Spanning over a career two decades long, Novak Djokovic reached the pinnacle of success with 101 ATP titles, of which 24 are Grand Slams. However, for the GOAT who has spent 428 weeks at the top of the rankings, the sport has always meant much more than just records. But when he draws the curtains on his career, what exactly does he want to be remembered for?

In his chat with Piers Morgan earlier this month, Djokovic faced the same question. Even though he has made it clear he doesn’t plan to retire soon, the question made him pause. Djokovic recalled his former mentor, Nikola Pilic, who passed away on 22 September. Sharing an emotional account from Pilic’s funeral, he claimed that he wants to be remembered by the impact he has on others’ lives.

“My biggest takeaway from that, other than incredible sadness and emotions that I felt, is the human connection: connections that he has left behind and established throughout his life and his career, how he touched people’s hearts,” said Djokovic.

“The way people talked about him,” he added, “It was not about tennis and what he has achieved as a player or as a coach or who he has coached, etc. It was about who he was as a person, how he conducted himself with people, how he changed the lives of young people or anybody who he came close to, and that’s how I want to be remembered.​”

Nikola Pilic played a key role in shaping talents like Novak Djokovic, Anastasija Sevastova, Ernests Gulbis, and Michael Stich at his tennis academy in Oberschleissheim, a suburb of Munich, Germany. When Pilic passed, tennis greats Boris Becker, Marin Čilić, and Ivan Dodig all paid tribute to him.

Piers Morgan pressed further and asked, “So imagine a tombstone, and it says, ‘Here lies Novak Djokovic…’ what would you want it to say?” Drawing from Pilic’s wisdom, Djokovic replied, “The man who touched people’s hearts.”

Not long ago, Djokovic shared that he hopes to finish his career at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Even though it’s still some time away, he’s determined to win another gold medal for representing his country at the next Olympics. For now, he’s ended his 2025 season on a high, winning his 101st title in Greece. Yet even that triumph carried a hint of sadness, as he spoke of his ‘tennis father.’

Novak Djokovic gets emotional about his former mentor

On November 4, Djokovic kicked off his opening match at the Athens Open with a straight-set win over Alejandro Tabilo. Still, it wasn’t the only thing that he chose to celebrate after wrapping up the match! He stole the show, honoring Nikola Pilic’s legacy in a heartfelt speech.​

“It was an emotional moment,” he said, shared via the ATP website, “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.”​

Novak Djokovic pulled Pilic’s academy pals onto the court. Petar Basic, Lado Chikhladze, Ana Jovanovic, Oliver Poturicek, Peter Shuster, and Kostas Zaraklanis soaked up the crowd’s cheers. He and brother Djordje, the event boss, got misty-eyed during the big-screen video tribute.​

In September, the Serb posted a photo on his Instagram as a tribute to his former coach. He expressed his gratitude to Pilic and Mia for showing him son-like love since he was a 12-year-old. That spark turbocharged his rise, he wrote, “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.” Now he hopes to end his career being remembered just the way his mentor was.

Still, he’s got a long way to go before he hangs up the racket. His next stop will be the 2026 Australian Open, where he’ll be vying for his 25th Grand Slam. Does he have what it takes to get him the title? We’d love to hear what your thoughts in the comments below!