"Always been a Roger Federer fan, but I wasn't a fan of Novak Djokovic & then became a fan" - Eugenie Bouchard on why she'd like to interview the Serb

Eugenie Bouchard has explained why she would like to interview Novak Djokovic despite being a fan of Roger Federer. She confessed that her appreciation and admiration for the Serb has grown over time

Djokovic and Federer are widely regarded as two of the greatest tennis players in history. While the Serb to date boasts of winning a staggering 24 Grand Slam singles titles, Federer retired with 20. Both players have held the ATP World No. 1 ranking for over 300 weeks each and also won Olympic gold medals.

On Caroline Garcia and her fiance Borja Durans' podcast, the Tennis Insider Club, Eugenie Bouchard expressed her interest in hearing Novak Djokovic's interview next on the podcast because she's a fan and because of all the things he has achieved in his career, which she termed as "insane."

The former World No. 5 said that she has always been a fan of Roger Federer, though. She also revealed that she wasn't a fan of Djokovic earlier but has turned into one now.

“Well I mean, on the men's side, I’d say Novak (Djokovic) just because I mean, what he’s done, I think is just so insane and I’m a fan of his. I didn't actually used to be.

"I mean I’ve always been a Roger (Federer) fan. So like Roger to this day is still always there, but I wasn’t a fan of Novak and then became a fan,” Bouchard said [1:00:05].

Eugenie Bouchard said that she admires Novak Djokovic for standing strong for what he believes in, ability to win matches and dedication in maintaining his body.

“I think that him standing up for what he believes in is so important. And the way he can still win the way he does and the way he takes care of his body, and he’s like just not normal. I mean he’s like a freak obviously, so it’s like I would love to just know the inside of his mind,” she added. [1:00:37].

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Roger Federer on the first impression he had of Novak Djokovic: “There was some hype around him; I wasn’t really fully convinced”

Novak Djokovic (left) & Roger Federer at Wimbledon (Source: Getty)

Earlier this year, during behind-the-scenes footage from his documentary, "Federer: Twelve Final Days," Roger Federer reminisced about the first time he played against Novak Djokovic.

They faced each other for the first time in the first round of the 2006 Monte-Carlo Masters. Federer admitted that after that match, he thought that the Serb was just an "OK" player.

"I played him in Monaco the very first time (Federer won 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 in 2006), and I walked off the court and thought, ‘Yeah, he’s OK,'" Federer said.

Federer said that despite the hype surrounding Djokovic at the time, he wasn't entirely convinced of the Serb's talent due to the technical flaws he observed. The 20-time Grand Slam champion said that Djokovic has worked hard to correct those faults and eventually become a "monster" of a player.

“Even though there was some hype around him, I wasn’t really fully convinced," Federer said.

"I think I didn’t give Novak the respect he deserved because of his technical flaws. I felt like Novak had a very extreme forehand grip, and his backhand for me wasn’t as fluid as it is nowadays. But then he ironed those things out super well and became an unbelievable monster of a player."

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have faced each other 50 times on the ATP tour, with 17 of those meetings occurring at Grand Slams. The 24-time Grand Slam champion won 27 of those contests.