Nikola Pilić, Tennis Legend and Djokovic’s Mentor, Passes Away
ZAGREB, Croatia – The tennis world mourns the loss of Nikola Pilić, an iconic figure who left an indelible mark on the sport. Pilić, recognized for being the first captain to lead three countries to glory in the Davis Cup, passed away at the age of 86.
The Croatian Tennis Association confirmed the death of Pilić last Monday.
Pilić, in addition to his outstanding career as a player, was the individual runner-up at the French Open in 1973 and a key figure in the Wimbledon boycott of that same year.
The International Lawn Tennis Federation (ITF) supported the Yugoslav decision, but reduced its suspension to one month, which included Wimbledon.
Due to support for Pilić from the new Association of Tennis Professionals, twelve of the sixteen seeded players and a total of 81 players boycotted Wimbledon.
Pilić was already a star when tennis turned fully professional in 1968. When the American businessman Lamar Hunt backed a new professional circuit called World Championship Tennis, players like Pilić, John Newcombe, and Tony Roche were the first eight men to be signed, known as the “Handsome Eight”.
Pilić won nine individual titles and reached sixth place in the world ranking. He lost the French Open final to Ilie Nastase. His six doubles titles included the 1970 US Open alongside Pierre Barthes, defeating Newcombe and Rod Laver in a four-set final.
After retiring as a player in 1978, Pilić dedicated himself to technical direction, managing to win the Davis Cup as a non-playing captain with Germany, led by Boris Becker (1988, 1989, 1993), Croatia (2005) and Serbia (2010).
Future stars like Michael Stich, Goran Ivanisevic, and Djokovic, who considered him his mentor, passed through his academy near Munich.
