Ion Tiriac has a gigantic wealth thanks to his business exploits (Image: Getty)
When pressed to guess who is the tennis star, many would suggest icons such as or . But the answer actually lies with ex-pro .
While Djokovic and Federer are worth £189.3million and £453m respectively, former tennis and hockey star Tiriac boasts an astonishing wealth of £1.6billion ($2bn), which means his monetary value is actually more than double that of the two legends combined, according to . Federer, who won 20 major single titles during his storied career, retired in September 2022 and now boasts an incredible bank balance, in part to his winnings in the game but also thanks to a raft of sponsorship deals.
, who continues to play at the top level of the game at 37 years old, is actually the highest earner in the history of the sport, having amassed £140m in prize money. He now looks to break the record for most majors ever won at the . However, his deals outside of the game have inflated his riches, albeit not to the level of his once great rival, .
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While Djokovic and Federer will obviously be two of the first names on anyone’s lips when it comes to naming the richest athletes on the planet, Tiriac is something of a wildcard. He made the majority of his money thanks to his business acumen, which led him to found the Ion Tiriac Bank – the first private bank to operate in post-Communist Romania.
He currently heads the Tiriac Group, which has interests in real estate, auto, financial services and more. After he retired as a tennis player in the 1970s, Tiriac turned to coaching and worked with several top players such as Guillermo Vilas, Marat Safin and Boris Becker.
He began his investment career in the 1980s and eventually founded the group he is now synonymous with. His displays of his powerful wealth are evident through several luxury purchases, such as a huge car and motorcycle collection of more than 400 models, including vehicles previously owned by infamous gangster Al Capone, Brat Pack star Sammy Davis Jr. and iconic singer-songwriter .
Tiriac was also president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee from 1998 to 2004. However, the 85-year-old does have another contender when it comes to a tennis star boasting an incredible affluence.
Tiriac’s fortune is more than Federer and Djokovic’s combined (Image: Getty)
Jessica Pegula, often dubbed the ‘world’s richest tennis player’, is the daughter of wealthy American sports moguls Terry and Kim Pegula, owners of the Buffalo Bills in the NFL and NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. The 30-year-old’s parents have a hefty net worth north of £5.4billion.
The tennis star has built quite the bank balance for herself, having bagged over £10m from her time on the court. While Pegula is set to be the beneficiary of her parent’s success, Tiriac stands on his own in the world of the richest tennis players due to him building the fortune himself.
While he never scaled the heights of winning a major as a singles player, Tiriac did amass 34 career titles as a solo player, and his best showing at a major was a quarter-final exit at the French Open in 1968. It was in the doubles game where Tiriac showed his true worth.
The Romanian won the French Open doubles title in 1970 and reached the final of the U.S Open the same year. He also managed to make it to the semi-final of with his partner, compatriot Ilie Nastase, in the same year. Something of a maverick, Tiriac also represented Romania internationally in ice hockey before he switched to tennis, and even made an appearance in the 1964 Winter Olympics.