Novak Djokovic receives Globe Sports Award from Cristiano Ronaldo in Dubai

Football legend Cristiano Ronaldo presents Novak Djokovic with the trophy.

Novak Djokovic has finished 2025 with another award in hand, this time at the inaugural Globe Sports Awards. The ceremony took place at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai on Sunday night, returning to host city Dubai for its 16th edition.

The 2025 Global Soccer Awards Ceremony saw football legend Cristiano Ronaldo share the stage with tennis star Novak Djokovic. Ronaldo presented Djokovic with the first Globe Sports Award in recognition of his extraordinary sporting career.

Ronaldo and Djokovic, household names in their respective sporting fields, had words of praise for each other. The Serbian tennis star confessed that he was caught off guard on receiving the honour.

On stage, the 24-time Grand Slam champion acknowledged that “To be present tonight is an honour and a privilege. Obviously, receiving the award from another sporting legend is a dream come true. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this.”

Ronaldo stated in reply, “Novak Djokovic is a role model. He deserves this award as he is a great role model for the current and future generations.”

Ronaldo, the Portuguese football star, now plays for Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr and is close to achieving 1,000 career goals. Djokovic is pursuing a milestone of his own: a record 25th Grand Slam, an achievement that will elevate both sporting greats onto a stage they will occupy alone.

Ronaldo, who was presented with the ‘Best Middle East Player Award,’ has a tally of 956 goals. Djokovic currently has 24 Grand Slam titles to his name.

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Spanish teenager, Lamine Yamal, bagged the Maradona Award and was also named Best Forward. Yamal was crowned as the Emerging Player in the 2024 edition of the Globe Soccer Awards.

Former Spanish midfielder Andrés Iniesta was handed the Globe Soccer Career Award. Frenchman Ousmane Dembele was crowned Best Men’s Player at the awards.

Looking back to Djokovic’s 2025 season, he is in his second consecutive season without a Grand Slam, having lost in the semi-final stage at all four majors. The Serb still managed to raise his tally of tour-level titles to 101 with title runs in Geneva and Athens.

Djokovic plans to kickstart his 2026 season at the ATP 250 Adelaide International in January 2026, where he will headline the event as the top seed.​

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