Lucas Pouille has given his honest assessment of the tennis GOAT debate as he explained why he gives Novak Djokovic the edge over Roger Federer. The former world No 10 believes Djokovic is the greatest player ever because of what he has achieved, while arguing Federer is the best “in people’s hearts” due to his “aura.”

Pouille has faced Djokovic three times – with every meeting coming in 2019 – and lost each encounter in straight sets. The most notable match between the pair resulted in a 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 demolition by the great Serbian the semi-finals of the 2019 Australian Open.

The Frenchman also played Federer twice and lost in straight sets on both occasions — at the 2014 Paris Masters and at Wimbledon in 2019 The 29-year-old is currently ranked 306th in the world after enduring several injury-plagued years, having broken into the top 10 in March 2018. Pouille has won five ATP titles, with the last coming in 2018.

Djokovic has won a men’s record 24 Grand Slam titles, while Rafael Nadal and Federer sit second and third on the all-time list with 22 and 20 majors respectively.

In an interview with Tennis Legend, Pouille gave his thoughts on the debate over who is the greatest male player of all time. “The greatest, for me, is Djokovic. In people’s hearts, I think it’s Federer, for his aura, what he exudes, the class he has and the character he embodies,” the Frenchman assessed.

“But at one point, we talk about the GOAT of tennis, we talk about results, statistics. And for me, today, Djokovic is the greatest player of all time.

“In my heart, so when I was a kid, it was more Federer and Nadal because I grew up more with them at the very beginning. But what Novak is doing today, to continue to evolve at this level at this age is incredible and admirable.”

In November, Pouille hailed what Djokovic was achieving during his staggering 2023 season — a campaign he went on to end as the ATP world No 1 for a record eighth time.

“Today, he is 36 years old, he has 19, 20 years of career, he has almost 100 titles and he is still just as hungry and what is extraordinary is that he still seems the freshest on the ground,” the 29-year-old told Eurosport.

“I think he can play for two, three or even four more years. The question is rather whether the desire will still be there. The desire to continue to make all these efforts, these sacrifices to be at the highest level. But for me, he still has the energy to play for a very long time.