Ion Țiriac

Ion Țiriac played ice hockey for Romania at the 1964 Winter Olympics, but it was only a prelude to a much larger life. His main sport was tennis and he became one of the top players in the world, winning the 1970 French Open men’s doubles alongside Ilie Năstase. Țiriac’s best finish in a singles Grand Slam was making the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 1968. He was best known for his doubles play, winning 22 career professional titles.

After his playing career ended in the mid-1970s, Țiriac turned to managing athletes, most notably as the coach and manager of Boris Becker from 1984-1993. He also coached or managed, among others, Năstase, Guillermo Vilas, Mary Joe Fernández, Goran Ivanišević, and Marat Safin. Țiriac also started running and managing tennis events, including the Madrid Tennis Open, the Italian Open, and in Romania, the BRD Năstase Țiriac Trophy. In 2013 Țiriac was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Țiriac’s business interests then branched out and in 1990, after the fall of Communism in Romania, he founded Banca Țiriac, the first private bank in that country. The bank merged several times, eventually becoming UniCredit Țiriac Bank, one of the largest banks in Romania. He also became involved in other businesses, including insurance, auto leasing, auto dealerships, and local airlines, with his various ventures entitled Tiriac Holdings, TiriacAIR, HVB Tiriac Bank, Allianz-Tiriac Asigurari Romania, TiriacAuto, Tiriac Leasing, and Tir Travel.

In 2007 Țiriac was named to Forbes list of the wealthiest people in the world, and in 2014 his net worth was estimated at over $2 billion (US). He was considered, at that time, as the richest former athlete of all-time.