Novak Djokovic Rallies to Defeat Nishesh Basavareddy at Australian Open

Novak Djokovic survived a first-set scare to defeat Nishesh Basavareddy 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in the Australian Open first round.

Novak Djokovic, the 37-year-old Serbian tennis star, began his quest for an 11th Australian Open title and record 25th Grand Slam crown with a shaky start on Monday. Djokovic survived a first-set scare against teenage American wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy, who was making his Grand Slam main draw debut. The 19-year-old Basavareddy stunned Djokovic by winning the first set in front of a shocked Melbourne Park crowd.

Djokovic was flat-footed and out of ideas early on, struggling to find his rhythm against the young American. However, he slowly began to get his measure, battling through to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Djokovic's new coach, Andy Murray, watched quietly from the “coaching pod” on Rod Laver Arena, a new innovation introduced at the tournament. The win marked Djokovic's 18th consecutive year advancing to the second round in Melbourne.

Following the match, Djokovic praised Basavareddy's performance, saying, “At the end it was great but I think he was the better player for a set-and-a-half.” Djokovic acknowledged that Basavareddy deserved the applause he received from the crowd, adding, “He deserves every bit of applause that he got.” Djokovic also recognized the challenges of playing against a young opponent with nothing to lose, saying, “These kind of matchups are always tricky, dangerous when you are playing someone who has nothing to lose.” He concluded by praising Basavareddy's overall game, saying, “He's a very complete player.”

The veteran Novak Djokovic initially appeared unsure how to handle the athletic youngster Nishesh Basavareddy. At 3-3 in the first set, Djokovic left a lob that landed in, giving Basavareddy three break points. The American converted with a crosscourt backhand, eliciting gasps from the crowd. Djokovic struggled, spraying shots long and wide, and Basavareddy capitalized, wrapping up the set with Djokovic making 11 unforced errors and failing to convert any of his three break points.

Novak in Melbourne. A winning machine.

Our 10-time champion books his place into an 18th consecutive AO second round 🤯#AO2025 pic.twitter.com/L1kFt9glJn

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 13, 2025

The shock of going behind on a court he has long dominated seemed to wake up Djokovic, and he clawed back in the second set. He earned his first break to go 5-3 ahead and served out to level the match, roaring in elation. Basavareddy required treatment on his left leg at the changeover and wasn't the same player afterwards. Djokovic took advantage, twisting the knife and racing to victory.

Djokovic recently hired long-time rival Andy Murray, who retired last year, as his coach to help him return to winning ways after a lean 2024. Djokovic failed to collect a major for the first time since 2017, with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz dominating the Slams. Despite his struggles, Djokovic is adamant he can still compete with the world's best. However, his difficulties against a player ranked 107, Basavareddy, did little to dispel any doubts about his abilities.

Post victory catch ups 🤗@carlosalcaraz 🤝 @DjokerNole #AO2025 pic.twitter.com/ckiFwRnG0w

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 13, 2025

Djokovic will next face Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria in his bid to win one more Slam and surpass Margaret Court's 24 as the best ever. If he goes all the way, it will be his 100th career title, making him just the third man in the Open era to reach the milestone, behind Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103).