Novak Djokovic pays tribute to his late mentor Nikola Pilić

Novak Djokovic and Nikola Pilić

Novak Djokovic honored his late mentor Nikola Pilić at the Athens event, visibly emotional:

“To me, he was far beyond a mentor and coach; he was like a member of my family. He helped me and my brothers immensely. Without him, I definitely wouldn’t be who I am today...”

Djokovic even referred to Pilić as his “tennis father”: “As long as I play tennis and live, I will always remember him and keep his name alive.”

Nikola Pilić, a legendary figure in Croatian tennis, was born in 1936 and passed away in September at the age of 86. During his playing career, he represented Yugoslavia and achieved runner-up in the 1973 French Open singles, won the 1970 US Open doubles title, and was runner-up in the 1962 Wimbledon doubles.

After retiring in 1978, Pilić transitioned to coaching and served as a non-playing captain, leading teams to multiple Davis Cup victories: guiding Germany, with Becker, to titles in 1988, 1989, and 1993, leading Croatia to the championship in 2005, and helping Serbia win the cup in 2010.

Many future tennis stars trained at Pilić’s tennis academy near Munich, including Stich, Ivanišević, and Djokovic.

In 1999, during the Kosovo War and NATO airstrikes on Serbia, 12-year-old Djokovic moved to Munich, Germany, to train at Nikola Pilić’s tennis academy. His training in Germany significantly improved his skills, making him one of Europe’s top junior players. In 2003, at age 16, Djokovic turned professional and began his legendary tennis career.

(Text by Felix; Image courtesy of Visual China)