Nikola Pilic, who has passed away Monday in Rijeka aged 86, left an indelible mark on the tennis world as a player, coach, captain and tournament director.
Such is Pilic’s legacy that there will be those today who remember the high point of his playing career as a 1973 Roland Garros finalist, at a time when Pilic found himself into the middle of a sporting and political storm resulting in the Wimbledon boycott, one month later.
Or the cherished memories as a Davis Cup winning captain for Germany, Croatia and Serbia; his role as a long-time Tournament Director and reformer, which has helped future generations, or as a mentor and coach to the likes of Boris Becker, Michael Stich, Goran Ivanisevic, and his influence in the development of a young Novak Djokovic, now a 24-time Grand Slam champion.
ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Niki Pilic, 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. He will be greatly missed. On behalf of the ATP, we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.”
<img alt=”Nikola Pilic at Wimbledon in 1970.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/09/23/16/19/pilic-wimbledon-1970.jpg” />
Nikola Pilic at Wimbledon in 1970. Credit: Ed Lacey/Popperfoto via Getty Images
Pilic achieved so much across eight decades. It wasn’t until Pilic was 13 years old, in the summer of 1952, that he started to play tennis: first at the Firule club, then between his studies in shipbuilding and later government administration. Within four years, he represented Yugoslavia’s junior team and claimed five national singles and seven doubles titles with a big serve and forehand that became feared weapons.
In a playing career, bridging the amateur and Open eras, Pilic was world-class, reaching the 1962 Wimbledon doubles final with Boro Jovanovic, beating Roy Emerson en route to the 1967 semi-finals at the All-England Club. As the sport went open to amateur and professional players, Pilic joined the ‘Handsome Eight’ of Lamar Hunt’s group, World Championship Tennis (WCT), in 1968, alongside Dennis Ralston, John Newcombe, Tony Roche, Cliff Drysdale, Earl Buchholz, Roger Taylor and Pierre Barthes. The tall left-hander also teamed up with Barthes for the 1970 US Open doubles title (d. Emerson/Laver).
Yet in May 1973, Pilic and the right of all players to choose where and when they competed came to a head, when the Yugoslav Tennis Federation suspended Pilic for nine months for failing to play in a Davis Cup match against New Zealand in Zagreb.
Just as Pilic stepped off court at Roland Garros, having finished runner-up to Ilie Nastase in the final, it was announced that the International Tennis Federation had upheld the suspension. An emergency meeting reduced the suspension to one month, taking in the Italian and German Opens, and the first week of Wimbledon.
In the build up to The Championships, it was clear that the Association of Tennis Professionals’ attempt, as British journalist David Gray wrote, to “assert Pilic’s liberty of action by seeking an injunction to restrain the All-England Club and the ITF from barring him,” may fail. It did.
<img alt=”From left to right: Nikola Pilic, Cliff Drysdale, Arthur Ashe and Jack Kramer outside the High Court in London in June 1973.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/09/23/16/20/pilic-london-1973.jpg” />
From left to right: Nikola Pilic, Cliff Drysdale, Arthur Ashe and Jack Kramer outside the High Court in London in June 1973. Credit: Leonard Burt/Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Compromises were suggested, but ultimately 81 male players voted to withdraw from Wimbledon, as the membership of ATP, formed only in September 1972, wanted a more professional approach to the organisation of the tournament circuit. It was the making of the player-led Association of Tennis Professionals, which would later join forces with tournament directors in 1990 to form the ATP Tour.
Stan Smith, the 1972 Wimbledon champion and early ATP President, told ATPTour.com, “Obviously he was the trigger point for the boycott at Wimbledon. We felt as a fledgling ATP that players should be able to play where they want, when they want. We backed him not because of who he was, but because he was a member of our association, who was not being allowed to play for what we felt was not a good reason.”
Having retired from competition, Pilic became a coach, helping guide Germany to three Davis Cup trophies in 1988, 1989 and 1993. He was also on hand as captain for Croatia and Serbia in their respective 2005 and 2010 title-winning runs.
“Niki was a very talented player, with his serve and forehand being great weapons,” Smith said. “He was also a good thinker and he came close to winning some big tournaments.
“Off the court, he had an opinion on about almost any subject and seemed to have experience and knowledge in many areas. I was on an airplane with him one time and he said that the engine didn’t sound normal and that this could be dangerous. I asked him what he knew about airplanes and he said, ‘I know these engines’.”
Cliff Drysdale, a founding member and President of the ATP, remembers Pilic fondly. “Niki was a friend and I found him to be one of the most interesting players on tour to talk to. He was smart, well-read and a man of principle. In one of the discussions we had that I scoffed at he said that Yugoslavia would fall apart. He proved to be right.
“He was part of the Handsome Eight and was very much a part of the early creation of the ATP. The Wimbledon walkout was a catalyst that turned us from a bunch of guys running around like chickens with our heads cut off to a solidified ATP.
“The boycott was never about the money. It was about Niki’s ability to play Wimbledon because he was qualified to play.”
Pilic operated a tennis academy in Oberschleißheim near Munich, establishing a strong reputation for discipline and his tactical insight, which helped him as a talented player. In 1999, Djokovic’s first coach, Jelena Gencic, sent her 12-year-old pupil to train there for three months.
Pilic married Serbian actress Mija Adamovic. Five years ago, he was awarded the Golden Medal of Merits of Republic of Serbia.
Nikola Pilic, tennis player, coach, official, born 27 August 1939, died 22 September 2025.
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