Novak Djokovic moved to tears in emotional tribute to his mentor Nikola Pilic
Djokovic said that "as long as I play tennis and as long as I live, I will celebrate his name".
Novak Djokovic was moved to tears during a tribute to Nikola Pilic, his former coach and mentor, who passed away in September at the age of 86. Pilic, Croatian tennis player (finalist at Roland Garros and famously at the centre of the 1973 Wimbledon boycott), founded a tennis academy in Munich where a 12-year-old Djokovic joined. "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", Djokovic said.
The tribute was made after the match between Djokovic and Alejandro Tabilo at the Hellenic Championship in Athens on Tuesday, ending with a 7-6(3) 6-1 victory for 'Nole', who reaches the quarter-finals of his new home tournament (Djokovic moved to Greece with his family after facing backlash from the Serbian government due to his support to the student-led protests against the government).
Djokovic joined former friends and coaches from Pilic's academy, as well as his brother Djordje Djokovic (tournament director) in the court, and he was moved to tears remembering his mentor. "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", he told ATP.com.
"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", Djokovic said about his "tennis father" Nikola Pilic.
