Mario Ancic, the former tennis player who won the Davis Cup with Croatia in 2005, has built a second career in finance. The 42-year-old now works as a vice president at One Equity Partners, a private equity firm based in New York City.
From Wimbledon to Wall Street
Ancic began his professional tennis career in 2001, making his major debut at Wimbledon in 2002 as a teenager and defeating Roger Federer in the first round. Over a decade on the tour, he reached the fourth round at the Australian Open twice and made the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2004, beating Tim Henman in the quarter-finals before losing to Andy Roddick.
He also reached the quarter-finals of the French Open and the second round of the US Open. In 2005, he helped Croatia win the Davis Cup alongside teammate Ivan Ljubicic.
Education and Career Transition
While competing, Ancic attended law school at the University of Split. He retired in 2011 after a 10-year career, citing injuries and a battle with infectious mononucleosis. He had earned a law degree in 2008, with a thesis on the legal foundation and organisation of the ATP Tour.
He later attended Harvard Law School and earned a master's degree from Columbia Law School. Ancic moved into investment banking as an associate at Credit Suisse before relocating to New York City.
Current Role at One Equity Partners
Ancic joined One Equity Partners in 2018 and is a member of the board of directors of Nexion, Ballymore, PGW Auto Glass, and Infobip. The firm invests in middle-market businesses across healthcare, technology, and industrial sectors in the United States and Europe.
Speaking to Tennis.com in 2021 about his transition, Ancic said: "I think it was important to make that change, really not knowing which direction your life is going to take. They always say athletes have to die twice."
He added: "And that's true in a sense, because you're leaving something you've been doing for 20-plus years and you're going to something that is a little bit unknown. But I took that as a challenge. I was very blessed to have good people around me always showing me the value of education."
Reflecting on his path, Ancic noted: "It gave me the opportunity to stay in the States and move to the finance world, where I worked a couple of years in investment banking on Wall Street. Then a couple years ago, I moved to a private-equity fund where I'm currently a vice president. We invest and buy companies around the world, looking to add value to grow them."
