Nikola Pilić, Djokovic's Mentor, Has Passed Away
Le 23/09/2025 à 10h01
par Arthur Millot
The former German Davis Cup captain, Nikola Pilic, has passed away at the age of 86.
Born in Split, Pilić, who later founded a tennis academy near Munich, was himself a successful professional tennis player: nine titles, including a final at the French Open in 1973 and a ranking of world No. 6.
As a longtime captain, he led the German Davis Cup team to great successes, winning the title three times (1988, 1989, and 1993). Later, he repeated this achievement with Croatia (2005) and also with Serbia (2010).
But that's not all, as Pilić was also one of Djokovic's first coaches (between the late 90s and early 2000s). Djokovic even describes him as the "father of tennis."
