Nishesh Basavareddy will face his icon at the Australian Open (Image: Getty)
Nishesh Basavareddy admits he developed his playing style by watching as he gears up to face his icon on Sunday. The 19-year-old will play the veteran star in a first-round clash at the .
Basavareddy will make his major tournament debut at the weekend, while is competing at his 20th tournament down under. The teenager revealed that Djokovic had been his favourite player since childhood and served as a template for his own game.
Speaking on the Changeover podcast, he opened up about his admiration for the Serbian, saying: “Yeah, when I was younger I used to try to like copy his serve and stuff. Maybe when I was younger serve wasn’t as good so that wasn’t the best thing. But yeah he’s been my favourite player since I was growing up, so.”
The American-born star also praised Djokovic’s defensive skills, noting how world number one’s versatility on the court has influenced his development. Basavareddy added: “And also when I was younger I didn’t think I was going to be the biggest guy. I ended up growing a little more than I thought I would be.
“I was never going to be the guy that’s going to overpower someone or serve big. So I think learning from a guy like him who uses all parts of the court as an all-around player; uses the pace of the other guy to redirect, those have all been things that I’ve worked on since I was young. So I think it just developed overtime.”
Djokovic has won the Australian Open 10 times in his career (Image: Getty)
Djokovic is considered one of tennis’ greatest talents and has recently addressed the growing retirement rumours, as he embarks on his 22nd year in the sport. Speaking to GQ, the 37-year-old hinted at an eventual farewell but stated it would be related to a drastic change in form.
He said: “I am thinking about how I want to end it and when do I want to end it. No, I’m going to take that back. I do think about more how than when. When I’m not thinking about it as of yet so intensely.
“How-How I would like to end it? I feel if I start to lose more and feel like there is a bigger gap, that I start to have more challenges in overcoming those big obstacles in big Slams, then I’ll probably call it a day. But right now I’m still okay, keep continuing.”