Table of Contents
- Ion Tiriac sports career includes ice hockey and tennis
- He was one of the best tennis players in the world during his early days.
- The tennis legend is currently one of the richest athletes of all time
Ion Tiriac sports career includes tennis and ice hockey. His main sport was tennis, and he became one of the top players in the world.
Ion Tiriac played five dramatic setters against Rod Laver, Manuel Orantes, Jan Kodes or Stan Smith. He was the first man to play against a woman and defeat her in one set in a sanctioned tennis tournament. The 85-year-old has been managing French tennis player Lucas Pouille since December 2016.
Ion Tiriac. Photo/ Romania TV.
Ion Tiriac has served as the president of the Romanian Tennis Federation. The legendary tennis player is one of the richest former athletes of all time.
Ion Tiriac Sports Career
Ion Tiriac sports career began as a child ping pong champion, then subsequently as an ice hockey player on the Romanian national team. He represented the national team at the 1946 Winter Olympics. Ion Tiriac switched to tennis after the tournament, which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria.
Tiriac and his fellow countryman Ilie Nastase won the men’s double at the 1970 French Open. Ion and Ilie defeated the American duo of Arthur Ashe and Charlie Pasarell 6-2, 6-4, 6-3. They also reached the Davis Cup final several times in the 1970s.
Tiriac was a Romanian Davis Cup Team member from 1959-1963, 1966-1972, 1974-1975, and 1977. He was present in the short period in the 1970s, during which women dabbled as coeds in men’s tournaments. He defeated Abigail Maynard in his first-round one match 6-0 6-0 at the USTA pro circuit. His overall tennis record stands at 70-37 – singles (40-28) and doubles (30-11).
Ion earned one singles title, the Bavarian International Tennis Championship in Munich, in 1970. He defeated Yugoslavian Nikola Pilic 2-6, 9-7, 6-3, 6-4. After his retirement, Tiriac became active as a tennis coach, player agent and advisor. Players who have been under his wing include Manuel Orantes, Ilie Nastase, Adriano Panatta and Guillermo Vilas.
Ion was Boris Becker’s sports agent from 1984 up to 1993. Boris Becker is a German former world No. 1 tennis player who was successful from the start of his career.
Tiriac was the president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee between 1998 and 2004. He has held the license for the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy tennis tournament since 1996. The 85-year-old got nominated for the International Tennis Hall of Fame as a successful tournament director and promoter in July 2013.
How Much Did Ion Tiriac Make From His Tennis Career?
Ion Tiriac and Roger Federer. Photo/ Fox Sports.
During Ion Tiriac sports career, the Romanian international walked away with around 150,000 euros in prize money. But he is now the richest tennis player of all time. Tiriac generated his vast wealth through his various business ventures after retiring from professional tennis.
Business Ventures
According to Forbes, Ion Tiriac began his investment career after the fall of communism in Romania. He is now a billionaire who owns a car and motorcycle collection of more than 400 models.
Ion Tiriac heads the Tiriac Group, a company with interests in real estate, auto and financial service.
He founded the Tiriac Bank in 1990, the first private bank in Romania. Under the Tiriac Holdings Ltd. Company, the former tennis player founded other enterprises such as insurance, retail, airlines, auto and leasing.
As of 2005, Ion Tiriac’s fortune was estimated to be around 900 million dollars. He became the first Romanian to join the Forbes’ List of Billionaires in 2007 at number 840. Tiriac’s real estate ventures include a large residential complex with a museum and a country club.
Enterprises owned by the richest tennis player of all time include Tiriac Holdings, HVB Tiriac Bank, TiriacAuto, Tir Travel, and Allianz-Tiriac Insurance Company.
What is Ion Tiriac’s Net Worth?
Ion Tiriac. Photo/ Fox Sports.
As of 2025, Ion Tiriac is Romania’s only known billionaire. He is now worth four times his net worth when he retired from professional tennis. According to Forbes, the former tennis player has a net worth of $1.2 billion. His fortune has been increasing over the years and he also ranks among the richest people in Europe.
The Romanian international is a massive petrolhead who is often chauffeured in expensive cars. Tiriac’s motors seem to be his pride and joy as he reportedly has as many cars as 500 in his museum.
