Neco was tennis, and tennis was Neco.

He was born in Portorož, a tourist town with the beautiful Palace Hotel and the first tennis center in this part of Europe. These were two clay courts between the then hotels Orion and Helios, built more than 100 years ago. At that time, there were no proper lines on the court; they were drawn with chalk on the grid on the ground, and almost after every match, the lines had to be redrawn. His family home stood right next to the courts, where he could watch the well-dressed, wealthy tourists with their wooden rackets, and the game completely captivated him.

He followed tennis tournaments on the old black-and-white television, watched the moves of tennis legends, and practiced his first strokes against the wall of his family home.

He decided to become a tennis player. He won tournaments and was several times a champion of the highly regarded Istrian Riviera, while also beginning to look towards coaching. He enrolled in the Faculty of Sports in Ljubljana and graduated in tennis in Zagreb.

Very early on, he decided to pursue a path as a tennis coach at his home club, TK Portorož. Later, he founded his own tennis academy.

His coaching journey began with talented players from the Primorska region—Tanja Černe, Mitja Vatovec, and Jaka Božič—whom he coached to numerous national championship titles in former Yugoslavia.

His path led him to tennis centers across Yugoslavia, Europe, and worldwide, where he accompanied his players to numerous tournaments and participated in all four major Grand Slams.

In the days of telegrams and faxes, when a landline phone was only available in larger companies, he organized all travel arrangements for his players to tournaments, secured sponsorships, and simultaneously coached them. He had to be a manager, psychologist, and coach all in one.

He was an excellent organizer and, for more than 10 years, organized the VIP Tivoli Cup in Ljubljana, a unique sports and cultural event attended by many famous athletes, businessmen, politicians, and cultural figures. In 2010, he organized the first international ITF Seniors Tournament for both men and women at the tennis courts of Marina Portorož. This year will mark the 16th edition.

As a tennis coach, he continuously invested all his knowledge and resources into the development and progress of young tennis talents.