Nikola Pilic, Djokovic's coach and tennis legend, has passed away.

The legendary tennis player Nikola Pilic has passed away

According to The Sun: The legendary tennis player Nikola Pilic died at the age of 86. This loss was announced by the Croatian Tennis Federation.

Getty

Pilic won a Grand Slam title by winning the doubles at the US Open in 1970.

He also reached the doubles final at Wimbledon in 1962 and became a finalist in the men's singles at the French Open in 1973.

This final at Roland-Garros occurred against the backdrop of his support for the boycott of Wimbledon.

Pilic faced accusations of refusing to participate in a Davis Cup match against New Zealand, which he denied.

Despite this, the International Tennis Federation imposed a suspension on him, causing him to miss Wimbledon 1973.

At the same time, 81 top players also boycotted the tournament at the All England Club, including 12 of the 16 top seeds.

Throughout his career, Pilic won nine singles tournaments and reached a highest ranking of 6th in the world tennis rankings.

After retiring in 1978, he transitioned to coaching.

AFP

Successes in coaching

As a coach, Pilic became the first captain to win the Davis Cup with three different countries: with Germany in 1988, 1989, and 1993, with Croatia in 2005, and with Serbia in 2010.

He also founded his own tennis academy in Germany, where he nurtured players like Michael Stich, Novak Djokovic, and Ernests Gulbis.

Djokovic has often referred to Pilic as his 'father in the tennis world' and 'mentor' who helped him become the world's best player.

Novak, who began training with Pilic at the age of 10, remarked:

“Nikola is my father in tennis. A mentor. A person who selflessly shared his knowledge and experience about tennis and life.”

Getty The memory of Nikola Pilic will live on in the history of world tennis as a unique player and outstanding coach. His contribution to the development of the sport in Ukraine and beyond is difficult to overestimate, as he inspired a whole generation of tennis players. Society mourns all his achievements and impact on the tennis community.