Jack Draper picked between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as the ‘GOAT’.

Rising tennis star Jack Draper has named Novak Djokovic as his tennis ‘GOAT’ – though admitted his “heart” was with Rafael Nadal.

Alongside Roger Federer, Djokovic and Nadal defined an era of men’s tennis, winning 66 Grand Slam singles titles between them.

Djokovic holds a record 24 major singles titles with Nadal close behind on 22, with the Spaniard – most known for his success at Roland Garros – having retired from tennis in November.

World No 15 Draper, the current British No 1 in men’s tennis, was asked by Sky Sports to pick between Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, and Serena Williams as the greatest tennis player of all time.

While proclaiming Williams as the greatest female player, Draper put aside his love for Nadal to name Djokovic as the male equivalent.

“My heart is Rafael Nadal,” said the 23-year-old. “But who do I think is the best tennis player of all time?

“I mean, let’s just separate Serena out because she’s the female GOAT. I think we can put that down. A separate one for, because she’s incredible.

“Out of these three…when I was growing up, every kit, every new look, was him [Nadal]. He was just so iconic, being a left-hander like myself.

“My head says Novak. My heart is Rafa, but for me, the GOAT is obviously Novak Djokovic.”

“My head says Novak but my heart says Rafa”

Jack Draper on who the GOAT of tennis is pic.twitter.com/QktmPYRwTV

— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) December 23, 2024

Draper will be one of the ATP Tour players to watch in 2025, having finished the best season of his career in 2024.

After a tricky start to the year, the 23-year-old won his first ATP Tour title in Stuttgart before picking up a career-best win over Carlos Alcaraz at the Queen’s Club.

Draper would then reach a first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open, not dropping a set before his loss to Jannik Sinner, and then won the biggest title of his career at the ATP 500 event in Vienna.

The British star finished the season at a career-high of 15th and looks primed to potentially break into the top 10 over the next 12 months.

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Meanwhile, Djokovic – the last member of the ‘Big Three’ standing – will look to win a historic 25th Grand Slam title in 2025.

The Serbian failed to win a Grand Slam singles title in 2024, his first such season since 2017.

His best major run came at Wimbledon, where he was beaten by Alcaraz in the final, while he was also an Australian Open semi-finalist.

However, Djokovic still made history in 2024 after winning Olympic gold in Paris, joining Nadal and Andre Agassi in being one of just three men to complete the Career Golden Slam.

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