Famous Romanian tennis player and investor Ion Tiriac (in picture), was recently included in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, during a ceremony held in Newport, USA, together with other important tennis personalities, namely Martina Hingis, Thelma Coyne Long, Cliff Drysdale and Charlie Pasarell. The Romanian tennis player has been chosen for inclusion in the hall of fame in recognition of his work as an influential player manager and successful tournament promoter.

Tiriac joined another Romanian tennis player, Ilie Nastase, who was included in the Hall of Fame in 1991.

In the 1970s, Tiriac and fellow Romanian Ilie Nastase partnered to form a successful doubles team, which won the French Open doubles title. Tiriac went on to manage the careers of top players including Guillermo Vilas, Mary Joe Fernandez, Goran Ivanisevic, and most notably, Boris Becker, who won five Grand Slam titles while working with Tiriac. He continues to promote tennis in Romania and is the owner/promoter of the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy, an ATP World Tour 250 event held annually in Bucharest.

Established in 1954, the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum is a non-profit institution dedicated to preserving the history of tennis, inspiring and encouraging junior tennis development, that annually inducts new members. The Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, USA, where the awards ceremony will be organized in July for the class of 2013.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(photo source: the international hall of fame's facebook page)