Wojciech Fibak (Polish pronunciation: [ˈvɔjt͡ɕɛx ˈfibak]; popularly Wojtek Fibak [ˈvɔjtɛk -]; born 30 August 1952) is a Polish former professional tennis player, entrepreneur, and art collector. Fibak is best known for his doubles success with Dutch pro Tom Okker and Australian Kim Warwick, although he also reached the Top 10 in singles.
![]() Wojciech Fibak in 1982 | |
ITF name | Wojtek Fibak |
---|---|
Country (sports) | ![]() |
Residence | Poznań, Poland |
Born | Poznań, Poland | 30 August 1952
Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) |
Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
Prize money | $2,725,403[1] |
Singles | |
Career record | 536–314 |
Career titles | 15 |
Highest ranking | No. 10 (25 July 1977) |
Grand Slam singles results | |
Australian Open | 3R (1978) |
French Open | QF (1977, 1980) |
Wimbledon | QF (1980) |
US Open | QF (1980) |
Other tournaments | |
Tour Finals | F (1976) |
WCT Finals | QF (1977, 1981, 1982) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 527–248 |
Career titles | 52 |
Highest ranking | No. 2 (5 February 1979) |
Grand Slam doubles results | |
Australian Open | W (1978) |
French Open | F (1977) |
Wimbledon | SF (1978) |
US Open | SF (1978) |
Other doubles tournaments | |
Tour Finals | W (1976, 1978) |
Throughout his career, he won 15 ATP career singles titles as well as 52 ATP doubles titles including one Grand Slam title, the 1978 Australian Open. He was also the runner-up at the 1976 ATP Finals.
Biography and personal life
editBorn in Poznań, Poland, he won his first tournament in 1976, and between then and 1982 won 15 singles titles and 52 doubles titles. His best year was arguably 1980, when he reached the quarter-finals at the French Open, the US Open and Wimbledon. Fibak's career singles win–loss record was 520–310, and he reached his career-high singles ranking of World No. 10 on 25 July 1977. His highest doubles ranking was World No. 2, which he reached in February 1979. He was consistently ranked in the top 20 in singles, and earned $2,725,403 in career prize money.
The highlight of his career was winning the Australian Open men's doubles in 1978 with Kim Warwick. They beat Paul Kronk and Cliff Letcher 7–6, 7–5 to take the title.
In 1983 he was banned from his local Poznań tennis club and faced reduced involvement from the Polish Tennis Federation and Davis Cup national team for his opposition to the communist PZPR government.[2]
In 1985, Fibak founded the Polish Tennis Club (Polish Tennis Association of Southern California); in the 1990s he was head of the Polish Tennis Federation and widely credited with popularising the sport in his native country. After the fall of communism in the early 1990s his company Fibak Press acquired the regional former PZPR mouthpiece Gazeta Poznańska, until it was acquired by rivals Głos Wielkopolski in 2006, and published several other newspapers and magazines as well as being involved in books related to tennis.
He is also a businessman and an avid art collector, and used his tennis fortune to open the art gallery Galeria Fibak in 2001.[3]
Fibak divides his time between Warsaw and Monaco, where he was Poland's honorary consul.[4] He is a self-declared local patriot and was close to fellow local billionaire Jan Kulczyk.[5]
He has three daughters: Agnieszka, Paulina, and Nina.
Grand Slam finals
editDoubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
editResult | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1977 | French Open | Clay | Jan Kodeš | Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez |
6–7, 6–4, 3–6, 4–6 |
Win | 1978 | Australian Open | Grass | Kim Warwick | Paul Kronk Cliff Letcher |
7–6, 7–5 |
Career finals
editSingles: 34 (15 titles, 19 runners-up)
editResult | No. | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1. | 1975 | Shreveport, US | Carpet | Juan Gisbert Sr. | 3–6, 7–5, 1–6 |
Loss | 2. | 1976 | Monte Carlo WCT, Monaco | Clay | Guillermo Vilas | 1–6, 1–6, 4–6 |
Win | 1. | 1976 | Stockholm, Sweden | Carpet | Ilie Năstase | 6–4, 7–6 |
Win | 2. | 1976 | Bournemouth, England | Clay | Manuel Orantes | 6–2, 7–9, 6–2, 6–2 |
Loss | 3. | 1976 | Louisville, US | Clay | Harold Solomon | 2–6, 5–7 |
Loss | 4. | 1976 | Indianapolis, US | Clay | Jimmy Connors | 2–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 5. | 1976 | Montreal, Canada | Hard | Guillermo Vilas | 4–6, 6–7, 2–6 |
Win | 3. | 1976 | Vienna, Austria | Hard (i) | Raúl Ramírez | 6–7, 6–3, 6–4, 2–6, 6–1 |
Loss | 6. | 1976 | Masters, Houston | Carpet | Manuel Orantes | 7–5, 2–6, 6–0, 6–7, 1–6 |
Loss | 7. | 1977 | Mexico City WCT, Mexico | Hard | Ilie Năstase | 6–4, 2–6, 6–7 |
Win | 4. | 1977 | Monterrey WCT, Mexico | Carpet | Vitas Gerulaitis | 6–4, 6–3 |
Loss | 8. | 1977 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Clay | Guillermo Vilas | 4–6, 3–6, 0–6 |
Win | 5. | 1977 | Düsseldorf, West Germany | Clay | Raymond Moore | 6–1, 5–7, 6–2 |
Loss | 9. | 1977 | Vienna, Austria | Hard (i) | Brian Gottfried | 1–6, 1–6 |
Loss | 10. | 1977 | Cologne, West Germany | Carpet | Björn Borg | 6–2, 5–7, 3–6 |
Loss | 11. | 1978 | Hamburg, West Germany | Clay | Guillermo Vilas | 2–6, 4–6, 2–6 |
Win | 6. | 1978 | Cologne, West Germany | Hard (i) | Vijay Amritraj | 6–2, 0–1, RET. |
Win | 7. | 1979 | Denver, US | Carpet | Victor Amaya | 6–4, 6–1 |
Win | 8. | 1979 | Stuttgart Indoor, West Germany | Hard (i) | Guillermo Vilas | 6–2, 6–2, 3–6, 6–2 |
Loss | 12. | 1979 | Munich, West Germany | Clay | Manuel Orantes | 3–6, 2–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 13. | 1979 | Vienna, Austria | Hard (i) | Stan Smith | 4–6, 0–6, 2–6 |
Loss | 14. | 1979 | Cologne, West Germany | Hard (i) | Gene Mayer | 3–6, 6–3, 1–6 |
Win | 9. | 1980 | Dayton, US | Carpet | Bruce Manson | 7–6, 6–3 |
Win | 10. | 1980 | New Orleans, US | Carpet | Eliot Teltscher | 6–4, 7–5 |
Win | 11. | 1980 | São Paulo, Brazil | Carpet | Vincent Van Patten | 6–0, 7–6 |
Loss | 15. | 1980 | Stuttgart, West Germany | Clay | Vitas Gerulaitis | 2–6, 5–7, 2–6 |
Loss | 16. | 1981 | Philadelphia, US | Carpet | Roscoe Tanner | 2–6, 6–7, 5–7 |
Win | 12. | 1981 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | Yannick Noah | 6–1, 7–6 |
Loss | 17. | 1982 | Naples Finals WCT, Italy | Carpet | Ivan Lendl | 4–6, 2–6, 1–6 |
Win | 13. | 1982 | Amsterdam WCT, Netherlands | Carpet | Kevin Curren | 7–5, 3–6, 6–4, 6–3 |
Win | 14. | 1982 | Paris Indoor, France | Hard (i) | Bill Scanlon | 6–2, 6–2, 6–2 |
Loss | 18. | 1982 | Dortmund, West Germany | Carpet | Brian Teacher | 7–6, 4–6, 4–6, 6–2, 4–6 |
Win | 15. | 1982 | Chicago-2 WCT, US | Carpet | Bill Scanlon | 6–2, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
Loss | 19. | 1983 | Basel, Switzerland | Hard (i) | Vitas Gerulaitis | 6–4, 1–6, 5–7, 5–5, RET. |
Doubles (52 titles, 33 runners-up)
editResult | No. | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | 1. | 1975 | Munich, West Germany | Clay | Jan Kodeš | Milan Holeček Karl Meiler |
7–5, 6–3 |
Loss | 1. | 1975 | Hamburg, West Germany | Clay | Jan Kodeš | Juan Gisbert Sr. Manuel Orantes |
3–6, 6–7 |
Win | 2. | 1975 | Hilversum, Netherlands | Clay | Guillermo Vilas | Željko Franulović John Lloyd |
6–4, 6–3 |
Loss | 2. | 1975 | Indianapolis, US | Clay | Hans-Jürgen Pohmann | Juan Gisbert Sr. Manuel Orantes |
5–7, 0–6 |
Win | 3. | 1975 | Louisville, US | Clay | Guillermo Vilas | Vijay Amritraj Anand Amritraj |
NP |
Loss | 3. | 1975 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | Karl Meiler | Björn Borg Guillermo Vilas |
6–3, 4–6, 3–6 |
Win | 4. | 1975 | Paris Indoor, France | Hard (i) | Karl Meiler | Ilie Năstase Tom Okker |
6–4, 7–6 |
Win | 5. | 1975 | London, England | Carpet | Karl Meiler | Jimmy Connors Ilie Năstase |
6–1, 7–5 |
Loss | 4. | 1976 | Atlanta WCT, US | Carpet | Karl Meiler | John Alexander Phil Dent |
3–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 5. | 1976 | Barcelona WCT, Spain | Clay | Karl Meiler | Robert Lutz Stan Smith |
3–6, 3–6 |
Win | 6. | 1976 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | Jacek Niedźwiedzki | Colin Dowdeswell Paul Kronk |
6–2, 6–3 |
Loss | 6. | 1976 | Nice, France | Clay | Karl Meiler | Patrice Dominguez François Jauffret |
4–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
Win | 7. | 1976 | Monte Carlo WCT, Monaco | Clay | Karl Meiler | Björn Borg Guillermo Vilas |
7–6, 6–1 |
Win | 8. | 1976 | World Doubles WCT, US | Carpet | Karl Meiler | Robert Lutz Stan Smith |
6–3, 2–6, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
Win | 9. | 1976 | Bournemouth, England | Clay | Fred McNair | Juan Gisbert Sr. Manuel Orantes |
4–6, 7–5, 7–5 |
Win | 10. | 1976 | Düsseldorf, West Germany | Clay | Karl Meiler | Bob Carmichael Raymond Moore |
6–4, 4–6, 6–4 |
Loss | 7. | 1976 | Båstad, Sweden | Clay | Juan Gisbert Sr. | Fred McNair Sherwood Stewart |
3–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 8. | 1976 | Hilversum, Netherlands | Clay | Balázs Taróczy | Ricardo Cano Belus Prajoux |
4–6, 3–6 |
Win | 11. | 1976 | Tehran, Iran | Clay | Raúl Ramírez | Juan Gisbert Sr. Manuel Orantes |
7–5, 6–1 |
Win | 12. | 1976 | Madrid, Spain | Clay | Raúl Ramírez | Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan |
4–6, 7–5, 6–3 |
Loss | 9. | 1976 | Wembley, England | Carpet | Brian Gottfried | Stan Smith Roscoe Tanner |
6–7, 3–6 |
Win | 13. | 1977 | Birmingham WCT, US | Carpet | Tom Okker | Billy Martin Bill Scanlon |
6–3, 6–4 |
Loss | 10. | 1977 | Philadelphia WCT, US | Carpet | Tom Okker | Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan |
1–6, 6–1, 3–6 |
Win | 14. | 1977 | Richmond WCT, US | Carpet | Tom Okker | Ross Case Tony Roche |
6–4, 6–4 |
Win | 15. | 1977 | Mexico City WCT, Mexico | Hard | Tom Okker | Ilie Năstase Adriano Panatta |
6–2, 6–3 |
Win | 16. | 1977 | Toronto Indoor WCT, Canada | Carpet | Tom Okker | Ross Case Tony Roche |
6–4, 6–1 |
Win | 17. | 1977 | Monterrey WCT, Mexico | Carpet | Ross Case | Billy Martin Bill Scanlon |
3–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
Win | 18. | 1977 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet | Tom Okker | Vijay Amritraj Dick Stockton |
6–4, 6–4 |
Loss | 11. | 1977 | Monte Carlo WCT, Monaco | Clay | Tom Okker | François Jauffret Jan Kodeš |
6–2, 3–6, 2–6 |
Win | 19. | 1977 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Clay | Ion Țiriac | Lito Álvarez Guillermo Vilas |
7–5, 0–6, 7–6 |
Loss | 12. | 1977 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Jan Kodeš | Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez |
6–7, 6–4, 3–6, 4–6 |
Win | 20. | 1977 | South Orange, US | Hard | Colin Dibley | Ion Țiriac Guillermo Vilas |
6–1, 7–5 |
Win | 21. | 1977 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | Jan Kodeš | Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan |
6–0, 6–4 |
Loss | 13. | 1977 | Vienna, Austria | Hard (i) | Jan Kodeš | Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan |
4–6, 3–6 |
Win | 22. | 1977 | Stockholm, Sweden | Hard (i) | Tom Okker | Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez |
6–3, 6–3 |
Loss | 14. | 1978 | St. Louis WCT, US | Carpet | Tom Okker | Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan |
3–6, 2–6 |
Loss | 15. | 1978 | Milan WCT, Italy | Carpet | Raúl Ramírez | José Higueras Víctor Pecci |
7–5, 6–7, 6–7 |
Win | 23. | 1978 | Houston WCT, US | Clay | Tom Okker | Tom Leonard Mike Machette |
7–5, 7–5 |
Win | 24. | 1978 | World Doubles WCT, US | Carpet | Tom Okker | Robert Lutz Stan Smith |
6–7, 6–4, 6–0, 6–3 |
Win | 25. | 1978 | Hamburg, West Germany | Clay | Tom Okker | Antonio Muñoz Víctor Pecci |
6–2, 6–4 |
Win | 26. | 1978 | Louisville, US | Clay | Víctor Pecci | Victor Amaya John James |
6–4, 6–7, 6–4 |
Win | 27. | 1978 | Toronto, Canada | Clay | Tom Okker | Colin Dowdeswell Heinz Günthardt |
6–3, 7–6 |
Win | 28. | 1978 | Woodlands Doubles, US | Hard | Tom Okker | Marty Riessen Sherwood Stewart |
7–6, 3–6, 4–6, 7–6, 6–3 |
Win | 29. | 1978 | Madrid, Spain | Clay | Jan Kodeš | Pavel Složil Tomáš Šmíd |
6–7, 6–1, 6–2 |
Win | 30. | 1978 | Basel, Switzerland | Hard (i) | John McEnroe | Bruce Manson Andrew Pattison |
7–6, 7–5 |
Win | 31. | 1978 | Stockholm, Sweden | Hard (i) | Tom Okker | Robert Lutz Stan Smith |
6–3, 6–2 |
Win | 32. | 1978 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Grass | Kim Warwick | Paul Kronk Cliff Letcher |
7–6, 7–5 |
Win | 33. | 1979 | Philadelphia, US | Carpet | Tom Okker | Peter Fleming John McEnroe |
5–7, 6–1, 6–3 |
Loss | 16. | 1979 | Denver, US | Carpet | Tom Okker | Robert Lutz Stan Smith |
6–7, 3–6 |
Win | 34. | 1979 | Memphis, US | Carpet | Tom Okker | Frew McMillan Dick Stockton |
6–4, 6–4 |
Win | 35. | 1979 | Stuttgart Indoor, West Germany | Hard (i) | Tom Okker | Bob Carmichael Brian Teacher |
6–3, 5–7, 7–6 |
Win | 36. | 1979 | Munich, West Germany | Clay | Tom Okker | Jürgen Fassbender Jean-Louis Haillet |
7–6, 7–5 |
Loss | 17. | 1979 | Stuttgart Outdoor, West Germany | Clay | Pavel Složil | Colin Dowdeswell Frew McMillan |
4–6, 2–6, 6–2, 4–6 |
Loss | 18. | 1979 | Los Angeles, US | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Marty Riessen Sherwood Stewart |
4–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 19. | 1979 | San Francisco, US | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Peter Fleming John McEnroe |
1–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 20. | 1979 | Stockholm, Sweden | Hard (i) | Tom Okker | Peter Fleming John McEnroe |
4–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 21. | 1980 | Masters Doubles WCT, London | Carpet | Tom Okker | Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez |
6–3, 4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
Win | 37. | 1980 | Birmingham, US | Carpet | Tom Okker | José Luis Clerc Ilie Năstase |
6–3, 6–3 |
Loss | 22. | 1980 | Denver, US | Carpet | Heinz Günthardt | Kevin Curren Steve Denton |
5–7, 2–6 |
Win | 38. | 1980 | Stuttgart Indoor, West Germany | Hard (i) | Tomáš Šmíd | Tim Mayotte Larry Stefanki |
6–4, 7–6 |
Win | 39. | 1980 | Dayton, US | Carpet | Geoff Masters | Fritz Buehning Fred McNair |
6–4, 6–4 |
Loss | 23. | 1980 | Las Vegas, US | Clay | Gene Mayer | Robert Lutz Stan Smith |
2–6, 5–7 |
Loss | 24. | 1980 | Indianapolis, US | Clay | Ivan Lendl | Kevin Curren Steve Denton |
6–3, 6–7, 4–6 |
Loss | 25. | 1980 | Cincinnati, US | Hard | Ivan Lendl | Bruce Manson Brian Teacher |
7–6, 5–7, 4–6 |
Win | 40. | 1982 | Strasbourg WCT, France | Carpet | John Fitzgerald | Sandy Mayer Frew McMillan |
6–4, 6–3 |
Loss | 26. | 1982 | Zürich WCT, Switzerland | Carpet | John Fitzgerald | Sammy Giammalva Jr. Tom Gullikson |
4–6, 2–6 |
Loss | 27. | 1982 | Rome, Italy | Clay | John Fitzgerald | Heinz Günthardt Balázs Taróczy |
4–6, 6–4, 3–6 |
Win | 41. | 1982 | Zell Am See WCT, Austria | Clay | Bruce Manson | Tony Giammalva Sammy Giammalva Jr. |
6–7, 6–4, 6–4 |
Loss | 28. | 1983 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | Colin Dowdeswell | Pavel Složil Tomáš Šmíd |
7–6, 4–6, 2–6 |
Win | 42. | 1983 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Clay | Pavel Složil | Colin Dowdeswell Zoltán Kuhárszky |
7–5, 6–2 |
Win | 43. | 1984 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet | Kevin Curren | Fritz Buehning Ferdi Taygan |
6–4, 6–4 |
Win | 44. | 1984 | Munich, West Germany | Clay | Boris Becker | Eric Fromm Florin Segărceanu |
6–4, 4–6, 6–1 |
Loss | 29. | 1984 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Clay | Colin Dowdeswell | Henri Leconte Pascal Portes |
6–2, 6–7, 6–7 |
Loss | 30. | 1984 | Los Angeles, US | Hard | Sandy Mayer | Ken Flach Robert Seguso |
6–4, 4–6, 3–6 |
Win | 45. | 1984 | Cologne, West Germany | Hard (i) | Sandy Mayer | Jan Gunnarsson Joakim Nyström |
6–1, 6–3 |
Win | 46. | 1984 | Vienna, Austria | Hard (i) | Sandy Mayer | Heinz Günthardt Balázs Taróczy |
6–4, 6–4 |
Loss | 31. | 1985 | Philadelphia, US | Carpet | Sandy Mayer | Joakim Nyström Mats Wilander |
6–3, 2–6, 2–6 |
Loss | 32. | 1985 | Brussels, Belgium | Carpet | Kevin Curren | Stefan Edberg Anders Järryd |
3–6, 6–7 |
Win | 47. | 1985 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | Tomáš Šmíd | Brad Drewett Mark Edmondson |
6–7, 6–4, 6–4 |
Win | 48. | 1986 | Toronto Indoor, Canada | Carpet | Joakim Nyström | Christo Steyn Danie Visser |
6–3, 7–6 |
Win | 49. | 1986 | Metz, France | Carpet | Guy Forget | Francisco González Michiel Schapers |
2–6, 6–2, 6–4 |
Loss | 33. | 1986 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet | Matt Mitchell | Stefan Edberg Slobodan Živojinović |
6–2, 3–6, 2–6 |
Win | 50. | 1986 | Vienna, Austria | Hard (i) | Ricardo Acioly | Brad Gilbert Slobodan Živojinović |
W/O |
Win | 51. | 1987 | Hilversum, Netherlands | Clay | Miloslav Mečíř | Tom Nijssen Johan Vekemans |
7–6, 5–7, 6–2 |
Win | 52. | 1987 | Toulouse, France | Hard (i) | Michiel Schapers | Kelly Jones Patrik Kühnen |
6–2, 6–4 |
Grand Slam doubles performance timeline
editW | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
Tournament | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | Career SR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Open | A | A | A | A | W | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | NH | A | 1 / 1 |
French Open | 1R | 3R | 3R | F | SF | 2R | SF | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 13 |
Wimbledon | A | 2R | QF | QF | SF | 1R | 2R | A | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 0 / 11 |
US Open | A | 2R | 2R | 2R | SF | 2R | 3R | 1R | 3R | A | 3R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 0 / 12 |
Annual win–loss | 0–1 | 3–3 | 5–3 | 9–3 | 17–3 | 2–3 | 7–3 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 2–3 | 2–3 | N/A |
References
edit- ^ "Tennis – ATP World Tour – Tennis Players – Wojtek Fibak". ATP World Tour. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
- ^ "Poland's top tennis player Wojtek Fibak, banned from his..." United Press International. 27 May 1983.
- ^ "Galeria Kolekcji Fibak". Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ Kronika Wydarzeń. Część druga (kwiecień – czerwiec 1989), w: Kronika Miasta Poznania, nr 1-2/1991, s.229, ISSN 0137-3552
- ^ "Wojciech Fibak: Poznań jest wciąż mój". 21 August 2015.