Under the bright lights of Athens, where applause echoed like ancient hymns in a modern coliseum, Novak Djokovic earned yet another hard-fought win – this time against Alejandro Tabilo. But victory wasn’t the story of the night. Emotion was. Legacy was. And memory, tender and powerful, stole the spotlight. As Djokovic stood before the crowd, sweat still glistening from his 7-6(3), 6-1 triumph, his composure slipped. His voice trembled, his eyes found the ground, and suddenly, the stoic world-beater let the walls around him crumble as he remembered his late ‘tennis father,’ Nikola Pilić.

Nikola Pilić breathed his last on September 22, 2025, at the age of 86. Yet what he left behind to tennis was more than a jewel of a mentee and a legacy so towering. Pilic was a Croatian professional tennis player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia in the 70s. He reached his highest ranking of 6, and his best record at the major tournaments was reaching the French Open final in 1973. However, in doubles, he won the US Open title in 1970. After retiring from the sport, he began coaching, and Pilić previously worked with Serbia’s Davis Cup as an adviser.

Djokovic pledged his life to celebrating Pilić’s name and everything he has done for tennis. This time, yet again, he saw the perfect moment to honor the late Nikola Pilić in a tribute paid to the great in Athens. He couldn’t hold back the tears streaming down his face. A poignant Djokovic said, “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.”

Speaking more of his tennis father after his match against Tabilo, Djokovic added, “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. 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.”

Pilić’s influence on Djokovic shines through history like sunlight through a stained-glass window. Long before Djokovic lifted Grand Slams like they were mandatory trophies or reclaimed the world number one spot with relentless hunger, he was a skinny kid in Munich. Shy. Talented. Undeniably determined—but directionless in a world that demanded guidance.

Nikola Pilić’s impact on Novak Djokovic over the years

Pilić ran an academy near Munich, Germany, where he developed players like Novak Djoković, Anastasija Sevastova, Ernests Gulbis, and Michael Stich. When he passed, several tennis bigwigs like Boris Becker, Marin Cilic, and Ivan Dodig attended his funeral. The death of Nikola Pilić had deeply affected Djokovic. After hearing the news of his demise, Djokovic penned down an emotional note for his former mentor, saying, “Mr. Niko, my hand is shaking as I write this from the amount of love and respect I feel for you. Thank you for every moment we spent together, for every word spoken, every glance, every hug. Rest in peace, our dear… Novak.”

Novak Djokovic even shared an IG post in September where he spoke about how much Pilić meant to him and how his influence helped him develop his game. He thanked him and his wife, Mia, for accepting him as their son when he was just 12 years old. Back in 2018, in an interview with the Serbian website Politika, Nikola Pilić recalled Novak Djokovic’s great ambition and inspiration as a kid. “One day, I remember that he said he wanted to become the world no. 1; many people were laughing, but for me it wasn’t that funny. To be honest, when he came to Munich at 13, he had many shortcomings in his game, which he worked hard to improve.”

After four years, when he returned to Belgrade, Djokovic started winning his first ATP ranking points, a journey he embarked on with the guidance of Pilić that led him to the elites of tennis where he rightfully belongs. Three years after that interview, Nikola Pilić hailed Djokovic’s intelligence and claimed, “I am not subjective, Novak is the best of all time… Djokovic is phenomenal, great work, honest, and hardworking.” These words were exemplary of how a father treasures his son – a child of the very sport Pilić loved.

Nikola Pilić journey in tennis was chronicled in a documentary dedicated to him on Netflix in 2024. After watching the premiere of the same, Djokovic took to his Instagram stories to revisit a moment from 2010 when he led Serbia to Davis Cup glory, and the entire team including Pilić celebrated the moment by getting their heads shaved and going bald to boast their victorious moment.

In Athens, Djokovic won a match. But more importantly, he reminded the world that greatness isn’t just written in trophies—it’s carved in the people who guide talents, love them, and leave them forever changed.