Croatian tennis legend Nikola Pilic, the former Davis Cup-winning captain and early mentor to Novak Djokovic, has died at the age of 87, the Croatian Tennis Association announced on Tuesday.
Described as “one of the greatest players and coaches Croatian tennis has ever had,” Pilic passed away on Monday in the western town of Opatija.
Born in Split, Pilic began his career in 1953 and, by 1957, was representing the Yugoslav youth national team. He went on to dominate the Yugoslav Championship, winning five singles titles (1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967), seven doubles titles, and one mixed doubles crown.
His greatest personal achievement came in 1973, when he reached the French Open final before falling to Ilie Nastase. Three years earlier, he had claimed the US Open doubles title alongside Pierre Barthes.
Following retirement, Pilic became a celebrated coach, guiding stars such as Goran Ivanisevic, Michael Stich, and Boris Becker. He also played a pivotal role in shaping the career of Djokovic, who trained at Pilic’s Munich academy from 1999 and later referred to him as his “tennis dad.”
Pilic holds the unique distinction of captaining three nations to Davis Cup glory: Germany (1988, 1989, 1993), Croatia (2005), and Serbia (2010). For his contributions, he was honoured with Croatia’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 and Serbia’s Gold Medal of Merit in 2020.
The tennis world remembers him not only as a champion player but also as a transformative mentor whose legacy lives on through the generations he inspired.
