Novak Djokovic brings ATP Tour back to Belgrade

World no. 1 Novak Djokovic made sure to secure one of the available ATP licenses and bring the ATP Tour back to Serbia for the first time since 2012!

Novak bought the license from the Hungarian Open and will go on between April 19-25, in the same week with the ATP 500 Barcelona Open. The Belgrade Open took place at the Novak Tennis Center near the Danube between 2009-2012, as the first ATP tournament in Serbia.

Djokovic won the first edition in 2009 after beating Lukasz Kubot in the final. A year later, the great champion had to retire against the young compatriot Filip Krajinovic in the quarters, allowing Sam Querrey to steal the title following a victory over John Isner. In 2011, Novak defeated Feliciano Lopez to regain the crown in front of the home fans and didn't play in the last edition in 2012, when Andreas Seppi lifted the trophy.

With the coronavirus pandemic around, ATP is doing it's best to secure as many tournaments as possible, offering one-year contracts and urging towns to host the ATP caravan. Marbella and Singapore will also host the ATP 250 events in the upcoming months, while the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship organizers decided to skip the 2021 edition.