Mario Ančić beat Roger Federer, won the Davis Cup with the Croatian national team and was in the Top 10 in the world ranking of tennis players. He is a man who achieved all this and much more in his professional sports career. He is also a successful businessman with an intriguing resume who is now part of one of the world’s largest investment funds on Wall Street.
Speaking with Damjan Rudež as part of the panel entitled “GAME SET MATCH – FROM THE COURT TO CORPORATE powered by sportnet.hr ”, Mario Ančić shared with the audience numerous interesting facts from the world of sports and business, as well as his experience of transitioning from sports to business and what his average day looks like today and if he still loves tennis.
When asked how, as a child from Split, he ended up playing tennis and not basketball, he said that his place of residence played a crucial role in that decision. Tennis became his first love and it has remained so to this day.
Conveying his impressions of what it was like to go through all the stages of his sports career and how he adapted to the business world, Ančić noted that he still remains part of the sports community, and that he invests considerable time and time effort in education and professional development. “Yes, it was difficult. But I always looked at the positive. I used to wonder why someone would hire a former athlete. But as athletes, we have numerous benefits that can be applied on a daily basis. We are ready to compete, we have strong mental strength, we know how to handle pressure and we are disciplined. We built all that through sports and competitions, and now we just transfer those values to another discipline,” he added.
Speaking about both careers and comparing the American and European principles of educating top athletes, Ančić underlined that they are two completely different systems. He pointed out that each of them has its advantages and disadvantages, but it is evident that even in Europe additional steps are being taken to strengthening university programs related to the development of professional athletes, who at the same time have the opportunity to get a quality education.
When asked what the experience of working on Wall Street was like, Mario had this to say: “Going to an investment fund was my wish and I am extremely happy that today I am a part of One Equity Partners. The business world is such that there are no shortcuts. You have to start from the beginning and build your name. I was ready to learn, to break through and build my name in the business world. It is interesting that when working in the business world, I often meet people who were previously successful athletes, or were part of the military. This speaks precisely about the importance of character and the intensity of today’s business world.”
