Novak Djokovic, Ben Shelton and Top Tennis Stars Drop Their FIFA World Cup Predictions

While the tennis courts are buzzing with the grass court season, the ATP locker rooms have been taken over by FIFA World Cup fever. With the biggest soccer tournament kicking off, the crew at Tennis TV decided to catch up with some of the tour’s top names, including Novak Djokovic, to get their predictions, and the players had many different answers.

Novak Djokovic Tips Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal for World Cup Glory as Others Make Bold Predictions

For most of the other players on the tour, national pride stole the show. Ben Shelton picked the host, the 17th-ranked United States, to win. Jack Draper is praying that football finally comes home for England, while Gael Monfils and Arthur Fils are confidently backing their home country, France, to secure another title. However, Fils also believes it could be the defending champs, Argentina, who beat France in the 2022 final. Meanwhile, Joao Fonseca sides with Brazil, the tournament’s record five-time winners.

Interestingly, Flavio Cobolli chose Portugal and the dark horse, the Netherlands, for one of his friends, while Italy is not qualified for the competition. Cobolli replied with two voice notes; one had him cheering for Portugal, and in the other, he said, “And the Netherlands for my friend, Donyell Malen.” Malen plays for Italian club AS Roma, which Cobolli has been a lifelong fan of.

Djokovic mapped out an exact final for the World Cup, rather than picking a favorite. He predicts that it will be between Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal and Mexico, with Portugal lifting the trophy 2-0 or 2-1.

The Serb is actually close friends with Ronaldo, who is lacing up his boots for his final World Cup appearance. In 2025, accepting his Globe Sportsman of the Year award, the 24-time Grand Slam winner gave a shoutout to Ronaldo in his speech. “I love Cristiano’s serious look when he said he’s going to reach the thousand goals, and he really means it… I do believe and resonate with this power of the words and the power of the mind, mind over matter, always.”

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On the same stage, Ronaldo said, “For me, he [Djokovic] is an example. When you have people as an example, the awards come by themselves. His longevity, we have a similar story. So I think he deserves this because he is a great example for this generation, all generations.”

The 41-year-old is playing his last World Cup alongside many legends, especially Lionel Messi. The tournament features 48 teams and will be played in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. Djokovic will be shifting focus to Wimbledon, while the rest of the ATP pros are all in for the grass-court swing in Germany, including the Boss Open in Stuttgart and the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle.