Nicola Pilic, the former coach of Novak Djokovic and the only man to captain three different Davis Cup nations to glory, has passed away at 86. Pilic, known for his playing and his coaching, is a native of Split, Croatia. He reached a career-high ranking of No.12 in the world and played a lone Grand Slam final, at Roland-Garros in 1973.
He was a member of the “handsome eight”, the pioneering group that was pivotal in establishing the WCT as the first organized tennis tour in the sixties.
Months after that achievement Pilic was banned from Wimbledon when the Yugoslav Tennis Federation suspended him for not playing a Davis Cup match against New Zealand in Zagreb, Croatia.
Pilic’s ban, which was upheld though reduced, led to the ATP’s boycott of Wimbledon that year.
The ATP protested and spent the week before Wimbledon holding 11th-hour meetings and even brought Pilic’s case to the British High Court, asking for an injunction to lift the ban.
“It was a whole jigsaw puzzle of different interests in the sport.” Cliff Drysdale, who led negotiations, remembers. “We decided that we had to have a say. We couldn’t just be puppets at the expense of all of the other interests in tennis.”
Pilic transitioned into coaching after his playing days were done in 1978. He led Germany to three Davis Cup titles in 1988, 1989 and 1993, then guided Croatia to a title in 2005 and Serbia in 2010.
His partnership and tutelage of 24-time Grand Slam champion only solidifies his already gleaming legacy. Jelena Gencic brought Djokovic to train at Pilic’s academy when the Serbian was just 12.
Djokovic calls Pilic a mentor, and referred to him as his “tennis father.”
“He influenced me in many ways,” Djokovic once said. “From many angles and perspectives. Not only as a coach but also as a man who fought for players’ rights and who always stood up to correct injustice wherever he saw it. He truly inspired me in many ways and I think we should more thoroughly and deeply analyze his character and work. What he achieved in his life, as a tennis player, coach and activist is truly incredible, historic.”
Monica Seles called Pilic “A legend whose incredible talent and sportsmanship inspired me and my dad so much. His contributions to the sport will never be forgotten.”
Djokovic took to Instagram to respond to the news.
“Your influence on my development as a person and a tennis player remains indelible. I feel eternally grateful to you and your wonderful wife Mia for accepting me as your own son when I was 12 years old,” he wrote. “Your legacy will last for a long time and generations will look back on your character and deeds with great admiration.”
Pilic ran an academy that also saw Goran Ivanisevic, Michael Stich, Ernests Gulbis and Anastasija Sevastova fine-tune their skills.
His contributions were recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Croatia in 2019 and Serbia’s Gold Medal of Merit in 2020.
