{"id":640978,"date":"2025-11-06T16:24:43","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T15:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?p=640978"},"modified":"2025-11-06T16:24:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T15:24:48","slug":"novak-djokovic-breaks-down-tears-emotional-tribute-to-late-coach-nikola-pilic-in-athens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/novak-djokovic-breaks-down-tears-emotional-tribute-to-late-coach-nikola-pilic-in-athens\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cHe Was My Tennis Father\u201d \u2013 Novak Djokovic Breaks Down in Tears After Emotional Tribute to Late Coach Nikola Pilic in Athens"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Novak Djokovic&rsquo;s second-round win at the Hellenic Championship in Athens turned into an emotional evening on Tuesday as the 24-time Grand Slam champion broke down in tears during a tribute video honoring his late mentor, Nikola Pilic. Moments after defeating Alejandro Tabilo 7-6(3), 6-1, Djokovic stood courtside visibly shaken as the organizers played a video commemorating Pilic, the legendary coach who passed away in September at age 86. Djokovic, who joined Pilic&rsquo;s academy in Germany at just 12 years old, struggled to speak as he paid respect to the man he repeatedly credited for shaping his life and career.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Novak Djokovic pays tribute to his coach Nikola Pili&#263;, who passed away in September at the age of 86 &#128148;<br><br>He trained and mentored Novak Djokovic in his early years as a player and had a significant impact on his career &#10084;&#65039; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rIU5wdK36t\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/rIU5wdK36t<\/a><\/p>&mdash; TNT Sports (@tntsports) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tntsports\/status\/1986052676782604526?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>November 5, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Djokovic&rsquo;s Tearful Tribute to the Coaching Legend Pilic<\/h2><p>When the tribute ended and the microphone was handed to him, Djokovic&rsquo;s voice cracked instantly. <em>&ldquo;Sorry. Sorry for this but he was more than just a mentor and a coach to me,&rdquo;<\/em> he told the Athens crowd, wiping away tears. <em>&ldquo;He was a part of my family to me and my brothers. He has helped so much and I definitely wouldn&rsquo;t be who I am today without him. He passed away a few months ago and I want to ask your support to give him respect and the tribute that he deserves, the legend that he is.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p><p>The emotional weight grew heavier as he continued, calling Pilic <em>&ldquo;the biggest Davis Cup coach in history,&rdquo;<\/em> adding, <em>&ldquo;He has won the Davis Cup five times with three different countries with Germany, Serbia and Croatia, this is something which will never be repeated. He&rsquo;s an absolute legend of the game.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Djokovic very emotional during childhood coach Nikola Pilic video tribute in Athens<br><br>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sorry, but he was more than just a mentor and a coach. He was part of my family and to me and my brothers he has helped me so much. I definitely wouldn&rsquo;t be who I am today&hellip;&rdquo;<br><br>&#127909;: ATP Media <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/p5Hc6tZAyV\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/p5Hc6tZAyV<\/a><\/p>&mdash; TennisONE App (@TennisONEApp) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TennisONEApp\/status\/1986293607599648899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>November 6, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>Djokovic was soon joined on court by longtime friends and coaches from Pilic&rsquo;s academy, turning the moment into a quiet reunion of people bound by the same mentor. Later, speaking to the ATP Tour website, Djokovic reflected further: <em>&ldquo;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.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who Was Nikola Pilic?<\/h2><p>Pilic&rsquo;s life was a remarkable blend of playing success, historic controversy, and unprecedented coaching achievements. A professional from 1968 to 1978 after eight years as an amateur, he reached the men&rsquo;s singles final at Roland Garros in 1973, won Wimbledon doubles in 1970, and reached the Wimbledon doubles final in 1962.<\/p><p>He was also at the center of the famous 1973 Wimbledon boycott, where 81 players withdrew in protest of his suspension, one of the sport&rsquo;s defining political moments.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Nikola Pili&#263; has passed away aged 87. <br><br>After a brilliant career as a player Pili&#263; became the first captain to win the Davis Cup trophy for three nations: <br><br>Germany in 1988, 1989 and 1993 &#127465;&#127466;<br>Croatia in 2005 &#127469;&#127479;<br>Serbia in 2010 &#127479;&#127480;<br><br>Rest in Peace. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/P7PtiZyDV9\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/P7PtiZyDV9<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Davis Cup (@DavisCup) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DavisCup\/status\/1970528698269843619?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>September 23, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>As a coach, Pilic&rsquo;s legacy became even larger. He remains the first and only captain to win the Davis Cup with three different nations: Germany (1988, 1989, 1993), Croatia (2005), and Serbia (2010). He later served as an adviser to Serbia&rsquo;s Davis Cup team, helping them reach their historic triumph in 2010.&nbsp;<\/p><p><em>Mandatory Image Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"mm-layout mm-layout-type-post mm-layout-slot4\">\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Djokovic\u2019s Athens win turns emotional as he honors his late mentor Pilic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":640979,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mux_skip_reasons":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[4770],"tags":[6514,10507,10506,4949],"class_list":["post-640978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennis","tag-6514","tag-athens","tag-coach-nikola-pilic","tag-novak-djokovic"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>&ldquo;He Was My Tennis Father&rdquo; &ndash; Novak Djokovic Breaks Down in Tears After Emotional Tribute to Late Coach Nikola Pilic in Athens - 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