UMAG, July 25, 2017
The 28th edition of Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag ended with fireworks and victory of the Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev. This year’s tournament in Umag, which clocked up 100,000 visitors, boasted ten days of top-quality tennis, two exhibition matches, a 100-hour party program, and a first-rate gourmet offer.
Andrey Rublev (photo: ATP Umag 2017)
“The interest that the spectators, tourists and sponsors have in sport, top-grade entertainment and gourmet offer is the best confirmation that Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag is a unique sports-and-tourism event that has kept growing year in, year out. We have continuously strengthened the tournament across all its segments. Satisfied feedback from the numerous guests as well as packed stadium and the entire ATP zone are the best confirmation of the tournament’s quality. This year, international coverage once again brought us to more than 100 million potential households worldwide, including such important source markets as Slovenia, Italy, Austria, Germany and Russia. With strong support from the international media that reported from the tournament, we secured an excellent promotion of the event around the world. There are nearly 500 people working diligently on organizing the tournament, and once again they have done a great work,” Istraturist’s CEO and chairman of the tournament’s Organizing Committee Ronald Korotaj said.
The tournament was filled with memorable moments, and this gave great satisfaction to its director, Lawrence Frankopan, who commended all 500-odd people working on its organization and realization. Appearances by great tennis stars and the opportunity to see an emerging star have proven that the tournament in Umag is advancing in the right direction.
“At the start of the tournament, we had David Goffin and Gaël Monfils, but these current stars failed, unlike the star in the making. From where I stand, his victory and claiming the first tournament of his career seems like a fairytale. And I’m proud to say Rublev will be returning to Umag for years to come as we were among the first ones to recognize his talent. Apart from the final match and Rublev’s story, there were other impressive moments in the tournament: from Ivan Dodig and his road to the semifinal, to the exhibitions with the legendary Ivanišević, Cash and Krajicek, and Monfils’ breakdancing. We are definitely going to have a lot of great memories. Can it be any better? There is a great team of people behind this tournament, and I would say sky’s the limit. So, join us and enjoy the tournament next year as well,” Frankopan said.
These ten days, which were filled with fantastic tennis matches and numerous side events, and the high attendance rates at Stella Maris are evidence enough that the tournament in Umag is the most popular in its category. These are the words of Goran Ivanišević, who is confident Rublev’s unexpected victory will further contribute to its popularity.
“Andrey Rublev’s win is good for the tournament as it will be discussed at length in the world of tennis. It will have quite an impact. It will be our reward for the week that is behind us because the tournament looked great; I’ve never seen so many people before, and attendance was phenomenal on all courts. But behind this project is a well-established machinery that truly offers more than just tennis. So there is no doubt when I say that Umag is the most popular destination on the ATP calendar among level 250 tournaments,” Ivanišević added.
On the day of the final, we also learned the name of the ATP Wine, as voted by the participants of the wine tasting events. Istraturist’s CEO and chairman of the tournament’s Organizing Committee Ronald Korotaj presented the award to Josip Franković, owner of the Franković Winery, whose fresh malvasia was voted the 2017 ATP Wine.
