Nikola Pilić, Croatian tennis player and coach, known for reaching the Roland Garros final in 1973, winning Davis Cup as captain five times, as well as being a mentor figure for 24-Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic, has died aged 86 in Rijeka, Croatia.
ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi described him as a "true pioneer of our sport". "His contributions across many roles left a lasting impact on players, fans and the game itself, and hold particular significance in the history of the ATP."
Playing for Yugoslavia, Pilic reached a best rank of World No. 6 in 1968 and won 9 career titles. As captain for Davis Cup, he led Germany to three victories in 1988, 1989, and 1993, Croatia in 2005 and Serbia in 2010.
He founded a tennis academy near Munich, that held players such as Michael Stich, Ernests Gulbis, Anastasija Sevastova and Novak Djokovic, who once described Pilic as his "tennis father".
Niki Pilic's role in 1973 Wimbledon boycott
He was also the catalyst of the Wimbledon boycott in 1973, when Pilic (the same year he reached French Open final) was suspended by the Yugoslav federation for allegedly refusing to represent the country in a Davis Cup match.
The International Tennis Federation at the time upheld the ban, and as such he was not allowed into Wimbledon. 81 tennis players, including 13 of the best 16, withdrew from the tournament, which resulted in a lot of qualified and "lucky losers".