Croatian tennis legend Nikola Pilic, a former Davis Cup-winning captain and early mentor to Novak Djokovic, has passed away at the age of 87, the country’s tennis association announced on Tuesday.

The association described Pilic as “one of the greatest players and coaches Croatian tennis has ever had,” confirming that he died on Monday in the western Croatian town of Opatija.

Nikola Pilic

Nikola Pilic

Pilic began his career in Split in 1953 and was representing the Yugoslav youth national team by 1957. He went on to win the Yugoslav Championship five times in singles, seven times in doubles, and once in mixed doubles.

His most notable individual achievement came in 1973 when he reached the French Open final, losing to Ilie Nastase. He had earlier won the US Open doubles title in 1970 with partner Pierre Barthes.

After retiring, Pilic became one of the most respected coaches in the sport, guiding stars such as Goran Ivanisevic, Michael Stich, and Boris Becker. In 1999, he played a key role in shaping the career of a young Novak Djokovic, who trained at his Munich academy. Djokovic has often referred to him as his “tennis dad.”

Pilic holds the distinction of being the only captain to lead three different nations to Davis Cup glory: Germany in 1988, 1989, and 1993; Croatia in 2005; and Serbia in 2010.

His contributions to tennis were widely recognised. In 2019, the Croatian Tennis Association presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2020, Serbia honoured him with the Gold Medal of Merit for his impact on sport.