Wojciech Fibak

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
Wojciech Fibak in 1982
ITF nameWojtek Fibak
Country (sports) Poland
ResidencePoznań, Poland
Born (1952-08-30) 30 August 1952
Poznań, Poland
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize money$2,725,403[1]
Singles
Career record536–314 (63.1%)
Career titles15
Highest rankingNo. 10 (25 July 1977)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open3R (1978)
French OpenQF (1977, 1980)
WimbledonQF (1980)
US OpenQF (1980)
Other tournaments
Tour FinalsF (1976)
WCT FinalsQF (1977, 1981, 1982)
Doubles
Career record527–248 (68.0%)
Career titles52
Highest rankingNo. 2 (5 February 1979)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (1978)
French OpenF (1977)
WimbledonSF (1978)
US OpenSF (1978)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour FinalsW (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

Born 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

Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1977 French Open Clay Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš United States Brian Gottfried
Mexico Raúl Ramírez
6–7, 6–4, 3–6, 4–6
Win 1978 Australian Open Grass Australia Kim Warwick Australia Paul Kronk
Australia Cliff Letcher
7–6, 7–5

Career finals

Doubles (52 titles, 33 runners-up)

Result No. Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1. 1975 Munich, West Germany Clay Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš Czechoslovakia Milan Holeček
West Germany Karl Meiler
7–5, 6–3
Loss 1. 1975 Hamburg, West Germany Clay Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš Spain Juan Gisbert Sr.
Spain Manuel Orantes
3–6, 6–7
Win 2. 1975 Hilversum, Netherlands Clay Argentina Guillermo Vilas Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Željko Franulović
United Kingdom John Lloyd
6–4, 6–3
Loss 2. 1975 Indianapolis, US Clay West Germany Hans-Jürgen Pohmann Spain Juan Gisbert Sr.
Spain Manuel Orantes
5–7, 0–6
Win 3. 1975 Louisville, US Clay Argentina Guillermo Vilas India Vijay Amritraj
India Anand Amritraj
NP
Loss 3. 1975 Barcelona, Spain Clay West Germany Karl Meiler Sweden Björn Borg
Argentina Guillermo Vilas
6–3, 4–6, 3–6
Win 4. 1975 Paris Indoor, France Hard (i) West Germany Karl Meiler Romania Ilie Năstase
Netherlands Tom Okker
6–4, 7–6
Win 5. 1975 London, England Carpet West Germany Karl Meiler United States Jimmy Connors
Romania Ilie Năstase
6–1, 7–5
Loss 4. 1976 Atlanta WCT, US Carpet West Germany Karl Meiler Australia John Alexander
Australia Phil Dent
3–6, 4–6
Loss 5. 1976 Barcelona WCT, Spain Clay West Germany Karl Meiler United States Robert Lutz
United States Ramsey Smith
3–6, 3–6
Win 6. 1976 Barcelona, Spain Clay Poland Jacek Niedźwiedzki Rhodesia Colin Dowdeswell
Australia Paul Kronk
6–2, 6–3
Loss 6. 1976 Nice, France Clay West Germany Karl Meiler France Patrice Dominguez
France François Jauffret
4–6, 6–3, 3–6
Win 7. 1976 Monte Carlo WCT, Monaco Clay West Germany Karl Meiler Sweden Björn Borg
Argentina Guillermo Vilas
7–6, 6–1
Win 8. 1976 World Doubles WCT, US Carpet West Germany Karl Meiler United States Robert Lutz
United States Ramsey Smith
6–3, 2–6, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4
Win 9. 1976 Bournemouth, England Clay United States Fred McNair Spain Juan Gisbert Sr.
Spain Manuel Orantes
4–6, 7–5, 7–5
Win 10. 1976 Düsseldorf, West Germany Clay West Germany Karl Meiler Australia Bob Carmichael
South Africa Raymond Moore
6–4, 4–6, 6–4
Loss 7. 1976 Båstad, Sweden Clay Spain Juan Gisbert Sr. United States Fred McNair
United States Sherwood Stewart
3–6, 4–6
Loss 8. 1976 Hilversum, Netherlands Clay Hungary Balázs Taróczy Argentina Ricardo Cano
Chile Belus Prajoux
4–6, 3–6
Win 11. 1976 Tehran, Iran Clay Mexico Raúl Ramírez Spain Juan Gisbert Sr.
Spain Manuel Orantes
7–5, 6–1
Win 12. 1976 Madrid, Spain Clay Mexico Raúl Ramírez South Africa Bob Hewitt
South Africa Frew McMillan
4–6, 7–5, 6–3
Loss 9. 1976 Wembley, England Carpet United States Brian Gottfried United States Stan Smith
United States Roscoe Tanner
6–7, 3–6
Win 13. 1977 Birmingham WCT, US Carpet Netherlands Tom Okker United States Billy Martin
United States Bill Scanlon
6–3, 6–4
Loss 10. 1977 Philadelphia WCT, US Carpet Netherlands Tom Okker South Africa Bob Hewitt
South Africa Frew McMillan
1–6, 6–1, 3–6
Win 14. 1977 Richmond WCT, US Carpet Netherlands Tom Okker Australia Ross Case
Australia Tony Roche
6–4, 6–4
Win 15. 1977 Mexico City WCT, Mexico Hard Netherlands Tom Okker Romania Ilie Năstase
Italy Adriano Panatta
6–2, 6–3
Win 16. 1977 Toronto Indoor WCT, Canada Carpet Netherlands Tom Okker Australia Ross Case
Australia Tony Roche
6–4, 6–1
Win 17. 1977 Monterrey WCT, Mexico Carpet Australia Ross Case United States Billy Martin
United States Bill Scanlon
3–6, 6–3, 6–4
Win 18. 1977 Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet Netherlands Tom Okker India Vijay Amritraj
United States Dick Stockton
6–4, 6–4
Loss 11. 1977 Monte Carlo WCT, Monaco Clay Netherlands Tom Okker France François Jauffret
Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš
6–2, 3–6, 2–6
Win 19. 1977 Buenos Aires, Argentina Clay Romania Ion Țiriac Argentina Lito Álvarez
Argentina Guillermo Vilas
7–5, 0–6, 7–6
Loss 12. 1977 French Open, Paris Clay Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš United States Brian Gottfried
Mexico Raúl Ramírez
6–7, 6–4, 3–6, 4–6
Win 20. 1977 South Orange, US Hard Australia Colin Dibley Romania Ion Țiriac
Argentina Guillermo Vilas
6–1, 7–5
Win 21. 1977 Barcelona, Spain Clay Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš South Africa Bob Hewitt
South Africa Frew McMillan
6–0, 6–4
Loss 13. 1977 Vienna, Austria Hard (i) Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš South Africa Bob Hewitt
South Africa Frew McMillan
4–6, 3–6
Win 22. 1977 Stockholm, Sweden Hard (i) Netherlands Tom Okker United States Brian Gottfried
Mexico Raúl Ramírez
6–3, 6–3
Loss 14. 1978 St. Louis WCT, US Carpet Netherlands Tom Okker South Africa Bob Hewitt
South Africa Frew McMillan
3–6, 2–6
Loss 15. 1978 Milan WCT, Italy Carpet Mexico Raúl Ramírez Spain José Higueras
Paraguay Víctor Pecci
7–5, 6–7, 6–7
Win 23. 1978 Houston WCT, US Clay Netherlands Tom Okker United States Tom Leonard
United States Mike Machette
7–5, 7–5
Win 24. 1978 World Doubles WCT, US Carpet Netherlands Tom Okker United States Robert Lutz
United States Stan Smith
6–7, 6–4, 6–0, 6–3
Win 25. 1978 Hamburg, West Germany Clay Netherlands Tom Okker Spain Antonio Muñoz
Paraguay Víctor Pecci
6–2, 6–4
Win 26. 1978 Louisville, US Clay Paraguay Víctor Pecci United States Victor Amaya
Australia John James
6–4, 6–7, 6–4
Win 27. 1978 Toronto, Canada Clay Netherlands Tom Okker Switzerland Colin Dowdeswell
Switzerland Heinz Günthardt
6–3, 7–6
Win 28. 1978 Woodlands Doubles, US Hard Netherlands Tom Okker United States Marty Riessen
United States Sherwood Stewart
7–6, 3–6, 4–6, 7–6, 6–3
Win 29. 1978 Madrid, Spain Clay Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš Czechoslovakia Pavel Složil
Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd
6–7, 6–1, 6–2
Win 30. 1978 Basel, Switzerland Hard (i) United States John McEnroe United States Bruce Manson
Rhodesia Andrew Pattison
7–6, 7–5
Win 31. 1978 Stockholm, Sweden Hard (i) Netherlands Tom Okker United States Robert Lutz
United States Stan Smith
6–3, 6–2
Win 32. 1978 Australian Open, Melbourne Grass Australia Kim Warwick Australia Paul Kronk
Australia Cliff Letcher
7–6, 7–5
Win 33. 1979 Philadelphia, US Carpet Netherlands Tom Okker United States Peter Fleming
United States John McEnroe
5–7, 6–1, 6–3
Loss 16. 1979 Denver, US Carpet Netherlands Tom Okker United States Robert Lutz
United States Stan Smith
6–7, 3–6
Win 34. 1979 Memphis, US Carpet Netherlands Tom Okker South Africa Frew McMillan
United States Dick Stockton
6–4, 6–4
Win 35. 1979 Stuttgart Indoor, West Germany Hard (i) Netherlands Tom Okker Australia Bob Carmichael
United States Brian Teacher
6–3, 5–7, 7–6
Win 36. 1979 Munich, West Germany Clay Netherlands Tom Okker West Germany Jürgen Fassbender
France Jean-Louis Haillet
7–6, 7–5
Loss 17. 1979 Stuttgart Outdoor, West Germany Clay Czechoslovakia Pavel Složil Switzerland Colin Dowdeswell
South Africa Frew McMillan
4–6, 2–6, 6–2, 4–6
Loss 18. 1979 Los Angeles, US Carpet South Africa Frew McMillan United States Marty Riessen
United States Sherwood Stewart
4–6, 4–6
Loss 19. 1979 San Francisco, US Carpet South Africa Frew McMillan United States Peter Fleming
United States John McEnroe
1–6, 4–6
Loss 20. 1979 Stockholm, Sweden Hard (i) Netherlands Tom Okker United States Peter Fleming
United States John McEnroe
4–6, 4–6
Loss 21. 1980 Masters Doubles WCT, London Carpet Netherlands Tom Okker United States Brian Gottfried
Mexico Raúl Ramírez
6–3, 4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 3–6
Win 37. 1980 Birmingham, US Carpet Netherlands Tom Okker Argentina José Luis Clerc
Romania Ilie Năstase
6–3, 6–3
Loss 22. 1980 Denver, US Carpet Switzerland Heinz Günthardt South Africa Kevin Curren
United States Steve Denton
5–7, 2–6
Win 38. 1980 Stuttgart Indoor, West Germany Hard (i) Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd United States Tim Mayotte
United States Larry Stefanki
6–4, 7–6
Win 39. 1980 Dayton, US Carpet Australia Geoff Masters United States Fritz Buehning
United States Fred McNair
6–4, 6–4
Loss 23. 1980 Las Vegas, US Clay United States Gene Mayer United States Robert Lutz
United States Stan Smith
2–6, 5–7
Loss 24. 1980 Indianapolis, US Clay Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl South Africa Kevin Curren
United States Steve Denton
6–3, 6–7, 4–6
Loss 25. 1980 Cincinnati, US Hard Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl United States Bruce Manson
United States Brian Teacher
7–6, 5–7, 4–6
Win 40. 1982 Strasbourg WCT, France Carpet Australia John Fitzgerald United States Sandy Mayer
South Africa Frew McMillan
6–4, 6–3
Loss 26. 1982 Zürich WCT, Switzerland Carpet Australia John Fitzgerald United States Sammy Giammalva Jr.
United States Tom Gullikson
4–6, 2–6
Loss 27. 1982 Rome, Italy Clay Australia John Fitzgerald Switzerland Heinz Günthardt
Hungary Balázs Taróczy
4–6, 6–4, 3–6
Win 41. 1982 Zell Am See WCT, Austria Clay United States Bruce Manson United States Tony Giammalva
United States Sammy Giammalva Jr.
6–7, 6–4, 6–4
Loss 28. 1983 Gstaad, Switzerland Clay United Kingdom Colin Dowdeswell Czechoslovakia Pavel Složil
Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd
7–6, 4–6, 2–6
Win 42. 1983 Kitzbühel, Austria Clay Czechoslovakia Pavel Složil United Kingdom Colin Dowdeswell
Hungary Zoltán Kuhárszky
7–5, 6–2
Win 43. 1984 Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet South Africa Kevin Curren United States Fritz Buehning
United States Ferdi Taygan
6–4, 6–4
Win 44. 1984 Munich, West Germany Clay West Germany Boris Becker United States Eric Fromm
Romania Florin Segărceanu
6–4, 4–6, 6–1
Loss 29. 1984 Kitzbühel, Austria Clay United Kingdom Colin Dowdeswell France Henri Leconte
France Pascal Portes
6–2, 6–7, 6–7
Loss 30. 1984 Los Angeles, US Hard United States Sandy Mayer United States Ken Flach
United States Robert Seguso
6–4, 4–6, 3–6
Win 45. 1984 Cologne, West Germany Hard (i) United States Sandy Mayer Sweden Jan Gunnarsson
Sweden Joakim Nyström
6–1, 6–3
Win 46. 1984 Vienna, Austria Hard (i) United States Sandy Mayer Switzerland Heinz Günthardt
Hungary Balázs Taróczy
6–4, 6–4
Loss 31. 1985 Philadelphia, US Carpet United States Sandy Mayer Sweden Joakim Nyström
Sweden Mats Wilander
6–3, 2–6, 2–6
Loss 32. 1985 Brussels, Belgium Carpet South Africa Kevin Curren Sweden Stefan Edberg
Sweden Anders Järryd
3–6, 6–7
Win 47. 1985 Gstaad, Switzerland Clay Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd Australia Brad Drewett
Australia Mark Edmondson
6–7, 6–4, 6–4
Win 48. 1986 Toronto Indoor, Canada Carpet Sweden Joakim Nyström South Africa Christo Steyn
South Africa Danie Visser
6–3, 7–6
Win 49. 1986 Metz, France Carpet France Guy Forget Paraguay Francisco González
Netherlands Michiel Schapers
2–6, 6–2, 6–4
Loss 33. 1986 Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet United States Matt Mitchell Sweden Stefan Edberg
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Živojinović
6–2, 3–6, 2–6
Win 50. 1986 Vienna, Austria Hard (i) Brazil Ricardo Acioly United States Brad Gilbert
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Živojinović
W/O
Win 51. 1987 Hilversum, Netherlands Clay Czechoslovakia Miloslav Mečíř Netherlands Tom Nijssen
Netherlands Johan Vekemans
7–6, 5–7, 6–2
Win 52. 1987 Toulouse, France Hard (i) Netherlands Michiel Schapers United States Kelly Jones
West Germany Patrik Kühnen
6–2, 6–4

Singles (15 titles, 19 runners-up)

Result No. Year Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Loss 1. 1975 Shreveport, US Carpet Spain Juan Gisbert Sr. 3–6, 7–5, 1–6
Loss 2. 1976 Monte Carlo WCT, Monaco Clay Argentina Guillermo Vilas 1–6, 1–6, 4–6
Win 1. 1976 Stockholm, Sweden Carpet Romania Ilie Năstase 6–4, 7–6
Win 2. 1976 Bournemouth, England Clay Spain Manuel Orantes 6–2, 7–9, 6–2, 6–2
Loss 3. 1976 Louisville, US Clay United States Harold Solomon 2–6, 5–7
Loss 4. 1976 Indianapolis, US Clay United States Jimmy Connors 2–6, 4–6
Loss 5. 1976 Montreal, Canada Hard Argentina Guillermo Vilas 4–6, 6–7, 2–6
Win 3. 1976 Vienna, Austria Hard (i) Mexico Raúl Ramírez 6–7, 6–3, 6–4, 2–6, 6–1
Loss 6. 1976 Masters, Houston Carpet Spain Manuel Orantes 7–5, 2–6, 6–0, 6–7, 1–6
Loss 7. 1977 Mexico City WCT, Mexico Hard Romania Ilie Năstase 6–4, 2–6, 6–7
Win 4. 1977 Monterrey WCT, Mexico Carpet United States Vitas Gerulaitis 6–4, 6–3
Loss 8. 1977 Buenos Aires, Argentina Clay Argentina Guillermo Vilas 4–6, 3–6, 0–6
Win 5. 1977 Düsseldorf, West Germany Clay South Africa Raymond Moore 6–1, 5–7, 6–2
Loss 9. 1977 Vienna, Austria Hard (i) United States Brian Gottfried 1–6, 1–6
Loss 10. 1977 Cologne, West Germany Carpet Sweden Björn Borg 6–2, 5–7, 3–6
Loss 11. 1978 Hamburg, West Germany Clay Argentina Guillermo Vilas 2–6, 4–6, 2–6
Win 6. 1978 Cologne, West Germany Hard (i) India Vijay Amritraj 6–2, 0–1, RET.
Win 7. 1979 Denver, US Carpet United States Victor Amaya 6–4, 6–1
Win 8. 1979 Stuttgart Indoor, West Germany Hard (i) Argentina Guillermo Vilas 6–2, 6–2, 3–6, 6–2
Loss 12. 1979 Munich, West Germany Clay Spain Manuel Orantes 3–6, 2–6, 4–6
Loss 13. 1979 Vienna, Austria Hard (i) United States Stan Smith 4–6, 0–6, 2–6
Loss 14. 1979 Cologne, West Germany Hard (i) United States Gene Mayer 3–6, 6–3, 1–6
Win 9. 1980 Dayton, US Carpet United States Bruce Manson 7–6, 6–3
Win 10. 1980 New Orleans, US Carpet United States Eliot Teltscher 6–4, 7–5
Win 11. 1980 São Paulo, Brazil Carpet United States Vincent Van Patten 6–0, 7–6
Loss 15. 1980 Stuttgart, West Germany Clay United States Vitas Gerulaitis 2–6, 5–7, 2–6
Loss 16. 1981 Philadelphia, US Carpet United States Roscoe Tanner 2–6, 6–7, 5–7
Win 12. 1981 Gstaad, Switzerland Clay France Yannick Noah 6–1, 7–6
Loss 17. 1982 Naples Finals WCT, Italy Carpet Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 4–6, 2–6, 1–6
Win 13. 1982 Amsterdam WCT, Netherlands Carpet South Africa Kevin Curren 7–5, 3–6, 6–4, 6–3
Win 14. 1982 Paris Indoor, France Hard (i) United States Bill Scanlon 6–2, 6–2, 6–2
Loss 18. 1982 Dortmund, West Germany Carpet United States Brian Teacher 7–6, 4–6, 4–6, 6–2, 4–6
Win 15. 1982 Chicago-2 WCT, US Carpet United States Bill Scanlon 6–2, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4
Loss 19. 1983 Basel, Switzerland Hard (i) United States Vitas Gerulaitis 6–4, 1–6, 5–7, 5–5, RET.

Grand Slam doubles performance timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
Tournament19741975197619771978197919801981198219831984198519861987Career 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

  1. "Tennis – ATP World Tour – Tennis Players – Wojtek Fibak". ATP World Tour. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  2. "Poland's top tennis player Wojtek Fibak, banned from his..." United Press International. 27 May 1983.
  3. "Galeria Kolekcji Fibak". Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  4. Kronika Wydarzeń. Część druga (kwiecień – czerwiec 1989), w: Kronika Miasta Poznania, nr 1-2/1991, s.229, ISSN 0137-3552
  5. "Wojciech Fibak: Poznań jest wciąż mój". 21 August 2015.
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