ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatian tennis great Nikola Pilić, the first coach to lead three countries to Davis Cup glory and who trained Novak Djokovic in his academy, has died. He was 86.
The Croatian Tennis Association said Pilić died on Monday.
Pilić was a French Open singles runner-up in 1973 and the catalyst for 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 still suspended. The International Lawn Tennis Federation (now the ITF) supported the Yugoslav decision but reduced his suspension to one month — but that 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 was already a star when tennis turned fully professional in 1968. When U.S. businessman Lamar Hunt backed a new professional tour called World Championship Tennis, the likes of Pilić, John Newcombe and Tony Roche were the first eight men's players signed — called the Handsome Eight.
Pilić won nine singles titles and reached a highest singles ranking of No. 6. He lost the French Open final to Ilje Nastase. His six doubles titles included the 1970 U.S. Open with Pierre Barthes against Newcombe and Rod Laver in a four-set final.
After his playing retirement in 1978, Pilić coached and won the Davis Cup as a non-playing captain with Boris Becker's Germany (1988, 1989, 1993), and Croatia (2005) and served as an adviser when Serbia won in 2010.
Future stars who passed through his academy near Munich included Michael Stich, Goran Ivanisevic and Djokovic, who called Pilić his mentor.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
FILE - Croatia's team captain Nikola Pilic, left, with player Mario Ancic during his match against Slovakia's Dominik Hrbaty in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, Friday, Dec. 2, 2005. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File)
FILE - Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic, left, high-fives captain Nikola Pilic during a practice session in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2007. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 11, 2026--
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260511887775/en/
Porter provides comprehensive flight schedules from both Toronto airports, emphasizing its continued investment in Canada’s largest city.
Toronto-City - Nashville is operated on the De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft, with daily service beginning today. The new route connects Billy Bishop - located just minutes from downtown Toronto - with one of North America’s most popular getaway destinations. Since launching U.S. flights from YTZ in 2008, Porter has been committed to providing elevated economy service between Toronto and key American cities. The new U.S. Customs Preclearance facility at Billy Bishop offers even greater convenience to passengers. Porter continues to build frequency and connectivity from the city’s downtown airport, providing more options for travellers than any other airline.
Service between Toronto Pearson and Quebec City will be operated by the brand new 132-seat Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, with 12 weekly roundtrip flights beginning May 12. The new route complements existing Toronto-City service. Connections are available through Toronto Pearson to Western Canada destinations such as Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Kelowna. Additionally, these flights are optimally timed for our partner Air Transat’s extensive European network accessible via YQB, including destinations such as Lisbon, Rome, Venice, Paris, and Amsterdam.
Porter’s presence at Toronto Pearson continues to grow, connecting to more than 30 routes across North America, Mexico, the Caribbean and Costa Rica.
On every Porter flight, passengers can expect genuine hospitality and an elevated level of onboard service, including no middle seats, complimentary wine and beer served in glassware, and premium snacks. Routes operated with the E195-E2 also have free, fast WiFi available for everyone.
PorterReserve fares offer passengers an all-inclusive economy experience, with fresh meals, extra legroom seats, premium pre-mixed cocktails, priority check-in, and ticketing flexibility. These options are available à la carte with PorterClassic fares.
Full schedule details are available at www.flyporter.com.
Quotes
“Porter continues to build connectivity from Toronto’s two complementary airports, providing even more options for travellers to explore this summer. Nashville and Quebec City are both popular destinations, rich in culture and history. Passengers can now connect easily to Porter’s expanding Eastern Canada network from Billy Bishop and across North America from Toronto Pearson.”
- Andrew Pierce, vice president, network planning and reporting, Porter Airlines
“Porter’s new nonstop service to Nashville marks a significant milestone in the continued expansion of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport’s transborder network. This route improves both choice and convenience for travellers, while strengthening Toronto’s direct links to some of North America’s most in demand destinations. With the introduction of U.S. Preclearance and Porter’s ongoing investment in service from downtown Toronto, this launch underscores strong confidence in Billy Bishop Airport’s role as a passenger-focused urban airport. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Porter as we support greater connectivity, drive economic benefits, and deliver seamless travel experiences for the city and region we serve.”
- RJ Steenstra, president & CEO, Toronto Port Authority, owner and operator of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
“Porter’s new nonstop service to Nashville is a great example of how Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and partners continue to evolve in ways that put the passenger first. With U.S. preclearance now in place, travellers can enjoy more choice and a smoother, more seamless experience when flying to the U.S. from downtown Toronto. This route reflects the strength of our partnership with Porter and the Toronto Port Authority, and our shared focus on delivering the kind of convenient, elevated travel experience passengers expect and value.”
- Eve Wiggins, chief operating officer, Nieuport Aviation
“Porter Airlines’ first departure from Nashville International Airport (BNA) marks an important addition to our growing international offerings. As demand for global travel continues to rise in Middle Tennessee, expanding our partnerships is essential to providing travelers with more destinations and greater convenience. Nonstop service to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) offers a direct connection into downtown Toronto, giving our passengers another valuable option for international travel. We’re proud to welcome Porter as our newest airline partner and to celebrate the launch of a service that further enhances BNA’s global reach.”
- Doug Kreulen, president and CEO, Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA)
“We welcome Porter’s continued expansion of service to destinations across the country. Quebec City is a vibrant and important market for both business and leisure travel, and this new route gives passengers more choice, greater convenience, and easier access to the destinations they want to reach across Canada at a time when demand for domestic travel continues to grow.”
- Carl Jones, head of business aviation development, Toronto Pearson
“We are pleased to see the return of the route between Toronto Pearson International Airport and Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport, operated by Porter Airlines. These 12 flights to the Canadian metropolis are fully in line with our objective of offering more options to travellers from the region and across Québec. They also help to strengthen connectivity to popular destinations in Western Canada.”
- Stéphane Poirier, president and CEO, YQB
About Porter
Since 2006, Porter Airlines has been elevating the experience of economy air travel for every passenger, providing genuine hospitality with style, care and charm. Porter’s fleet of Embraer E195-E2 and De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft serves North America, including a coast-to-coast domestic Canadian network, the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. Headquartered in Toronto, Porter is an Official 4 Star Airline® in the World Airline Star Rating®. Visit www.flyporter.com or follow @porterairlines on Instagram, Facebook and X.
Porter Airlines continues to grow its Toronto network with new service between Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) and Nashville International Airport (BNA), as well as reintroducing service from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB).
