“I had an amazing week in Umag last year. It was filled with emotions and incredible support from the fans. I can't wait to play again in front of full stands. It would be amazing to go one step further and win the tournament again, 18 years after my first ATP title in Umag. I like the conditions there and I hope I can play well for all the fans who will come and support me”, said the 39-year-old Wawrinka while explaining what attracts him so much to Umag.
So, there will be at least two former winners of the tournament in the main draw, since the Russian Andrey Rublev has already confirmed his participation, and it is possible that a few more famous names will appear in the draw.
Wawrinka won the title in Umag in 2006, after Novak Đoković surrendered the match to him in the tie-break of the first set. It was the first title he won in his career at a major tournament, and now he has 16 titles to his name, including as many as three Grand Slam ones. He won the Australian Open in 2014, the Roland Garros in 2015 and the US Open in 2016. Currently, he is one of only three active players who have won at least three Grand Slam tournaments, along with Novak Đoković and Carlos Alcaraz, who won the Umag tournament in 2022 and the French Open a few days ago. He also won an Olympic gold medal and a Davis Cup title, and his best ranking in ATP singles is world No 3.
“I won my first tournament here, it was a long time ago and good memories came back”, he said in an emotional address at the announcement of the 2023 winner. Wawrinka then paused, overcome with emotions, and his eyes watered. It seemed that it was his “last dance” in Umag, but just as the tattoo on his arm says: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again.”, we will see an extremely motivated Stan.
Last year, Wawrinka had great support from the Umag fans, who greatly appreciate everything he has done during his career, and he was only one victory short of becoming the third multiple winner of the Umag tournament, after Thomas Muster and Carlos Moya. That defeat also prevented him from becoming the player who won the same tournament in the longest time span since the beginning of the ATP Tour (it would have been 17 years, from 2006 to 2023).
With the return of Stan Wawrinka, this year's Plava Laguna Croatia Open has another big name in the main draw. Andrey Rublev, Lorenzo Musetti, Matteo Arnaldi and Lorenzo Sonego have previously confirmed their participation, as well as young stars Dino Prižmić, Jakub Menšik, Luciano Darderi and Flavio Cobolli.
