37 years of Umag's ATP tournament

Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag

Each July, when the floodlights come on at the Goran Ivanišević Stadium in Stella Maris, Umag becomes a focal point of the tennis world for a few days. The Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag approaches its 40th edition, backed by a history filled with big names, unexpected victories, and players the Umag crowd discovered before the rest of the world did.

First held in 1990, the tournament was part of the inaugural calendar of the newly established ATP Tour. Since then, it has grown into a recognised clay-court event and one of Croatia’s longest-running sporting fixtures. No fewer than nine players who went on to become world No. 1 have competed in Umag, along with 17 Grand Slam champions.

Historical ATP moments

The tournament’s rich history has been shaped by outstanding and often dramatic matches in which established stars were beaten by far less experienced opponents. Many players won their first titles in Umag, while others were forced to retire through injury or exhaustion. Finals have ranged from a rapid 61 minutes, when Dominic Thiem faced João Sousa in 2015, to a gruelling 170 minutes between Fernando Verdasco and Igor Andreev in 2008.

Carlos Moyá, a long-time favourite with the Umag crowd, has lifted the trophy five times. Croatian players, by contrast, have won the tournament only twice: Marin Čilić in 2012 and Goran Prpić in 1990. Two Croatian players have met in the final just once, at the inaugural tournament in 1990, when Prpić defeated Goran Ivanišević 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner met in the final here in 2022, with Sinner taking the title. Looking back, their encounter in Umag seems almost prophetic: two players who would come to define a new generation of men’s tennis met here in a final that would later look like the start of one of the sport’s great new rivalries.

Alcaraz won the first ATP title of his career in Umag in 2021 at just 18 years old. Stan Wawrinka did the same in 2006, while Rafael Nadal first played in Umag at 17.

Umag and ATP: a story of true love

Umag has long been known as a city of sport and recreation, and tennis is woven deeply into that story. It is a relationship spanning decades and one that helped earn Umag the title of European City of Sport in 2018.

Yet the tournament’s big names are only part of the story. What sets the Umag ATP event apart from many others is the closeness between the players, the crowd and the town itself. Here, tennis doesn’t end with the final point. Evenings at the stadium naturally flow into music, socialising and carefully curated gourmet experiences just below the stands. That sense of intimacy is one of the reasons players enjoy returning, former stars remain friends of the tournament, and the crowd keeps an eye on the next generation of young players long before anyone knows how far they might go.

And in Umag, there is always the feeling that something is about to happen, something that will only later become part of tennis history. After all, world No. 1s, Grand Slam champions, and players followed by millions have often arrived here as little-known youngsters, just steps away from the biggest moments of their careers.