Ion Țiriac
 |
|
| Country | Romania |
|---|---|
| Residence | Bucharest, Romania |
| Born | May 9, 1939 Brașov, Romania |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Retired | 1979 |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Career prize money | unknown |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 151-159 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 55 (June 3, 1973) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 294-141 |
| Career titles | 22 |
| Highest ranking | No. 19 (April 9, 1979) |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tennis | ||
Competitor for  Romania |
||
| Summer Universiade | ||
| Bronze | 1961 Sofia | Singles |
| Bronze | 1961 Sofia | Mixed Doubles |
| Gold | 1965 Budapest | Singles |
| Gold | 1965 Budapest | Mixed Doubles |
| Bronze | 1965 Budapest | Doubles |
Ion Țiriac (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈjon t͡siˈrjak]; born 9 May 1939 in Braşov) is a Romanian former tennis player and businessman.[1] He is also the current owner of the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Sports career
Țiriac first appeared on the international sports scene as an ice hockey player on the Romanian national team at the 1964 Winter Olympics. Shortly after that he switched to tennis as his main sport. With fellow Romanian Ilie Năstase he won the men's doubles in the 1970 French Open and reached the Davis Cup finals several times in the 1970s.[3]
After his retirement, he served as coach and manager for players such as; Ilie Năstase, Guillermo Vilas, Mary Joe Fernández, and Goran Ivanišević.
In 1984, he managed Boris Becker from 1984 to 1993. In 1998 he became president of the Romanian National Olympic Committee.
Țiriac ran major men's events in Germany, including the season-ending championships in Hanover. Although tennis is now a much smaller part of his portfolio and occupies only 5 percent of his time, he has taken particular pleasure and pride in making Madrid Tennis Open a combined men's and women's event with €7.2 million in total prize money.[4]
Țiriac also has held the license for the BCR Open Romania tennis tournament since 1996. It is currently a €450,000 event, part of the ATP World Tour 250 series, held annually in Bucharest, Romania. The 2010 winner was Juan Ignacio Chela.
[edit] Career statistics
[edit] Grand Slam finals
[edit] Doubles
[edit] Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | Partnering | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
| 1970 | French Open |  Ilie Năstase |
 Arthur Ashe Charlie Pasarell |
6–2, 6–4, 6–3 |
[edit] Business career
After his retirement as a professional tennis player, Țiriac became a businessman in Germany. In 1987, he appeared in a TV commercial for Miller Lite beer with Bob Uecker, who extols Țiriac's supposed humorous qualities, laughing hysterically while Ţiriac sits stone-faced.
Following the collapse of communism in Romania, he started numerous businesses and investments back home. In 1990, he founded Banca Țiriac, the first private bank in post-Communist Romania. Between that and several other enterprises (retail, insurance, auto leasing, auto dealerships, airlines, etc.), his fortune was estimated at over $900 million as of 2005[update].
Ion Țiriac became the first Romanian [1] to enter Forbes' List of billionaires in the 2007 Forbes rankings, placing number 840 in the world. His wealth was estimated at $1.1 billion as of 2007[update], according to the magazine. In 2010 TOP 300 Capital declares Ion Tiriac the richest man in Romania with a wealth estimated at €1.5 - €1.6 billion ($2 – $2.2 billion).[2]
[edit] Companies
- Ţiriac Holdings
- ȚiriacAIR
- HVB Ţiriac Bank
- Allianz-Ţiriac Asigurări România
- ŢiriacAuto
- Ţiriac Leasing
- Tir Travel (formerly Ţiriac Travel)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "#937 Ion Tiriac". Forbes. 10 March 2010. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/10/billionaires-2010_Ion-Tiriac_TLQ2.html.
- ^ "Madrid Masters goes bling". tennisworldusa. 8 April 2011. http://www.tennisworldusa.org/Madrid+Masters+goes+bling-articolo461.html.
- ^ http://www.daviscup.com/en/players/player/profile.aspx?playerid=10002372
- ^ Clarey, Christopher (9 May 2009). "Spain at Last Brings the World to Its Clay". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/09/sports/tennis/09iht-SRMADRID.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
- Personal Tennis Scorecard
- Forbes World's Billionaires #840
- Ion Tiriac; Tennis's Grandest Bad Boy June 24, 1993 The New York Times
