With a glamorous opening ceremony, this year's 24th Vegeta Croatia Open, the oldest and most reputable ATP tournament in Croatia and the region, has been opened. The opening ceremony was graced by one of the most popular Croatian singers Tony Cetinski, who thrilled several thousand visitors with his timeless hits.



The ATP tournament in Umag is becoming more than a center for excellent tennis, but also great entertainment and gourmet experience, said the president of the Organizational committee and CEO Istraturist Željko Kukurin. "During the tournament Umag becomes a gathering spot for some of the most important people from Croatia and other countries. I extend my thanks to the City of Umag and the Istrian county, as well as to the Ministry of tourism which recognized the importance the ATP tournament has in the popularization of tourism. I'd like to thank the sponsors that remained with us despite of these difficult economic times", said Kukurin at the opening ceremony.

Tournament director Vanja Božičković announced interesting tennis starting from the first round, picking out the matches of young tennis players Mate Pavić and Borna Ćorić. Pavić is playing against Gael Monfils from France, a former Top 10 player, while Ćorić is up against Horacio Zeballosa from Argentina, who beat Rafael Nadal in the beginning of the year. "We have one of the most charming and most beautiful tournaments in the world and we should be proud of that", said Božičković.

The mayor of Umag Vili Bassanese believes that for the next 10 days Umag will be a center for athletic, political and social events. "Every year we face a challenge to make the tournament even more recognizable, I think we have succeeded this year. I want this tournament not only to be Umag's trademark, but to become the trademark of the entire ATP", said Bassanese.

The tennis tournament brought immense energy to Umag, spread its sights and improved it as a destination, stated the county vice-prefect Giuseppina Rajko. "Athletes will leave Umag with a positive impression, and the television recording from Umag is sent all around the world. All of this contributes to the affirmation of Istrian tourism, and the county of Istria recognizes the invested efforts", said the vice-prefect Rajko.

Amid the opening ceremony a humanitarian action "Umag's stars for Umag's children" was presented. Ceremony participants joined the action with a symbolic competition inside the tennis cage.

Plaquettes were handed out to the partners of Istria Gourmet Festival for their contributions and development of the gastronomic portion of the tournament. Plaquettes were awarded to Tulio Ferentich (restaurant San Rocco), Anika Mijanović (tavern Bušćina), Elizabeta Prodan (tavern Nono), secretary of Vinistra Krešimir Jurčić and president of the Croatian sommelier club Franko Lukež.

24. Vegeta Croatia Open will last until Sunday, 28th July. Along with the tennis tournament, it involves the eno-gastronomic manifestation Istria Gourmet Festival and a musical program with over 100 hours of music. Along with Tony Cetinski, the biggest stars are the British singer Gabrielle and DJ Thomas Gold from Berlin. Admission to all ATP Party Nights events is free for all visitors and citizens of Umag.

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