![\"Nishesh](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/country-role-models.jpg\")
<\/p>\n Next Gen
\n Learning from legends: Nadal, Cilic, Ram inspiring #NextGenATP stars<\/p>\n
Basavareddy, Prizmic & Landaluce open up on their role models<\/p>\n
November 04, 2025<\/p>\n
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Getty Images\/Mike Lawrence\/ATP Tour<\/p>\n
Nishesh Basavareddy, Dino Prizmic and Martin Landaluce are all in the Top 10 in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah.
\n By Sam Jacot<\/p>\n
Nishesh Basavareddy<\/a>, Dino Prizmic<\/a> and Martin Landaluce<\/a>\u2019s path toward the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF<\/a> in December has been guided by the footsteps of those who came before them.<\/p>\n Each #NextGenATP star has drawn inspiration from countrymen and personal mentors, players whose influence has helped shape not only their games, but also their approach to the sport and life on Tour.<\/p>\n For Basavareddy, who grew up in Indiana, that inspiration came both from his Indian-American roots and from one of the most respected figures in American doubles tennis, Rajeev Ram<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a shared coach in Brian Smith,\u201d Basavareddy told ATPTour.com in New York. \u201cBrian\u2019s been coaching Raj since he was 14 or 15, and when I moved to Indiana at eight years old, I started working with Brian too. As I\u2019ve grown older and started playing on tour, Raj and I began crossing paths more. He\u2019s been a great mentor, and now I can call him a friend as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Watching 32-time tour-level doubles champion Ram succeed on the ATP Tour, and doing so as one of the few Indian-Americans at the top level, gave Basavareddy a model to follow.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was huge,\u201d he reflected. \u201cWhen you\u2019re younger, you don\u2019t really know what the pro tour is like. But seeing Raj travel, compete, and win gave me a real look at it. It also gave my parents confidence. He was one of the first Indian-Americans to really make it.\u201d<\/p>\n A new Race to Jeddah update has dropped \ud83d\udde3\ufe0f#PIF<\/a> | #ATPRankings<\/a> | #partner<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/y5LdUDT8JS<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Next Gen ATP Finals (@nextgenfinals) November 3, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n Basavareddy also credits the current generation of American players, from Frances Tiafoe<\/a> and Taylor Fritz<\/a> to Sebastian Korda<\/a> and Ben Shelton<\/a>, as everyday examples of how to build a career the right way.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve all been great to look up to,\u201d said Basavareddy, who reached the semi-finals at the ATP 250 in Auckland this year. \u201cThey\u2019re improving every year, and they\u2019re great guys off the court. I\u2019ve tried to take little things from all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Representing both the United States and his heritage is something the 20-year-old takes pride in.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of my fans are Indian and the love and support from that community means a lot,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I can inspire even a few kids there to pick up a racquet, that would mean the world to me.\u201d<\/p>\n You May Also Like: Blockx, Jodar win Challenger titles & climb in Live Race To Jeddah<\/a><\/p>\n In Spain, Landaluce has had the unique privilege of learning directly from two of the nation\u2019s biggest stars in Rafael Nadal<\/a> and Carlos Alcaraz<\/a>. Both of whom have set the gold standard for what it means to be a Spanish champion.<\/p>\n Landaluce joined the Rafa Nadal Academy at age 14 and was immediately thrown into a world-class environment.<\/p>\n “Just a week or two after arriving, I was already practicing with Rafa, on clay, his best surface,\u201d Landaluce told ATPTour.com at the Rafa Nadal Academy in August. \u201cIt was a big challenge, but I loved it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Training alongside Nadal left an imprint that went far beyond technique.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat shocked me most was how he treated me, like an equal,\u201d Landaluce shared. \u201cEven though I was 14 and unknown, he respected me, trained hard, and took every point seriously. That attitude stayed with me.\u201d<\/p>\n That professionalism, coupled with humility, remains the essence of what Landaluce tries to emulate: \u201cEven with all the fans and kids around, Rafa always made time for them. That humility inspired me. I try to do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n The young Spaniard also finds inspiration in Alcaraz, a close friend and fellow US Open<\/a> junior champion.\n<\/p>\n \u201cCarlos is an amazing guy, funny, down to earth, and so natural,\u201d Landaluce said. \u201cHe\u2019s achieved so much, but he still has that brightness and joy. That motivates me to keep my own spirit alive and keep learning.\u201d<\/p>\n For Landaluce, this blend of humility, fight, and joy defines what it means to play the Spanish way.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s this spirit, we fight until the end,\u201d said Landaluce, who won an ATP Challenger Tour title in Orleans this year. \u201cEven if I\u2019m down 6-0, 5-0, I still believe I can win. That fighting spirit is part of who we are as Spanish players.\u201d<\/p>\n For Prizmic, growing up in Croatia meant looking up to former US Open<\/a> champion Marin Cilic<\/a> and 2022 Cincinnati winner Borna Coric<\/a>. Their success on the world stage showed him what was possible.<\/p>\n \u201cI looked up to both of them,\u201d Prizmic said. \u201cFrom them I learned to fight every point, to believe in yourself no matter the score. I first met Borna when I was young at the Piatti Tennis Academy. We\u2019ve been very good friends since then. And I met Marin later in Zagreb when I was training with him.\u201d<\/p>\n Having that access to proven champions, he said, has been invaluable.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a great thing to have players like that around you,\u201d Prizmic explained. \u201cYou can always ask them for advice, and they\u2019re willing to help.\u201d<\/p>\n Prizmic, a three-time ATP Challenger Tour champion, has already had the chance to represent Croatia at the Davis Cup, moments that have deepened his sense of national pride.<\/p>\n \u201cWe played against Slovakia this year and won,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was a big pleasure for me. It\u2019s special to wear your country\u2019s colours and feel that support.\u201d<\/p>\n For all three players, their role models are more than just names, they\u2019re living reminders of where dedication and belief can lead. Whether it\u2019s Nadal\u2019s humility, Ram\u2019s mentorship or Cilic\u2019s fighting spirit, those examples continue to guide them as they prepare for the biggest stages of their young careers.<\/p>\n This is the third feature of our Next Gen ATP series Next in Line. Read our other stories here: On 18 November, we will look at what fuels Landaluce, Justin Engel<\/a> and Federico Cina<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n![\"It](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1762309094_286_it-all-adds-up-banner.jpg\"\/)
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\nWimbledon dreams, Nishikori\u2019s run & Vinci\u2019s courtside lessons: #NextGenATP stars share early memories
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\nNext Steps: How Tien, Basavareddy & Engel are making the leap
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