Meet the tennis billionaire richer than Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic have helped redefine dominance and success in tennis during an extraordinary two-decade reign at the very top of the sport.
All three are among the leading sport stars not only of their generation, but of all time, with an unprecedented level of success — with huge net worths built up along the way.
Federer’s on-court success, coupled with investments such as On in recent years, has seen him hit billionaire status in 2025, though he and his two main rivals are far from the richest tennis players.
Ion Tiriac is not a name well-known outside of the sport, but he has had a huge influence during his six decades of involvement in tennis.
Here, we look at all you need to know about one of tennis’ most influential — and controversial — figures.
Sporting career
Born in Brasov in 1939, Tiriac is well-known for his tennis career, and was part of a leading generation of Romanian stars in the 1960s and 1970s.
He is reported to have won 34 singles titles and reached the French Open men’s singles quarter-final in 1968, though his greatest success came in doubles.
Partnering with compatriot and tennis great Ilie Nastase, he finished as the men’s doubles runner-up at the 1966 French Championships, before lifting the French Open title in 1970.
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Tiriac was also part of the Romanian team that reached three Davis Cup Finals in 1969, 1971, and 1972, and was also the 1979 French Open mixed doubles runner-up alongside Virginia Ruzici.
Outside of tennis, the 86-year-old was also a successful ice hockey player — representing Romania at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck.
Post-tennis involvement
Tiriac retired from tennis in 1979, though he has remained heavily involved in the sport in the four-and-a-half decades since hanging up his racket.
The Romanian has acted as a coach or manager for a number of high-profile players, starting with former doubles partner and compatriot Nastase.
He was also Boris Becker’s manager from 1984 to 1993, a period which saw the German win five of his six Grand Slam titles, and worked with the likes of Marat Safin, Goran Ivanisevic, and Mary Joe Fernandez.
Outside of player management, he also ran the ATP Finals when it was held in Hanover from 1996-1999, and was perhaps best known for owning the Madrid Open.
Tiriac owned the tournament from 2009, when it was first held on clay, until 2021, selling the tournament to IMG for a staggering €390 million.
The Tiriac Open, and ATP 250 event held in Bucharest, is named in his honour.
Outside of tennis
Tiriac’s business empire has expanded outside of tennis as well, with a range of investments and interests outside of the sport.
The Romanian has business interests in retail, aviation, and automobiles — with an internationally recognised classic car collection — though his biggest success has come in banking.
He launched the Ion Tiriac Bank, now known as the UniCredit Bank, in Romania in 1990, the first private bank founded in the country after the fall of the communist regime.
Net worth
Tiriac was first listed as a billionaire by Forbes in 2007, with a projected net worth of $1b, making him the first Romanian to feature on the list.
As of July 2025, Forbes estimates that the 86-year-old has a staggering net worth of $2.3b, which ranks him as the 1,678th richest person in the world.
That makes him one of seven billionaire athletes, alongside Federer, golfer Tiger Woods, and basketball stars Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Lebron James, and Junior Bridgeman; the latter passed away in March this year.
However, while Federer is just the second tennis star on this list, his net worth is reportedly $1.1b — less than half of Tiriac’s predicted wealth.
In comparison, Djokovic has a predicted net worth of $240m, while Nadal’s predicted net worth is $220m.
Controversies
Tiriac has been one of the most influential figures in tennis for a number of years, but he has also proven to be a hugely controversial figure at times.
The Romanian has long been an opponent of equal prize money in tennis, even criticising his own Madrid tournament when the event offered equal prize money during his ownership.
“Let’s not confuse business with human rights,” Tiriac told Le Monde in 2017.
“Tennis is business. I understand players who say they are tired of seeing men’s prize money help the women’s.”
Tiriac was also a frequent critic of Serena Williams during her playing career, describing her as “overweight” during her comeback from maternity leave in 2018, and then calling for her to show the “decency” to retire in 2021.
Williams would later fire back, describing his comments as “sexist” and calling him an “ignorant man”.
He then courted further controversy when appearing courtside at the 2024 ATP Finals, wearing a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat during the final between Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz, and again wore the same hat at the 2025 French Open.
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