Frankfurt (Germany), Sept. 23 (LaPresse) – Niki Pilic passed away on Monday at the age of 86 in his hometown of Opatija, Croatia. Considered a tennis legend and nicknamed ‘Mr. Davis Cup,’ Pilic played a key role in the boom of the sport in Germany, leading the German national team to three Davis Cup victories and mentoring champions such as Boris Becker and Michael Stich.
He continued to be active on the court well into his later years, working with young talents at his Croatian academy, including Novak Djokovic. His life, as he liked to say, can be summed up as: “I love tennis.” The tennis boom in Germany in the 1980s is often associated with Becker and Steffi Graf, but much of the credit goes to Pilic. Thanks to his work, millions of Germans became passionate about tennis, often watching on television late into the night.
The first title won in 1988 against Sweden in Gothenburg remained an unforgettable memory for Pilic: “No one expected it, it was a great surprise,” he recalled. “I felt we could even walk on water,” he enthusiastically remembered about the euphoria of those days. Becker emphasized: “Without our captain, that success would not have been possible,” while Carl-Uwe Steeb said that Pilic remained active and in shape until the end, still playing three times a week.
Pilic, who had been a world-class player, always devoted great attention to young talents. His academy trained champions like Novak Djokovic, who called him “one of the most important mentors of my life and career.” In 2010, as a consultant, he helped lead Djokovic and Serbia to the Davis Cup title. In 2005, he had won the same trophy with Croatia, becoming the only coach to have won the Davis Cup with three different nations. From 2015 to 2017, Pilic returned as a consultant to the German Tennis Federation, maintaining a positive relationship with the DTB until the end. President Dietloff von Arnim remembered him: “Niki Pilic left an indelible mark on German tennis. He knew how to bring out the best in players and turn them into a real team. His legacy will live on for a long time.”