Nishesh Basavareddy admits Gilles Cervara's major success with Daniil Medvedev played a role in is decision to pursue the French coach.
During an eight-year tenure with Cervara, Medvedev made six Grand Slam finals - won the 2021 US Open - and reached the world No. 1 ranking. Their partnership ended after the US Open.
After splitting with Medvedev, Cervara didn't instantly jump into something new as he took some time to weigh his options. And after 20-year-old Basavareddy came with an offer, the French coach admitted he saw it as "an amazing project" and agreed on a collaboration.
In 2025, Basavareddy enjoyed a breakout year after making his maiden ATP semifinal in Auckland as a qualifier. Also, the rising American tennis star broke into the top-100 for the first time in his career and reached a career-high ranking of No. 99 in the world.
Basavareddy: I thought Cervara's experience could help me where I'm at in my career
Obviously, he had a long and successful partnership with Daniil, who was a good player before they started working together, but they did a lot of great things together. I thought that experience at the highest level could help me where Im at in my career. Its not just the tennis; hes interested in all aspects. Hes diligent and professional in areas such as nutrition and fitness, and that will help me," the 20-year-old told the ATP website.
Basavareddy, who is currently ranked at No. 167 in the world, is set to debut with Cervara as his coach at this week's NextGen ATP Finals in Jeddah. Today, the American is playing against Dino Prizmic in his opening match in Jeddah.
Im thrilled about this project with a healthy player and environment, eager to build something after many months without a structure," Cervara told L'Equipe a couple of days ago.
