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Nikola Pilić

January 06, 2023

Nikola "Niki" Pilić (born 27 August 1939) is a Croatian former professional tennis player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia.

Nikola Pilić
Pilić at the 1975 Dutch Open in Hilversum in July 1975
Country (sports) Croatia
ResidenceMunich, Germany
Born (1939-08-27) 27 August 1939 (age 83)
Split, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Height1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Turned pro1968 (amateur tour from 1960)
Retired1978
PlaysLeft-handed (one-handed backhand)
Singles
Career record270–201
Career titles9
Highest rankingNo. 6 (1968, Lance Tingay)[1]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open3R (1970)
French OpenF (1973)
WimbledonSF (1967)
US OpenQF (1973)
Professional majors
US ProQF (1968)
Wembley ProQF (1968)
French ProQF (1968)
Doubles
Career record143–134 (Open era)
Career titles6
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenQF (1970)
French Open4R (1969, 1976–77)
WimbledonSF (1975)
US OpenW (1970)
Medal record

He was one of the Handsome Eight.[2] Pilić was ranked world No. 6 in January 1968 and world No. 7 for 1967 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph.[1][3]

Early life

Pilić was born in Split, Banovina of Croatia, Kingdom of Yugoslavia to Krsto Pilić and Danica Tomić-Ferić five days before the outbreak of World War II that began on 1 September 1939 with the German invasion of Poland.

The youngster took up tennis during the summer of 1952.[4] Thirteen years of age at this point, he began practicing on the Firule tennis club clay courts in parallel to studying shipbuilding at the streamlined high school in Split. Upon graduating he attempted to enrol at a community college (viša škola) in Zagreb, but due to not meeting the entrance criteria ended up in Novi Sad where he studied government administration (viša upravna škola).

Tennis career

Pilic reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in 1967, beating Roy Emerson.[5] Then open tennis arrived and Pilić was one of the Handsome Eight, a group of players signed by Lamar Hunt in 1968 for the newly formed professional World Championship Tennis (WCT) group.[6]

In 1970, Pilić won the men's doubles title at the US Open with his French partner Pierre Barthès by defeating the Australians John Newcombe and Rod Laver in four sets. His best singles performance at a Grand Slam tournament came in 1973 when he reached the final of the French Open, losing to Ilie Năstase in straight sets.[7]

Pilić was the catalyst to the 1973 Wimbledon boycott. In May 1973, the Yugoslav tennis federation alleged that Pilić had refused to represent them in a Davis Cup tie against New Zealand earlier that month. Pilić denied the charge, but was suspended by the federation, and the suspension was upheld by the ILTF, albeit decreased from nine months to one month, meaning that he could not enter the Wimbledon Championships. In protest at the suspension, 81 of Pilić's fellow professionals, organized into the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), and including 13 of the 16 seeds, withdrew from the 1973 Wimbledon Championships.[8][9][10]

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)

Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss 1973 French Open Clay   Ilie Năstase 3–6, 3–6, 0–6

Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1962 Wimbledon Grass   Boro Jovanović   Bob Hewitt
  Fred Stolle		 2–6, 7–5, 2–6, 4–6
Win 1970 US Open Grass   Pierre Barthès   Roy Emerson
  Rod Laver		 6–3, 7–6, 4–6, 7–6

Grand Slam singles performance timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
Tournament 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 SR
Australian Open A A 2R A A A A A A A 3R 2R A A A A A A A A 0 / 3
French Open A 4R 2R 3R 4R 3R A A A 2R A 1R A F A 3R A 1R 2R 0 / 11
Wimbledon 2R 3R 2R 1R 2R A 1R SF 1R 1R 2R 3R A A 3R 1R 4R 3R A 0 / 15
US Open A A 1R A A 1R A 3R 4R 3R 4R 4R 4R QF A A A A A 0 / 9
Strike rate 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 4 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 4 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 1 0 / 38

Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.

Post-playing

After retiring from playing tennis professionally, Pilić began coaching and became the first captain to win the Davis Cup trophy for three nations: Germany in 1988, 1989 and 1993, Croatia in 2005 and Serbia in 2010. He's been working with Serbia Davis Cup team in the adviser role since 2007, and won the Davis Cup title in 2010.

He runs a tennis academy in Oberschleißheim near Munich where he resides. Players such as Michael Stich, Novak Djokovic, Ernests Gulbis and Anastasija Sevastova developed and came through the Pilic academy.[11]

Personal

In 1970, Pilić married Serbian actress Mija Adamović. The couple has children together.[12]

In 2020 he was awarded the Golden Medal of Merits of Republic of Serbia.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b "Top Players Go For Cup", St. Petersburg Times, 31 January 1968.
  2. ^ Deutsche Welle Croatian language service 19 July 2010 Nikola Pilić – 'Prus sa Balkana'
  3. ^ United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First edition), p. 428.
  4. ^ Nikola Pilić: Krao sam novac od majke da kupim reket;Blic, 29 May 2011
  5. ^ "Wimbledon 1967". www.tennis.co.nf.
  6. ^ Wind, Herbert Warren (1979). Game, Set, and Match : The Tennis Boom of the 1960s and 70s (1. ed.). New York: Dutton. pp. 65–70. ISBN 0525111409.
  7. ^ Collins, Bud (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. pp. 389, 478. ISBN 978-0942257700.
  8. ^ John Barrett, ed. (1974). World of Tennis '74. London: Queen Anne. pp. 15–17, 45–47. ISBN 978-0362001686.
  9. ^ . AELTC. Archived from the original on 27 June 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  10. ^ "Dark Fortnight For Wimbledon..." SI. 2 July 1973. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  11. ^ Grasso, John (2011). Historical Dictionary of Tennis. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p. 225. ISBN 978-0810872370.
  12. ^ Četiri decenije sa Nikolom; Blic, 25 September 2010
  13. ^ "Svečana ceremonija dodele ordenja povodom Sretenja VIDEO". B92.net (in Serbian). Retrieved 15 February 2020.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nikola Pilić.

January 06, 2023
nikola, pilić, nikola, niki, pilić, born, august, 1939, croatian, former, professional, tennis, player, competed, yugoslavia, pilić, 1975, dutch, open, hilversum, july, 1975country, sports, croatiaresidencemunich, germanyborn, 1939, august, 1939, split, kingdo. Nikola Niki Pilic born 27 August 1939 is a Croatian former professional tennis player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia Nikola PilicPilic at the 1975 Dutch Open in Hilversum in July 1975Country sports CroatiaResidenceMunich GermanyBorn 1939 08 27 27 August 1939 age 83 Split Kingdom of YugoslaviaHeight1 91 m 6 ft 3 in Turned pro1968 amateur tour from 1960 Retired1978PlaysLeft handed one handed backhand SinglesCareer record270 201Career titles9Highest rankingNo 6 1968 Lance Tingay 1 Grand Slam singles resultsAustralian Open3R 1970 French OpenF 1973 WimbledonSF 1967 US OpenQF 1973 Professional majorsUS ProQF 1968 Wembley ProQF 1968 French ProQF 1968 DoublesCareer record143 134 Open era Career titles6Grand Slam doubles resultsAustralian OpenQF 1970 French Open4R 1969 1976 77 WimbledonSF 1975 US OpenW 1970 Medal record Representing YugoslaviaTennisMediterranean Games1963 Naples Doubles1963 Naples SinglesUniversiade1961 Sofia Doubles1961 Sofia SinglesHe was one of the Handsome Eight 2 Pilic was ranked world No 6 in January 1968 and world No 7 for 1967 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph 1 3 Contents 1 Early life 2 Tennis career 3 Grand Slam finals 3 1 Singles 1 1 runner up 3 2 Doubles 2 1 title 1 runner up 4 Grand Slam singles performance timeline 5 Post playing 6 Personal 7 References 8 External linksEarly life EditPilic was born in Split Banovina of Croatia Kingdom of Yugoslavia to Krsto Pilic and Danica Tomic Feric five days before the outbreak of World War II that began on 1 September 1939 with the German invasion of Poland The youngster took up tennis during the summer of 1952 4 Thirteen years of age at this point he began practicing on the Firule tennis club clay courts in parallel to studying shipbuilding at the streamlined high school in Split Upon graduating he attempted to enrol at a community college visa skola in Zagreb but due to not meeting the entrance criteria ended up in Novi Sad where he studied government administration visa upravna skola Tennis career EditPilic reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in 1967 beating Roy Emerson 5 Then open tennis arrived and Pilic was one of the Handsome Eight a group of players signed by Lamar Hunt in 1968 for the newly formed professional World Championship Tennis WCT group 6 In 1970 Pilic won the men s doubles title at the US Open with his French partner Pierre Barthes by defeating the Australians John Newcombe and Rod Laver in four sets His best singles performance at a Grand Slam tournament came in 1973 when he reached the final of the French Open losing to Ilie Năstase in straight sets 7 Pilic was the catalyst to the 1973 Wimbledon boycott In May 1973 the Yugoslav tennis federation alleged that Pilic had refused to represent them in a Davis Cup tie against New Zealand earlier that month Pilic denied the charge but was suspended by the federation and the suspension was upheld by the ILTF albeit decreased from nine months to one month meaning that he could not enter the Wimbledon Championships In protest at the suspension 81 of Pilic s fellow professionals organized into the Association of Tennis Professionals ATP and including 13 of the 16 seeds withdrew from the 1973 Wimbledon Championships 8 9 10 Grand Slam finals EditSingles 1 1 runner up Edit Result Year Championship Surface Opponent ScoreLoss 1973 French Open Clay Ilie Năstase 3 6 3 6 0 6Doubles 2 1 title 1 runner up Edit Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents ScoreLoss 1962 Wimbledon Grass Boro Jovanovic Bob Hewitt Fred Stolle 2 6 7 5 2 6 4 6Win 1970 US Open Grass Pierre Barthes Roy Emerson Rod Laver 6 3 7 6 4 6 7 6Grand Slam singles performance timeline EditKey W F SF QF R RR Q DNQ A NH W winner F finalist SF semifinalist QF quarterfinalist R rounds 4 3 2 1 RR round robin stage Q qualification round DNQ did not qualify A absent NH not held SR strike rate events won competed W L win loss record Tournament 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 SRAustralian Open A A 2R A A A A A A A 3R 2R A A A A A A A A 0 3French Open A 4R 2R 3R 4R 3R A A A 2R A 1R A F A 3R A 1R 2R 0 11Wimbledon 2R 3R 2R 1R 2R A 1R SF 1R 1R 2R 3R A A 3R 1R 4R 3R A 0 15US Open A A 1R A A 1R A 3R 4R 3R 4R 4R 4R QF A A A A A 0 9Strike rate 0 1 0 2 0 4 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 3 0 3 0 4 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 38Note The Australian Open was held twice in 1977 in January and December Post playing EditAfter retiring from playing tennis professionally Pilic began coaching and became the first captain to win the Davis Cup trophy for three nations Germany in 1988 1989 and 1993 Croatia in 2005 and Serbia in 2010 He s been working with Serbia Davis Cup team in the adviser role since 2007 and won the Davis Cup title in 2010 He runs a tennis academy in Oberschleissheim near Munich where he resides Players such as Michael Stich Novak Djokovic Ernests Gulbis and Anastasija Sevastova developed and came through the Pilic academy 11 Personal EditIn 1970 Pilic married Serbian actress Mija Adamovic The couple has children together 12 In 2020 he was awarded the Golden Medal of Merits of Republic of Serbia 13 References Edit a b Top Players Go For Cup St Petersburg Times 31 January 1968 Deutsche Welle Croatian language service 19 July 2010 Nikola Pilic Prus sa Balkana United States Lawn Tennis Association 1972 Official Encyclopedia of Tennis First edition p 428 Nikola Pilic Krao sam novac od majke da kupim reket Blic 29 May 2011 Wimbledon 1967 www tennis co nf Wind Herbert Warren 1979 Game Set and Match The Tennis Boom of the 1960s and 70s 1 ed New York Dutton pp 65 70 ISBN 0525111409 Collins Bud 2010 The Bud Collins History of Tennis 2nd ed New York New Chapter Press pp 389 478 ISBN 978 0942257700 John Barrett ed 1974 World of Tennis 74 London Queen Anne pp 15 17 45 47 ISBN 978 0362001686 The History of the Championships AELTC Archived from the original on 27 June 2011 Retrieved 23 July 2012 Dark Fortnight For Wimbledon SI 2 July 1973 Retrieved 23 July 2012 Grasso John 2011 Historical Dictionary of Tennis Lanham Md Scarecrow Press p 225 ISBN 978 0810872370 Cetiri decenije sa Nikolom Blic 25 September 2010 Svecana ceremonija dodele ordenja povodom Sretenja VIDEO B92 net in Serbian Retrieved 15 February 2020 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nikola Pilic Nikola Pilic at the Association of Tennis Professionals Nikola Pilic at the International Tennis Federation Nikola Pilic at the Davis Cup Tennis Academy Niki Pilic Official site An interview in Jet Set magazine in Croatian Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Nikola Pilic amp oldid 1119047571, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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