Novak Djokovic Honours Nikola Pilic's Memory
Novak Djokovic marked more than just a victory at the Vanda Pharmaceuticals Hellenic Championship on Tuesday evening. The 100-time tour-level title winner paid tribute to the late influential coach Nikola Pilic, who died in September.
Remembering Nikola Pilic
Djokovic invited friends and coaches from Pilic's academy — including Petar Basic, Lado Chikhladze, Ana Jovanovic, Oliver Poturicek, Peter Shuster, and Kostas Zaraklanis — onto the court in Athens to honor Pilic’s legacy in front of a packed audience.
Emotional Tribute
Alongside his brother and tournament director Djordje Djokovic, Novak was visibly moved as a video tribute played on the big screen. He shared with 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.”
Lasting Legacy
Djokovic attended Pilic’s funeral for the first time, a deeply emotional experience that reinforced the profound influence Pilic had on him and many others in the tennis world.
“It was a very, very difficult moment. 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.”
He added, “As long as I play tennis and as long as I live, I will celebrate his name.”
Novak Djokovic's tribute to Nikola Pilic highlights the enduring impact of a mentor who shaped his life and career deeply.