Tennis player-turned-billionaire businessman Ion Tiriac has advised Carlos Alcaraz to cut down on the sponsorship deals. Tiriac enjoyed a fairly successful career on the court, competing in every Grand Slam and winning the French Open men’s doubles in 1970.
But it’s his ventures since hanging up his racket that have transformed the 85-year-old Romanian’s life. He’s mentored several players, including being Boris Becker’s agent, served as his country’s Olympic and Sports Committee president, and run tennis tournaments across Europe, most notably the Madrid Open.
With a then-teenage Becker, Tiriac stripped back his endorsements and forced him to make limited deals with around four or five brands, after which the German enjoyed several years of success. And he believes that’s what Alcaraz, 21, needs his camp to do for him
Speaking to We Love Tennis, he claimed the Spaniard could earn more money with a long-term vision as he’s currently being “overexposed”. Tiriac said: “Alcaraz is a talented player. He is sensational. He has incredible leg speed and power.
“But I think they are overexposing him. They want to reap the rewards financially when he has just started his career. You have to be much more patient and leave him alone because the money they earn today will be nothing compared to what they could earn in a few years’ time.”
Alcaraz is currently the highest-paid tennis player in the world, earning an estimated $45million (£34.6m) between June 2023 and June 2024. His prize money made up only one-third of that figure, with double that coming from endorsements.
His most lucrative deal is with Nike, signing a new 10-year contract with them earlier this year worth a total of £160m. Racket-maker Babolat are his longest-serving association, having signed him when he was just 13 years old.
But his first sponsorship was believed to have come even earlier than that, aged 10. He also has deals with LVMH, Rolex, BMW, Calvin Klein, ElPozo and ISDIN sunscreen.
On the court, Alcaraz has endured a frustrating few weeks. Following his Olympic final defeat to Novak Djokovic, he crashed out of the Cincinnati Open in a first-round defeat to Gael Monfils – taking out his anger by smashing his racket in a rare outburst.
