Djokovic had joined Pilic's academy in Germany when he was 12.
After his defeat in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters 1000 against Valentin Vacherot on October 11, the 38-year-old skipped the Paris Masters, which ended on Sunday.
He is through to the last 32 in Paris for the 20th time, more than even 14-time champion Rafael Nadal managed.
Djokovic, who is eyeing his 100th tour-level title before the French Open starts on May 25, said no player would ever be bigger than tennis.
A victory at Miami would be a landmark 100th singles title for the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Djokovic said on Thursday that there are some things in the lawsuit from the Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA) that he disagrees with and also expressed some discomfort with the language used.
The 24-time Grand Slam winner, who retired from his last four match at Melbourne Park in January due to the injury and lost his opener at the Qatar Open last month, also said he was reaping the rewards of his work with coach Andy Murray.
Djokovic's bid for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open was ended when he was forced to retire injured after dropping the opening set against Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals.
For over two decades, the "Big Three" of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic dominated the sport, pushing each other to unimaginable heights. Now, a new story begins.
The 24-time Grand Slam winner, who retired from his last four match at Melbourne Park in January due to the injury and lost his opener at the Qatar Open last month, also said he was reaping the rewards of his work with coach Andy Murray.
Djokovic's bid for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open was ended when he was forced to retire injured after dropping the opening set against Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals.
For over two decades, the "Big Three" of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic dominated the sport, pushing each other to unimaginable heights. Now, a new story begins.
Djokovic goes on to face Australian ninth seed Alex de Minaur for a place in the semi-finals.
Seven-time champion Djokovic comes up against Danish 15th seed Holger Rune, who has beaten him twice.
Novak Djokovic reached the Wimbledon fourth round for the 16th time on Saturday after taking a break to help the Centre Court crowd celebrate England's Euro 2024 win over Switzerland in Germany.
An error-strewn Novak Djokovic kickstarted his bid for an 11th Australian Open and unprecedented 25th Grand Slam crown in unconvincing fashion on Sunday, dropping a set to fearless teenage qualifier Dino Prizmic.
"Botanical Gardens just nearby, it's a wonderful park where I like to spend time and just be by myself in nature, just grounding, hugging trees."
Serbia are one of the eight surviving nations from September's group phase and will face Britain on Thursday.
Djokovic will spearhead Serbia at the tournament from December 29-January 7 in Sydney and Perth as he builds towards the defence of his Australian Open title.
