lot of sense. It’s the little intricacies and nuances that we don’t pick up that, that certainly, yes, it was fun to see. You know, set number two, you thought okay maybe Novak’s found it. Nishesh has kind of lost the thread. But you bounced right back like it was a really fun competitive four-set match. So again a credit to you my friend, this early in your career and obviously we’ve talked about all the challenger matches that you played over the course of last summer. Now for the first time you’re going to have to do something you really don’t have to. You don’t really think about as a junior who’s going off to Stanford or as someone who’s dabbling in the pro circuit in the summer and fall. You get to defend points down the home stretch of the season. You mentioned you’re going to start things off on the grass courts. What does the immediate future look like for you scheduling wise as you try to consolidate your top 100 spot?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, I mean on the grass, I’m gonna play a couple of only two events. I’ve signed up and I’m playing in ‘s-Hertogenbosch next week, then Halle qualies, then Wimbledon. And then I think I’ll just see how these tournaments go and schedule my hard court season. But obviously in the States, I’ll be comfortable hopefully. I’ll try to play the. There’ll be a couple 1000s that I’ll play for sure and then see what other events I want to play. But yeah, obviously it’s the first time I’m gonna start defending points. That’s a little bit different mentally but I think every player just tries to focus on the tournaments they’re in and not really think about the future. But yeah, that’s my immediate schedule.

Alex Gruskin: Makes a lot of sense to me. Do you, will you make time? I mean I guess because you’re 100 in the world. It’s a great spot to be. It’s a little bit of a vomit zone. Have you chosen let’s go play qualys at tour-level events versus challengers? Like that’s what it sounds like the plan is for the grass court season. Obviously, the North American hard court summer will come up as well. Will you kind of vacillate between the two? Or have you not gotten that far?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, I haven’t gone that far but sort of this year, I mean, I think it’s always been. Obviously, I want to keep my ranking going upwards, but I think it’s also about gaining experience. And so far I think when I’ve been playing in tour events, I’ve learned a lot, learned a lot more from seeing those top guys play, having the opportunity to play against top 50 level, top 20 level guys. So, I think that will still be the plan moving forward. But if I need to play some challengers for points or matches, things like that, I definitely won’t hesitate to. So, yeah, I guess we’ll just see how the results go.

Alex Gruskin: Yeah, I’m hoping no challengers, all tour-level events, because I think your level is certainly there, my friend. Are you excited for the grass court season? Like people who know your game, you like to get forward, you like to play the angles, you keep your return of serve low. There are a lot of ingredients that would lead to grass court success. Are you excited to get out there? How are you feeling as you get ready to start your action here next week?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, yeah, next week. Yeah, I mean, I’m definitely excited. Obviously, grass is a little different than it used to be. It’s a little slower, but the movement, I think if I can get that down, like you said, I think I have a lot of things in my game that could translate well to grass. So I’m excited to get on the match courts.

Alex Gruskin: And have you fallen yet?

Nishesh Basavareddy: I’ve fallen in moving drills. Not in, not on the court yet, but I was watching. I’m at a challenger this week in Birmingham. I didn’t play, but I was watching some matches and guys are diving. [Tristan] Boyer especially, he’s diving all over the court. So, I don’t know if I’ll do that, but if I need to.

Alex Gruskin: Yeah. But we also know Tristan’s wardrobe contract is that if there’s not dirt on it when he gives it back, he didn’t do his job. So even if it’s on a hard court, grass court, clay court, that’s just. You’ll do it anywhere.

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, he’ll do it anywhere.

Alex Gruskin: So certainly. No, I’m looking forward to seeing that. And you know, again, I think you are still technically young enough to play the Next Gen finals again this year, right? It’s now under 21, which you turned 20 obviously, in May. By the way, I think you turned 20 a month ago. Happy belated birthday, my friend. Is that something you are in pursuit of this year? Is that something you would hope to qualify for again? And would you play it again if you did?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, yeah, definitely. If I qualified, I would 100% play. I mean, it’s a great event and it’s nice to always be around guys your age, guys that we grew up with. So I’d definitely play it again. And it’s a goal for sure. Obviously, if I do well in these tournaments, hopefully I can be there. So that’s one of the goals in the back of my mind.

Alex Gruskin: Yeah, you got the chance to be there. It was you, it was Alex [Michelsen], it was Learner [Tien]. It just felt like a good group of American guys at that event. Last year you also got to see Fonseca. Like, you got to see Fils, you got to see Mensik. Obviously, some of those guys have been your peers forever. But what was that event like to qualify for it? The pageantry of it, like, is it as cool as it looks on TV? What’d you think of the new format?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, the format’s interesting. Obviously, playing college tennis, we’re used to the no-ad, but I mean, four-game sets, three out of five, it goes by quick. You get broken once, the set’s over. You break once, the set’s over. So, the format’s interesting, but I think it’s good for that event and it’s something new for that event. But yeah, I mean, playing with those guys, that was my first tour event. So I think having that as my first tour event was a great experience and we do a lot of things off the court as well. We did like this boat ride with all of us and all those events. I think they do a great job of organizing the event. So I think it’s a great initiative for the game.

Alex Gruskin: I can’t believe that was your first tour-level event. Like, that’s a crazy story. What was the flight like? I mean again, had you been to a place like that before? Had you made a flight like that, go straight to Australia after? Like, what did that month sequence look like?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, yeah, I went. I had a short offseason because I played until the last week of November and then Jeddah started the third week of December, so I had less than two weeks. But yeah, I played Next Gen, went straight to Brisbane, Auckland, Aussie Open. So that was my first real trip as a pro player because before that I was just in North America. But yeah, I think, yeah, that was cool. Because that was my first tour event. I think it was only Learner’s third or fourth. So it was both of our kind of like first couple of events on the main tour. And normally that’s not the case for a lot of Europeans that have dabbled in qualies or 250s maybe, things like that. We hadn’t done much of that. So I think it was a cool experience.

Alex Gruskin: No, it was a fun event to watch, certainly. Yeah. Listeners don’t know this. You played until late November. You texted us early December, “Is there a Cracked Racquets event I can hop in?” because, look, no, obviously, but, always looking for matches and obviously that’s something I’ve always been so impressed by. And you know, last few questions here, I promise before I let you go. Certainly looking at your game specifically and you alluded to this a little bit earlier, trying to beef up the serve and if you’ll allow me to say, it does look a little extra beefy, my friend. Like I feel like there’s a little more chutzpah on that kick wide second serve. Is that the immediate focus? Like, you know, again, I could cite the break percentage which I think last year at the challenger level was a ridiculous like 33.4% or something crazy like that in the challenger matches you played. It feels like, you know, from the baseline you’ve always had that skill set. But what is the next piece for you as you try to continue to, you know, rise up the ranks, continue to consolidate your spot and you know, acclimate yourself to ATP level tennis?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, yeah. I think first and foremost is always staying healthy, figuring out ways to stay healthy. But in terms of tennis-wise, for sure, the serve, getting the accuracy, the speed up, first and second serve and return, serve and return, I think are the main, main focuses. And then movement on the court, I think that can always improve, but I think those are some of the biggest things in the men’s game for sure, these days and main areas that I can have a lot of improvement in. But you can always improve in everything for your court game, forehand and backhand and all that. But I think the serve and return are the main focuses for now.

Alex Gruskin: Yeah, you mentioned just, again, staying healthy. That’s something that in your career you’ve had, you know, when you were younger, obviously you had some knee issues and just to be able to stay healthy while also gaining strength. It’s a tricky balance because you want to be in the weight room, you want to be doing the lunges with the weights and you want to be doing the squats and all the different things. What does that process look like for you? Like how does one work on their movement without trying to wear down their body? I know that sounds like a very simple question, but what does that actually look like?

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, yeah, it’s tough to get the balance. That’s the million-dollar question. But I think just doing the rehab, mobility every day, but also working in these tournaments, maybe other guys just play tennis, but I try to still get a lift in, get some movement sessions in, things like that. And I’m in the treatment room a lot with the physios, use the ATP physios a lot. But I think that’s also a major piece of it, just to do a lot of prevention things to stay healthy. But yeah, it’s always a work in progress and it’s different for every player. So you try to learn what works for you.

Alex Gruskin: A lot of time in the training room, is that something you had to learn? Like, how helpful was that? I mean, maybe unfortunately for you it wasn’t because you did deal with some injuries early in your career, but going to Stanford and having time to be in a weight room and learn all those different things and have those resources available to you, how helpful was that for you now as you try to build these habits in your professional life?

Nishesh Basavareddy: It is definitely important. I mean, I think maybe a lot of nowadays everyone’s professional, but I think I’ve been quite professional in my warm-ups, cool-downs, all that sort of thing from 12, 13 years old, just because like you said, I had three knee surgeries and wrist surgery and all that sort of stuff, just to not go through that again. But yeah, for sure you have to go through that sort of stuff to be better with your routines and all that. And then obviously at Stanford you use all the resources they have, all the athletic trainers, PTs and all that. So that’s helped a lot for sure.

Alex Gruskin: Yeah, it’s a credit to you. And my last question being again, you had those knee surgeries, you had the wrist surgery, you had all those injuries. To have had all of that and still be able to pursue tennis professionally the way you were, was that part of the reason for why you made that decision of “Hey, I’m ready to turn pro now” and again, have you allowed yourself time to reflect upon like “I am getting to play out my dream. I am getting to live the life I wanted to live.” How gratifying is that, knowing all the things you did go through.

Nishesh Basavareddy: Yeah, I mean, not when I was younger, obviously. You always think when you’re maybe 12, 13, 14, that pro tennis is a reality. And then you go to juniors and you realize that it’s not easy. Only 100, 200 guys really are making a living doing, playing on the biggest stages. But, with all my success and everything, it’s definitely moved very fast. But I can say, yeah, I’m very grateful and for this, for the journey and opportunity for sure.