Novak Djokovic leaves heartfelt tribute following death of former coach Jovan Lilic

Former World No.1 Novak Djokovic took to social media to express his grief following the death of Jovan Lilic, a tennis coach who helped the Serbian attain several landmarks in his career.

Lilic worked with Djokovic on numerous occasions, coaching the Serbian team to victory at the 2010 Davis Cup. Furthermore, he also coached Serbia at the Beijing Olympics, where Djokovic won his first Olympic bronze medal.

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Djokovic expresses grief with special message for Lilic

Following Lilic's passing, the Tennis Federation of Serbia released a statement announcing the unfortunate news.

"Jovan is survived by generations of tennis players whom he led as a personal and club coach," it said in it's statement. "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."

Djokovic would later share his sorrow at the news, posting a special tribute to Lilic on his Instagram story.

"My spec (special) Naz," wrote the Serbian, alongside a photo of his former coach.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion is slated to return to the ATP circuit this week, where he will be competing at the Shanghai Masters.