VIDEO: Emotional Novak Djokovic tears up during tribute to ‘tennis father’ Nikola Pilic

Shahida Jacobs
Pictured: Novak Djokovic with inset of Nikola Pilic
Novak Djokovic with inset of Nikola Pilic

There were soul-stirring scenes at the end of Novak Djokovic’s match against Alejandro Tabilo at the Hellenic Championship as the tennis great was overcome with emotion during a poignant tribute to his late coach, Nikola Pilic.

Former world No 6 Pilic had a major impact on the career of Djokovic as the Serbian spent his formative years at the Pilic tennis academy in Germany, training with the Croatian from 1999 until 2003.

Djokovic, of course, went on to become one of the all-time greats in tennis as he has won a record-breaking 24 Grand Slam singles titles and has spent 428 weeks at No 1 in the ATP Rankings.

The foundation of that success was laid by Pilic and Djokovic has always held the Croatian in high esteem and was devastated when his former mentor passed away at the age of 86 on September 22 this year.

Shortly after the news broke, Djokovic told Montenegrin news outlet Vijesti: “Nikola is my tennis father. A mentor. A man who selflessly shared his knowledge and experience about tennis and life with me.

“Niki’s lovely wife Mija and he welcomed me with open arms to their tennis academy in Germany and treated me like their own child.”

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Pilic was honoured at the Telekom Center Athens after Djokovic’s win over Tabilo, and there were tears when a tribute video was played on the big screen.

Afterwards, the 38-year-old told ATPTour.com: “It was an emotional moment. Considering what he meant to me and my family — privately, also professionally — he was my tennis father as I like to call him, someone that has played a fundamental, integral role in my development as a tennis player and as a human being.

“It was really sad news when I heard that he passed away a few months ago.”

The former world No 1 attended Pilic’s funeral and while it is always sad to say goodbye to someone close to you, the Croatian will always have a special place in Djokovic’s life.

“It was a very, very difficult moment,” he said. “But on a brighter side, the legacy that he left behind on me, but also for this sport, is never going to fade away, never going to die.

“As long as I play tennis and as long as I live, I will celebrate his name. And tonight this was one of the moments of how to pay tribute and I’m sure in the near future – in the far future as well – people will learn about how Niki has impacted the world of tennis and the world of sport. He deserves it. He was a very special man.”

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