The ATP Tour season continues this week in Beijing and Tokyo, with players taking on the China Open and the Tokyo Open.
Carlos Alcaraz headlines the Japan Open, playing at the ATP 500 tournament after representing Team Europe at the Laver Cup.
And his fierce rival Jannik Sinner headlines the China Open, having lost the final of last year’s event to Alcaraz.
The tournaments lead into the ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai, which continues the countdown to the ATP Finals.
Alcaraz currently leads the way in the Race to Turin, followed by Sinner in second and Novak Djokovic in third.
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty ImagesPlayer Novak Djokovic called ‘very talented’ has just seven ATP wins in 2025
Djokovic has entered the Shanghai Masters, but many players are focused on the current events, where one of his recent Grand Slam opponents has already suffered an early exit.
In a stacked China Open qualifying draw, Nishesh Basavareddy met second seed Arthur Rinderknech in the first round.
And it was the Frenchman who came out on top, defeating the American 6-4, 6-4 after one hour and 15 minutes.
Rinderknech went on to lose to David Goffin in second round qualifying, while Basavareddy exits the competition and will head into his next event with a 7-10 win-loss record for 2025.
One of his losses came against Djokovic in the first round of the Australian Open, before which the American was praised by the Serbian.
Djokovic spoke highly of Basavareddy, saying: “Well, to be honest, I don’t know much about him. I watched him play yesterday actually for the first time.
“I think he’s played the semifinals of the New Zealand tournament. I saw that he’s very quick. He’s a very talented player. He’s got great hands. He’s very dynamic. He can serve well, hit spots.”
A teenager at the time, he certainly lived up to that description, taking the first set in Melbourne before losing 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 2-6.
But he has struggled to gain any momentum on the ATP Tour this season, winning just seven of his 17 matches played, excluding qualifiers.
Who is ATP number 107 Nishesh Basavareddy?
It should definitely be noted that Basavareddy is only 20 years old, and likely has a very bright future ahead of him.
And he’s even impressed among his brief list of wins in 2025, which includes overcoming Aleksandar Vukic in Cincinnati and Marin Cilic in Hangzhou.
Photo by DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images
But as Djokovic alluded to, he enjoyed a superb run in Auckland at the very start of the year, reaching the semifinals.
Basavareddy’s fantastic efforts included wins over Alejandro Tabilo and Alex Michelsen, before he finally fell to veteran Gael Monfils.
The youngster can indeed afford to focus his efforts on the ATP Challenger Tour too, although ATP success may just be on his mind.
Currently ranked 107th in the world, the American has already broken the top 100, and has come face-to-face with the likes of Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev.