Every July, in the last week of the month, Umag hosts the Croatia Open — officially the Plava Laguna Croatia Open — one of the ATP Tour's oldest clay-court tournaments. It has been running since 1990, which makes it one of the first clay-court events of the European summer hardcourt-to-clay transition, and it consistently draws a strong field.
The tournament's appeal as a spectator event is its scale: the Stella Maris tennis complex is intimate by professional standards, with the main court holding only a few thousand people. Top players including Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Goran Ivanišević (a Croatian legend who has competed here) have played on these courts. Past champions include Thomas Muster, Fabrice Santoro, and Marin Čilić.
Tickets for the main draws are reasonably priced and usually available without months of advance planning — unlike Wimbledon or Roland Garros. If you are in northern Istria in late July, this is worth a day of your time.
Venue: Stella Maris, north of Umag town centre.