Novak Djokovic recently attended the 2025 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and here, the Serb was asked about his thoughts on the country that would end up winning next year's FIFA World Cup. In response, the 38-year-old tennis legend, who is still going strong in the demanding racket sport, delivered a bold prediction that will surely excite soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo if he hears it.During an informal and candid exchange in the vicinity of the Yas Marina Circuit, Djokovic boldly predicted Ronaldo-captained Portugal to square off against Mexico in the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by the USA. The former World No. 1 and 24-time Major champion went on to pick Portugal as his choice for arguably the most prestigious trophy in all of soccer."I'm going to be blunt about it. Portugal, and they're going to beat Mexico in the finals," he said.The 101-time career singles titlist and Olympic gold medalist's response left the media person who asked the question shocked. Subsequently, the interviewer brought up France and Spain, with the two European nations' respective soccer teams heading to the 2026 FIFA World Cup being among the favorites for the crown. Here, Novak Djokovic, firmly standing by his bold take, said:"I know. That's why I said I'm going to be bold about it. Portugal-Mexico final. Portugal wins it."Novak Djokovic cited Cristiano Ronaldo and other elite athletes' examples to lay bare his own motivation to keep going in tennisNovak Djokovic (Source: Getty)Earlier this year, Novak Djokovic was one of the special guests at The Joy Forum, which took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Here, the Serb explained how Cristiano Ronaldo, along with the likes of other top athletes like LeBron James and Tom Brady have inspired him to keep playing at the highest level of men's tennis at his age."If you see across all the global sports, LeBron James, he's still going strong, he's 40, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Tom Brady played till he was 40-something years old. I mean, it's unbelievable. They're inspiring me as well. So I want to keep going and that's one of the motivations I have," the Serb said.However, despite the 38-year-old's intentions to keep competing for as long as possible, he has also previously admitted that he is finding it increasingly difficult to play against significantly younger rivals such as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.The Serb pulled the curtain down on his competitive outings in 2025 following his 101st career singles title triumph at the Hellenic Championship in Athens, Greece, and is set to return to action in time for the 2026 Australian Open.