Davis Cup Player News Tennis Coaching
Nikola Pilić, coach and three-time Davis Cup leader, dies at 86
Former French Open finalist and coach Nikola Pilić, Davis Cup leader and mentor, dies at 86 in 2025
Nikola Pilić, the Croatian player and coach who helped shape modern Davis Cup history and trained Novak Djokovic at his academy, has died at 86, the Croatian Tennis Association said Monday.
Pilić was a French Open singles runner-up in 1973 and was the central figure in the Wimbledon boycott that year. Yugoslavia tennis officials accused Pilić of refusing to play a Davis Cup tie against New Zealand. He denied it but was suspended. The International Lawn Tennis Federation (now the ITF) supported the Yugoslav decision but reduced his suspension to one month; that still included Wimbledon. Because Pilić was supported by the new Association of Tennis Professionals, 12 of the 16 top seeds and a total of 81 players boycotted Wimbledon.
Pilić had been a prominent player when tennis turned fully professional in 1968. When U.S. businessman Lamar Hunt backed a new professional tour called World Championship Tennis, Pilić was among the first eight men’s players signed, the group known as the Handsome Eight alongside John Newcombe and Tony Roche.
As a player Pilić won nine singles titles and reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 6. He lost the French Open final to Ilje Nastase. His six doubles titles included the 1970 U.S. Open, won with Pierre Barthes over Newcombe and Rod Laver in a four-set final.
After retiring from the tour in 1978, Pilić built a coaching career that included Davis Cup success as a non-playing captain with Boris Becker’s Germany, winning in 1988, 1989 and 1993, and leading Croatia to Davis Cup victory in 2005. He also served as an adviser when Serbia won the Davis Cup in 2010. Djokovic once called the Croat, the first coach to lead three countries to Davis Cup glory, his “tennis father.”
ATP Davis Cup Grand Slam
Jamie Murray retires after 36 years, closing the ‘Murray era’ in doubles
Jamie Murray retires after 36 years, ending a career that included a doubles world No. 1 peak today.
Jamie Murray confirmed his retirement on social media Wednesday, announcing that his long run in professional tennis is over. The former doubles world No. 1 and seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion posted images spanning his career and wrote that “[his] tennis journey [is coming] to an end after 36 years.”
In the message, Murray acknowledged the role his family played in his career. He thanked his mother Judy and his brother Andy for their support, saying their backing helped him “achieve everything I could in the game.” He added: “I feel very fortunate and privileged for all the amazing experiences this great sport has given me,” the 40-year-old wrote in the Instagram post.
Murray finishes his career with 34 tour-level titles, two of those won alongside his younger brother. The Murray pairing was central to Great Britain’s 2015 Davis Cup triumph, the country’s first Davis Cup victory in 79 years, with the brothers taking crucial doubles matches in the quarterfinal, semifinal and final rounds.
In 2016 Jamie reached a milestone for British doubles players by becoming the first British man to attain the world No. 1 ranking in doubles; he held that position for nine weeks. He also joined Andy as his doubles partner for Andy’s final Wimbledon tournament in 2024.
The social post offered a reflective ending to a career that spanned more than two decades and encompassed Grand Slam titles, a stint at the top of the doubles rankings and a key role in a historic national team victory. Murray’s announcement marks the close of a defining presence in doubles competition and a notable chapter in recent British tennis history.
Davis Cup Finals Player News
Nadal returns to the slopes after 26 years for a family ski day at Baqueira Beret
Rafael Nadal returned to skiing after 26 years, sharing slopes and snow fun with his family on skis.
Rafael Nadal spent time on skis this week for the first time in 26 years, sharing a winter outing with his wife Maria Francisca Perello and their 3-year-old son, Rafa Jr., at Baqueira Beret in the Catalan Pyrenees. The player behind the tennis academy that bears his name in Mallorca said the experience felt special after decades focused on managing an injury-prone body in his career. Nadal called it an “incredible feeling” to ski for the first time since his early teens.
During the trip he took a lesson guiding his eldest son and paused to build a snowman. An adorable video posted by Nadal showed little Rafa Jr. appearing at ease on the slopes, though Nadal indicated he would prefer professional guidance and invited suggestions on social media. “We’re still learning … any advice for us?” he asked, tagging American Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn.
Vonn replied, “We have to ski together when I’m healthy!” Vonn, 41, suffered a complex fracture of her tibia after a crash at the recently-concluded Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and required three surgeries to correct the injury.
Nadal, 39, played the final match of his tennis career at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals after seasons affected by foot and hip injuries, the hip issue requiring surgery. He also underwent surgery in January for severe osteoarthritis in his right hand. Since stepping away from professional competition he has remained active, including time on the golf course with longtime rival Roger Federer and a practice session with academy alumna Alexandra Eala.
Although the academy carries his name, Nadal has been noncommittal about coaching future champions on the court. For now, his winter trip made clear that other sports, and sharing those moments with his family, have an important place in his life after competitive tennis.
Davis Cup Player News
Hundreds attend memorial at court named for Nicola Pietrangeli
Hundreds paid final respects to Nicola Pietrangeli at the court named in his honour Wednesday. Rome.
Hundreds gathered to honor Nicola Pietrangeli days after the tennis great died at age 92. A public viewing of his body and a brief memorial service were held at the Pallacorda court that now bears his name. A private funeral followed later in Rome.
The statue-lined court at the Foro Italico, renamed Stadio Pietrangeli in 2006, served as the setting. Two tennis rackets and the Davis Cup Italy won in 1976 under Pietrangeli’s captaincy were placed beside the coffin, which was decorated in blue and white flowers. A large screen showed images from his career while music by Charles Aznavour played.
“My Way,” by Frank Sinatra, was played at the end of the memorial service before the coffin was moved from the court to the church for the funeral. “Everything just as he wanted, the place and the music,” said his son Marco.
Prominent figures of Italian sport attended the public ceremony, including the former and current president of the Italian national Olympic committee and the head of the Italian tennis federation. Longtime friends and former teammates were present as well: Adriano Panatta and Tonino Zugarelli, who won the Davis Cup with Pietrangeli, and other former players including Fabio Fognini, who retired earlier this year.
Prince Albert II of Monaco attended the funeral at the Chiesa della Gran Madre di Dio in Rome and offered his recollection: “I knew him for many years,” he said. “He was a splendid man. I really wanted to be here also for his family, I am very emotional. He was always there in the most important moments of my life.”
Despite the broad turnout, current Italian players were noticeably absent, with particular attention on the absence of Jannik Sinner. The memorial at the court that carries his name offered a public farewell in a place closely associated with Pietrangeli’s legacy.
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