"Overjoyed that Novak Djokovic's initiative has succeeded" - Radmilo Armenulic on the return of the Serbia Open
The effort of Novak Djokovic and his family to successfully bring back an ATP tournament to Serbia has earned high praise from renowned former player and coach Radmilo Armenulic.
As part of the updated ATP calendar, the Hungarian Open, an ATP 250 event hosted in Budapest from 2017-2019, has been approved for relocation to Belgrade. The event, which will now be called the Serbia Open, is scheduled to take place this year from 19 to 25 April.
Djordje Djokovic, the younger brother of Novak Djokovic, will be the Tournament Director of the Serbia Open going forward. Belgrade had also hosted an ATP 250 event from 2009 to 2012, with the top-ranked Novak Djokovic winning his hometown event twice during that span.
Radmilo Armenulic, the former captain of the Yugoslav Davis Cup team, recently commended the way the Djokovic family grabbed the opportunity to bring back an ATP event to Serbia.
"I am overjoyed that Novak Djokovic 's initiative succeeded. He reacted quickly, he used the fact that Budapest canceled and convinced the ATP leaders to give Serbia a chance instead of Hungary to organize a tournament that will mean a lot to our tennis," Armenulic stated.
I believe Novak Djokovic will play in the Serbia Open: Radmilo Armenulic
Radmilo Armenulic also claimed that Novak Djokovic will likely play the Serbia Open this year, which in turn will help raise the profile of the tournament and of the city. Armenulic believes the 17-time Major winner will be able to leverage his good relations with fellow players such as Vasek Pospisil to ensure the event attracts a good field.
"I believe that Novak Djokovic will play in that tournament, and his very appearance could draw some more players from the world top to come to Belgrade, as well as attract a lot of attention from the world media," Armenulic said.
"It is too early to talk about the list of participants, but it is certain that players with whom Novak Djokovic has an excellent relationship will come to Belgrade, such as Vasek Pospisil, as well as other players from the newly formed PTPA organization," he added.
Armenulic also asserted that the tournament will provide young Serbian players an invaluable opportunity to earn valuable ranking points in their very own backyard.
"The expected participation of Filip Krajinovic, Dusan Lajovic, Viktor Troicki, Miomir Kecmanovic, Laslo Djero will already give weight to the tournament, but what is especially important is that both younger and lower-ranked Serbian tennis players will have a chance to show themselves on the big stage," Armenulic said. "The organizers will award several special invitations that young players could use in the best possible way and with one or two victories improve their ratings and open the way for themselves to participate in stronger tournaments."