Nikola Pilić, Davis Cup Captain, Dies Aged 86–87

Nikola Pilić, a towering figure in Croatian and world tennis, has died in his mid‑80s (reported as 86–87). As a player he reached the 1973 French Open final, made the 1967 Wimbledon semi‑final, won the 1970 US Open men’s doubles with Pierre Barthès, and was among the “Handsome Eight” who helped usher in the Open Era. He later built a celebrated coaching and leadership career, captaining West Germany to Davis Cup titles in 1988, 1989 and 1993, guiding Croatia to its first Davis Cup triumph in 2005, and serving as a consultant when Serbia won in 2010 — a record that credited him with leading three different nations to Davis Cup success. Novak Djokovic trained at Pilić’s academy in Germany as a child and has called him his “tennis father.” Pilić was also influential in shaping the modern professional game and the ATP and received honors including Croatia’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2019) and Serbia’s Gold Medal of Merit (2020).