The most significant tennis tournament in this part of the world, Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag, began today in Umag. As always, one of the first to arrive in Istria was the friend of the tournament, Goran Ivanišević, who sat down and had coffee with Umag Mayor, Vili Bassanese, chairman of the City Council, Jurica Šiljeg, and one of the participants in this year’s exhibition match, Stefan Bojić.
For 29 years, the Stella Maris tennis complex has been the hub of the ATP tournament in Umag; however, the entire city is closely connected to the tournament, as evidenced by this relaxed gettogether in the center of Umag. “When something is that good and well-organized, and this ATP tournament certainly fits that description, it should be supported and assisted in any way,” Umag Mayor Vili Bassanese said. Jurica Šiljeg confirmed the value that the ATP event brings to the promotion of Umag as a tourism brand.
Over the years, both tennis and the ATP tournament have undoubtedly become synonymous with the city, and it is because the locals have accepted the tournament as an integral part of the city’s identity and continue to participate in keeping the tradition alive.
“I was here for the first ATP tournament back in 1990 and I have followed its growth and development ever since. That first year, Goran Prpić and I played in the final, and I remember there weren’t many people in the stands. These days, the tickets to the final are in high demand. That just shows you how valuable the tournament is, and as I have heard many times on the Tour, it has also become one of the tennis players’ favorite events,” Ivanišević stressed.
Stefan Bojić is a virtuoso with the tennis racket – it is just amazing to see the tricks that he can do with one. There is also an interesting story about him and Umag. “The tournament and I were born in the same year, in 1990, and I used to come here all the time when I was little. I used to compete in the Vjeverica Cup, as the tournament had been called, and the central court here was the first tennis court I had ever seen in my life,” the Novi Sad native concluded.
This morning, Ivanišević also presented the trophy to the winners of the Hepi tournament, which the power company HEP, the sponsor of the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag, organized for the second year in a row as part of the ATP event in Umag.
This evening, Ivanišević will join forces with his good friend Mansour Bahrami to entertain the fans by showing them a myriad of tennis tricks. He will be wearing a Croatian football kit, thus showing his support for the “fiery ones”. After the exhibition match, the visitors will be able to enjoy a performance by singer Petar Grašo at the Dance Arena.
