Thomas Muster – first King of Umag
Austrian Thomas Muster was the first ruler of the land of Umag. He first visited the tournament in 1992 and immediately justified his status as the top seed. He defeated Franco Davino in the final to win the first of three Umag titles. Already in the following year, he repeated the feat against Alberto Berasategui, becoming the first tennis player to defend his title in Umag - a feat that was later repeated only by Carlos Moyá.
Muster's career was impressive, but also marked by dramatic moments. After a serious car accident in 1989, in which he injured his knee, many doubted his return. However, the Austrian returned to the court, with incredible will-power, and continued his string of successes. In 1995, he won 12 titles – 11 of which were on clay – including Roland Garros, and he confirmed his peak form in Umag, where he beat Carlos Costa in the final and won his third title. His record in clay tournaments will remain legendary: out of 44 appearances, he won 41!
For that reason he earned the title of 'King of the country', and, for many, Muster was 'Nadal before Nadal'. His energy, fighting spirit and entertaining personality won over the Umag audience, who remember him as the man who, with his first titles, raised the tournament to a higher level.
Carlos Moyá – undisputed record holder
He first arrived in Umag as an 18-year-old in 1995 and lost in the qualifiers, but tournament director Slavko Rasberger told him at the time: ‘You will come back and win.’ A year later, Moyá achieved it – at 19 years and 11 months, he became the youngest winner in the tournament’s history, and his victory against Felix Mantilla marked the beginning of a great career.
That success was followed by great things – the finals of the 1997 Australian Open, the 1998 Roland Garros title, and top of the ATP rankings in 1999, being the first Spaniard to hold the number one position. But Moyá did not forget Umag – he returned in 2001 with an invitation and won the tournament again. He then defended his title in 2002 and 2003, thus achieving a unique streak of three consecutive titles, which no one has repeated to this day.
He won a total of five times, making him the absolute record holder of the Umag tournament. Many call him the ‘King of Umag’, because his elegant tennis and special connection with the audience became synonymous with the tournament. He closed his Umag story in 2015 with a victory in an exhibition match, symbolically completing a decade and a half of his presence on Istrian soil.
Marcelo Ríos – the wizard from Chile
The third great figure of the first Umag era was the Chilean virtuoso Marcelo Ríos, also known by the nickname ‘El Chino’. He arrived in Umag in 2000 as a former number 1 and second seed, and won the title by defeating the first seed Mariano Puerto in the final. Along the way, he also defeated Moyá in the semifinals, preventing the Spaniard from winning another title.
Ríos was unique – the first and only player in history to become No. 1 without having won a Grand Slam, and the first from Latin America to reach the top of the ATP rankings. He won 18 titles in his career, including five Masters 1000 tournaments, and in 1998 he reached the final of the Australian Open and won the ‘Sunshine Double’ – Indian Wells and Miami. That same year he became the first player to win Monte Carlo, Rome and Hamburg – the three most important clay-court Masters – in the same season.
His style of play was pure art – finesse, vision and technique that captivated audiences around the world. Although he suffered a quick first-round defeat in Umag in 2002, he is remembered for the magic he showed in 2000 and for the fact that, despite his short career, he left an indelible mark on the history of world tennis. Injuries forced him to retire at the age of 28, but tennis fans today still call him one of the most talented players of his generation.
A shared mark on Croatian soil
Thomas Muster, Carlos Moyá and Marcelo Ríos didn't just win trophies in Umag – they defined the spirit of the tournament in its first decades. Their victories, careers, characters and connections with the audience shaped the identity of the Plava Laguna Croatia Open and raised it to the level for which it has become recognizable.
While Muster and Moyá won titles, and Ríos charmed with style, Umag became more than just a tournament – it became a stage where tennis legends were created.
