Tennis player turned businessman Ion Tiriac recently shared interesting anecdotes about two of the greatest Open Era players – Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Tiriac applauded Federer for his talent and revealed the relationship he shares with the Swiss Maestro. Tiriac then also hinted at a possible wager between him and Djokovic.
The former Romanian player revealed that though he and Federer didn’t share a close personal bond, he has always received respect from the 20-time grand slam champion, and just like other players, the 43-year-old too calls him ‘boss’. Tiriac said,
“Actually, I don’t know Roger Federer very well, but he has always respected me. Like the other stars on the circuit, he calls me the boss.”
During an earlier conversation with We Love Tennis, Tiriac had gone as far as saying that Federer was a different league player and did not deem it fair to compare him with the other two names in the Big 3 club – Rafael Nadal and Djokovic.
“I sincerely think that he is really in a category apart if we compare him to Nadal or Djokovic, for example. He is a player who invented things on a tennis court that did not exist. Physically, he has always been a little below Djokovic and Nadal, but the talent, that, he had in his hands, that is a certainty,” said Tiriac about Federer.
Now, in another conversation with We Love Tennis, Tiriac revealed that he had a conversation with Djokovic after the Serbian won his first-ever Olympic gold medal in Paris 2024 and completed his career golden slam. Further talking about what the conversation could have been regarding, Tiriac hinted that the two could have entered into a possible bet, details of which he refused to reveal.
“I called him after his victory in Paris at the Olympic Games and told him: ‘Young man, old player’. I also took the opportunity to make a bet with him, but unfortunately, I can’t tell you more about that,” said the former Romanian tennis star.
Tiriac also revealed how the Paris 2024 gold medalists used to train in Romania because the training cost was too high in Serbia. Tiriac said,
“Baby’ Djokovic trained in Romania when he was just starting out, traveling 80 kilometers every day because it was too expensive in Belgrade”.
The former Romanian tennis star has established a legacy as a great tennis player but his transition to a businessman is a success story in itself. His decision to step into the business world made him the richest tennis player of all time.
As per Forbes, his net worth is a whopping $2.2 billion. His business ventures range from banking to insurance, auto leasing, auto dealerships, and airlines. Interestingly, Tiriac was also an Ice Hockey player and represented Romania in high-level tournaments like the 1964 Winter Olympics.
