Eugenie Bouchard [inset] recently hailed the World No. 1 as the best amongst the Big 3.
Eugenie Bouchard recently gave her verdict on the GOAT debate in men’s tennis, claiming Novak Djokovic is better than both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
The Mallorcan recently overtook his famous rivals in the Slam race by clinching his 21st Major at the Australian Open. But Bouchard, who admittedly has a “soft spot” for Federer, believes there is no denying that the current World No. 1 is the best of the three.
“Technically by Slam number now, it’s Rafa Nadal, but I personally have a soft spot for Roger but I do think that Djokovic is actually the best,” Eugenie Bouchard said while speaking on the Pardon My Take podcast.
Bouchard was then asked who she would choose between the prime versions of Federer and Djokovic. The Canadian went with the Swiss.
“I’ll always pick Roger in his prime,” Bouchard said.
The former Wimbledon runner-up was also asked about the GOAT debate on the women’s side, where she had no qualms about picking Serena Williams.
“Yes, to me she is (on Serena Williams being the GOAT in the women’s side),” the Canadian said.
The 28-year-old also believes the fanbases of Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal are often “very aggressive” towards each other.
A look at the head-to-head record between Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal
The rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal is the most celebrated one on the men’s tour, with the two having faced each other a whopping 58 times. The Serb leads Nadal 30-28 in the head-to-head, even though the Mallorcan has won two of their last three encounters.
The World No. 1 also leads Roger Federer by a margin of 27-23 in the head-to-head count. His rivalry with the Swiss is the second-most celebrated in men’s tennis history.
However, Federer’s match-up against the Serb has been quite one-sided in recent years, with the latter having won six of their last seven meetings, dating all the way back to 2015. The Swiss’ solitary win against the 34-year-old came at the 2019 ATP Finals.
Meanwhile, Nadal leads Federer by a hefty margin of 24-16 in the head-to-head. However, the 40-year-old has had the upper hand over the Mallorcan in recent years, having accounted for the latter in seven of their last eight fixtures dating back to 2015.
It remains to be seen if the Swiss will get another chance to play either of his illustrious rivals once he makes his comeback later this year.
