Novak Djokovic has broken down in tears in emotional post-match scenes as he viewed a tribute video to his former coach and mentor, Nikola Pilic, who died earlier this year aged 86.
Following his second-round win at the Hellenic Championship in Athens, the 38-year-old Serbian was overcome with emotion during his post-match interview after a video tribute to Pilic was played on the big screen.
You can watch the emotional moment in the video above
The Serbian superstar, currently ranked number five in the world in the ATP rankings, was trained by Pilic from the age of 12 and described the late tennis great as part of his family as he was interviewed post-match.
“Sorry for this (the tears) but he was more than just a mentor and a coach, he was a part of my family to me and my brothers, I definitely wouldn’t be who I am today without him,” Djokovic said to the applause of the crowd.
The 10-time Australian Open champion who holds 24 major singles titles, later described Pilic as his “tennis father”.
“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,” Djokovic told ATPTour.com.
“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.”
Pilic, who was born in Split, Croatia, represented Yugoslavia as a player and later became one of the sport’s most successful coaches.
He guided several players who went on to reach the top 10 in the world rankings and led multiple nations to Davis Cup titles.
The tribute ceremony took place immediately after Djokovic’s straight-sets win over Alejandro Tabilo, with several figures from Pilic’s academy in attendance.
Top seed Djokovic, the recipient of a first-round bye at the indoor hard-court tournament, won through 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 against his 89th-ranked opponent in the round of 16.
Djokovic took the measure of the Chilean in the opening set tiebreak and broke twice in the second set to reach his 225th tour-level quarter-final.
Djokovic will next play Portuguese sixth-seed Nuno Borges who rallied past American qualifier Eliot Spizzirri 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.
After his defeat in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters 1000 against Valentin Vacherot on October 11, Djokovic skipped the Paris Masters, which ended on Sunday.
– with AFP
