Niki Pilić, who has died aged 86, unwittingly wrote himself into the history of professional tennis by becoming the focal point of the Wimbledon boycott of 1973, when 81 players withdrew on the eve of the Championships.
Pilić was also a unique Davis Cup player and captain in that he played for Yugoslavia before leading three different nations – Germany, Croatia and Serbia – to triumph between 1993 and 2010. After establishing a coaching academy in Munich, Pilić also oversaw the development of a 12-year old called Novak Djokovic for the next four years of the future champion’s life.
