Coco Gauff reveals Federer-Nadal rivalry was her favorite, says she likes Federer "10% more" than Djokovic
Coco Gauff weighed in on the Big 3 recently as she put Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal at the top of her list of favorite rivalries.
The 18-year-old spoke about legendary tennis rivalries and how it wasn't necessary for players to dislike each other to establish a battle. She cited multiple examples like Martina Navratilova vs Chris Evert, John McEnroe vs Bjorn Borg, and Serena Williams against Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova.
However, Gauff made a special mention of the rivalries between the Big 3. She expressed her wish to emulate Federer and Nadal, and form a long-term competition with one of the WTA players in the future.
"One of the most famous was Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, although that was before I was born," Gauff said. "Another example is, of course, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Roger and Rafa was my favorite rivalry. What they had was incredible."
Gauff was highly impressed with the strong friendship that Federer and Nadal shared and their mutual respect, despite being each other's biggest rivals on the tour. She recalled the 2022 Laver Cup when the Swiss icon retired and cried alongside the Spaniard during his farewell ceremony.
"As a fan watching them, it was amazing to see how they played on the court like they hated each other, but then to see afterwards they could be friends and did amazing things together. That moment at the Laver Cup where they touched hands made me emotional too. I guess a match-up like that is something that I'd love to be part of in the future," she added.
The seventh-ranked American also revealed that she was heartbroken when Novak Djokovic defeated Federer in the 2019 Wimbledon finals. She explained that she liked the 20-time Major winner a little more than the Serb.
"Another one I have seen live is Roger and Novak Djokovic, although when Novak won the Wimbledon title in 2019, it was a heart-wrencher for me because I'm a Roger fan. I like Novak a lot, but I like Roger maybe 10% more," Coco Gauff said.
Coco Gauff continues winning streak in 2023
After defeating Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic and Emma Raducanu of Great Britain, Coco Gauff reached the third round of the 2023 Australian Open. She has won all seven of her matches this season. In fact, the youngster is yet to lose a set in 2023.
She lifted her career's third tour title earlier this month when she triumphed at the WTA 250 ASB Classic in Auckland.
On Friday, January 20, Gauff will square off against World No. 41 Bernarda Pera of the United States for a spot in the last 16.