Novak Djokovic Breaks Down in Tears on Court in Heartbreaking Moment

Novak Djokovic broke down in tears on court after his victory at the Hellenic Championship.

After losing to Valentin Vacherot in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters last month, Djokovic returned to action on Tuesday.

The 38-year-old was up against Chilean Alejandro Tabilo in the second round of the ATP 250 Hellenic Championship in Athens, Greece.

Djokovic was a class above as he secured a comfortable 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 win over the world number 72.

As a result, the Serbian will take on the number six seed and world number 47 Nuno Borges of Portugal in the next round.

It was a symbolic win for Djokovic, as the Hellenic Championship is somewhat of a homecoming for the Serbian after he recently moved his family to Athens.

Following his win over Tabilo, Djokovic got emotional as he spoke about his former coach, Nikola Pilic, who passed away at the age of 86 in September.

During his on-court interview, a montage for Pilic was played; the Croatian coached Djokovic when he was a young boy.

A teary Djokovic said: "He was more than just a mentor and a coach to me. He was part of my family — to me and my brothers. He helped so much. I definitely wouldn't be here without him."

Speaking to the ATP website, Djokovic added: "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 who 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."

During his career, Pilic reached a career high ranking of number six and won a total of nine singles titles and six doubles titles.

His best result in a Grand Slam came at the 1973 French Open, when he reached the final but lost to Romania's Ilie Nastase.

After retiring in 1978, Pilic ran a tennis academy in Munich, Germany, where the likes of Djokovic, Ernest Gulbis and Anastasija Sevastova developed.

Pilic was also the captain of the Serbian team in 2010, when they secured the Davis Cup, with Djokovic playing a key role in the final against France.

What is Novak Djokovic's next tournament?

Although he is still in the Hellenic Championship in Athens, Djokovic is scheduled to take part in the ATP Tour Finals, which will begin on Sunday in Turin, Italy.

Recently, the chief of Italian tennis, Angelo Binaghi, stated: "We have confirmation that Djokovic will play in Turin."

However, that claim was rebuffed by Djokovic himself.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner said: "I don’t know where he (Binaghi) got that information from. Definitely not from me or my team. I will decide at the end of this tournament."

Aside from Djokovic, big-name stars such as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are also expected to play the ATP Tour Finals.