Croatia tennis legend and Novak Djokovic’s ‘tennis dad’, Nikola Pilic, has died at the age of 86, his country’s tennis association said on Tuesday.
Pilic led Germany to three Davis Cup titles between 1988 and 1993 and was one of the earliest coaches of 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic. He later led Croatia to its first Davis Cup title in 2005, and served as a consultant when Serbia won the tournament in 2010.
Djokovic, who joined Pilic’s academy in Germany when he was 12, described the coach as his “tennis dad”.
“Niki is one of the most important tennis and life mentors I’ve ever had. My time spent in his academy has greatly impacted my game and career,” Djokovic wrote in an Instagram post in 2018.
The Croatian Tennis Association said in a statement that Pilic died on Monday and was one of the greatest players and coaches that the country has ever had.
“He was a very successful player and even more successful coach,” Djokovic wrote about Pilic.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Published on Sep 23, 2025