Australian star Bernard Tomic, who reached the World No. 17 in 2016, has given his verdict on the GOAT debate between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The 32-year-old star was among the victims of the Big Three, and he has a clear answer when it comes to choosing the best out of the three.
“Novak in his prime, no one could match him for sure. When he was playing well, he was chopping Federer 6-2, 6-2, Rafa, 6-2, 6-1, he was that good, man,” Tomic said on The Changeover Podcast in April.
“You can’t compete; he’s the greatest of all time. There will be no one like him for sure. I played five times, the most out of them all, I lost five times,” he added. “Rafa, I only played twice, I believe, played him on grass in Stuttgart, lost 6-4 in the third, so I didn’t play him too many times. Federer I played only two or three times, once I think it was Davis Cup, 6-4 in the fourth.”
Apart from dominating Federer and Nadal in their respective head-to-head, Djokovic also leads in the Grand Slam title count (with 24), as well as in weeks ranked as World No. 1 (428). The Serbian legend also has won the most Masters 1000 in men’s side (40), and completed the career Golden Slam by winning gold at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
In 2025, however, Djokovic has struggled to find his best form. The Serbian star had to retire in the Australian Open semifinals due to a muscle injury, and then has been eliminated in early rounds in tournaments such as Indian Wells, Qatar, and Madrid. He lost the final of the Miami Open against Jakub Mensik.
Tomic’s career
Tomic, who is currently ranked 232nd in the world, has won four ATP titles, including two Colombian Opens. The Australian, who won two Grand Slam titles as juniors, peaked at World No. 17 in 2016, and reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells, Cincinnati and Shanghai.
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However,Tomic was never able to fulfill the promise of his potential. While he claims he is now enjoying tennis, he has had several controversies, including accusations of tanking, and even having some arguments with Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt.