Nishesh Basavareddy just had a three hour marathon with Novak Djokovic.

The American teen is making his breakthrough on the ATP Tour and has racked up a string of early achievements within a month of turning professional. 

He was up against the formidable force of Novak Djokovic in the first round of the Australian Open and caused the Serb plenty of concern when taking the first set.

The 19-year-old stunned the Serbian with his power and athleticism as he went to break Djokovic early in the first set before winning it 6-4.

Djokovic would go on to win the match 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-2 after Basavareddy cramped up and struggled with the intensity of the ocassion.

Nevertheless, the match served to be memorable for the American who had something of a full-circle moment playing against Djokovic.

It recently emerged that the teenager’s WhatsApp profile picture is Djokovic and the American admitted it is because he idolises the 24-Grand Slam champion.

“I have always just loved his game, his technique,his mental strength and his attitude. I put that up a couple of years ago and I guess I haven’t changed it,” Basavareddy said.

Djokovic praised his opponent for his spirit and answered the question about what he makes of his opponent’s profile picture.

“I don’t know what to say to that, to be honest. You know, I obviously try not to think about those particular things when I’m on the court, but I do appreciate the support and appreciation,” Djokovic said while smiling.

“I’m sure we’ll see a lot of him in the future. He did very pleasantly surprise me with all of his shots.”

Basavareddy exits the Australian Open off the back of a very successful couple of weeks.

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He turned professional just last month, foregoing his remaining NCAA eligibility and has already made history within American tennis.

Basavareddy reached the last four of the ASB classic and became the youngest American to reach a tour-level semi-final on hard courts, a record stretching back to since an 18-year-old Reilly Opelka in 2016.

The teenager has already racked in the prize money since turning pro, his first round-exit from the Australian Open sees him receive $135k AUD.

Meanwhile his earnings in Brisbane and Auckland have seen him receive just under $69,000 AUD, good for a total of $120k – not bad for a first month’s work.

The American is in good hands also with Rajeev Ram spotted in his box, who serves as his mentor and is a three-time US Open doubles champion. 

Basavareddy only won his maiden Challenger-level title in California in October, and also was runner-up at two more Challenger events.

The showdown in Melbourne also was a piece of nostalgia for Djokovic who drew level with Roger Federer for the the most number of Grand Slam singles matches played with 429.

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Djokovic’s last first round exit from a Grand Slam was against Paul Goldstein at the 2006 Australian Open, just a few months after Basavareddy was born.

Goldstein went on to become Basavareddy’s head coach at Stanford University in a full-circle moment for everyone invovled.

Basavareddy recived a wildcard into Melbourne and now sits at 107th in the world, the American will be looking to improve his ranking to receive automatic entry into the French Open this May.