Novak Djokovic had high hopes for this ATP player, but his career has not quite panned out in the way he expected so far.
Djokovic is bidding to win his 25th major title this year, something he has been attempting to do for the past two years.
Although the Serbian has been unable to win that elusive Grand Slam, Djokovic has been able to make rankings history in the latest update.
While Djokovic has fared well in the latest ATP rankings, a player he praised at the Australian Open last year has not.
Nishesh Basavareddy suffers significant ranking drop out of the top 200
Young American player Nishesh Basavareddy has enjoyed a significant breakthrough in recent years, with the 20-year-old climbing from outside the top 450 (2024) to a career-high of world number 99 in June last year.
This included Basavareddy reaching the semifinals of the ASB Classic, before going on to play Djokovic at the Australian Open.
Prior to facing him at the Australian Open, Djokovic called Basavareddy ‘very talented’, before going on to beat the American, 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-2, in a close-fought battle.
Showing how impressed he was with Basavareddy, Djokovic was full of praise for him after the match.
“I was very impressed by him,” said Djokovic in his press conference at the time. “I think the whole stadium was really. That’s why he got a great round of applause and appreciation from the crowd. They saw what he did on the court, the quality of tennis he put in, the fighting spirit.
“Huge credit to him for stepping out in his debut in a Grand Slam, first time on a big court, playing the way he did play. So well done. I’m sure if he keeps going, as I said on the court, this way, he’s very young, we are going to see quite a bit of him in the future.
“He’s got really great hands. Overall quite a complete player. Of course, he can always improve on the shots. He already has a really good game.”
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There was much promise for Basavareddy after this match, but he only managed to win three more main draw matches on the ATP Tour in 2025.
This caused Basavareddy to end the 2025 season ranked outside the top 160, and he has now fallen even further.
After being unable to defend his semifinal points at the ASB Classic, Basavareddy has dropped 69 ranking places to world number 239.
Instead of competing in Auckland again, Basavareddy, who is now working with Daniil Medvedev’s former coach, is playing in Australian Open qualifying.
While he has faced a setback in terms of his ranking, Basavareddy has made a positive start in his bid to return to the Australian Open main draw after beating Alexis Galarneau in his first round qualifying match.
Gael Monfils falls outside the top 100 in his final tennis season
Basavareddy is not the only player who has suffered a significant drop in the rankings this week, with former world number six Gael Monfils also being impacted.
Monfils, who has announced he will be retiring this year, won his 13th career title at the ASB Classic in Auckland last year.
With the tennis season now being moved a week later this year, Monfils’ 250 ranking points have already come off before the tournament has even got underway.
This has caused the Frenchman to drop 41 places down to world number 110, which could be significant for Monfils.
As Monfils plays the final tournament of his decorated career, this ranking means that he may now require wildcards for many of the events he wants to compete in.
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However, unlike Basavareddy, Monfils has the opportunity to defend his ranking points in Auckland, as he is playing the ATP 250 tournament again.
Monfils will play his first match of the 2026 season against Hungarian Fabian Marozsan.
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