The Serbian tennis community has been hit with some devastating news today as Novak Djokovic’s former coach Dejan Lilic passed away at the age of 59 after battling a serious illness for quite some time.

During his career, Lilic became a very prominent coaching figure within the Serbian tennis circles as he worked with the national Davis Cup team, as well as with their younger generations – where he enjoyed big success.

16 years ago, Lilic was a part of the Serbian team that traveled to the Beijing Olympics. That year, Djokovic made his Olympic debut and won the bronze medal after beating James Blake.

The Serbian Tennis Federation confirmed the news through a statement and also paid tribute to the late coach and acknowledged his contributions.

“Jovan is survived by generations of tennis players whom he led as a personal and club coach. He was the national team coach in the U18 category, as well as the coach of the Davis Cup team of Serbia. His contribution to the development of tennis in Serbia cannot be overestimated. Our sympathies are with the Lilic family. The details regarding the funeral will be announced later,” the TSS said in a statement.

Djokovic reacts to his former coach passing away

After learning about the news, the record 24-time Grand Slam champion also paid tribute to the 59-year-old who sadly lost his battle with a serious illness.

“My spec (special) Naz (heartbroken and crying emojis),” the 37-year-old wrote.

Novak Djokovic tribute for Dejan Lilic © Novak Djokovic – Instagram

16 years after becoming an Olympic bronze medalist, Djokovic accomplished one of his biggest goals this past summer and landed a gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

Meanwhile, the current world No. 4 landed in Shanghai this week, where he is set to play for the first time since 2019. In the past, the Serb won four Shanghai titles between 2012 and 2018.

This year, Djokovic is the No. 4 seed in Shanghai and has a first-round bye before facing either Alex Michelsen or Bu Yunchaokete.