Novak Đoković, the best Serbian tennis player, spoke with great emotion about the late Nikola Pilić, his “tennis father.” Đoković defeated Alejandro Tabilo 7:6(3), 6:1 in the second round of the tournament in Athens (Series 250), and burst into tears afterwards. Nikola Pilić is one of the most deserving individuals for Novak’s development in tennis, so Đoković’s reaction to the scene that followed the match is not surprising. A video dedicated to Nikola Pilić was shown.
“It was a very emotional moment. Considering what he meant to me and my family, both personally and professionally – he was my tennis father, as I like to call him. He was someone who played a key, essential role in my development as a tennis player and as a human being. It was really difficult for me when I heard he passed away,” Đoković said after the match for the ATP website. He will forever remember his idol.
🥺 Τα δάκρυα του Τζόκοβιτς μετά το βίντεο στη μνήμη του τενιστικού «πατέρα» του Νικι Πίλιτς
— gazzetta.gr (@gazzetta_gr) November 4, 2025
🎥 @DimitrisMytikas #HellenicChampionship #djokovic pic.twitter.com/n0QJnT2lnn
“As long as I play tennis and as long as I live, I will celebrate his name. This was one way to pay tribute to him, and I am sure that people in the future will find out how much Niki influenced the world of tennis and sports in general. He deserves it. He was a special man.”
Nikola Pilić passed away on September 23rd this year. He is the only person to have led three different countries to the Davis Cup champion title. He led Croatia, West Germany, and finally Serbia in 2010 to the world champion title. He was a finalist at Roland Garros in 1973, won the US Open in 1970 in doubles, and was a Wimbledon doubles finalist in 1962. During his playing career, he reached nine singles titles (11 in doubles), and was ranked sixth in the world.
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Source:Nova.rs; Foto: