Djokovic’s ‘tennis dad’ Nikola Pilic dies aged 87

Croatian tennis legend Nikola Pilic, who captained multiple Davis Cup-winning sides and was an early mentor to Novak Djokovic, has died at the age of 87, the country’s tennis association announced on Tuesday.

“One of the greatest players and coaches Croatian tennis has ever had,” died on Monday in the western Croatian town of Opatija, the association reported in a statement.

Pilic began his career in Split in 1953 and, just four years later, was representing the Yugoslav youth national team.

He went on to win the Yugoslav Championship five times in singles (1962, 1963, 1964, 1966 and 1967), seven times in doubles and once in mixed doubles.

Pilic’s greatest individual achievement came in 1973, when he reached the final of the French Open, falling to Ilie Nastase.

He won the US Open doubles title with Pierre Barthes three years earlier.

After retiring, Pilic enjoyed a distinguished coaching career, working with stars such as Goran Ivanisevic, Michael Stich and Boris Becker.

He had a profound influence on 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic, who referred to him as his “tennis dad”.

In 1999, Djokovic’s first coach, Jelena Gencic, sent her protege to train at Pilic’s academy in Munich, where he further developed his game.

“Nikola Niki Pilic will be remembered as the only captain ever to lead three different nations to Davis Cup titles,” the Croatian Tennis Association said.

He guided Germany to victory in 1988, 1989 and 1993, Croatia in 2005, and Serbia in 2010.

The Croatian Tennis Association honoured him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, while in 2020, Serbia awarded him the Gold Medal of Merit for his outstanding contribution to sport.