Umag and the Croatia Open: Watching and Playing Tennis in Istria (2026)

Every July, a small resort town on the north-western tip of Istria becomes the centre of Croatian tennis. Umag has hosted its ATP tournament since 1990, missing only the cancelled 2020 edition, and the event now runs as the Plava Laguna Croatia Open, an ATP 250 played on red clay a few metres from the Adriatic. The same pine-shaded complex that hosts the pros is open to visitors for most of the year, so this guide covers both watching and playing, plus the hotels, wine and Italian connections around them.

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For courts elsewhere in the country, see our overview of tennis in Croatia.

The Croatia Open Umag

A short history

The tournament was first played in 1990 and has been held every year since, apart from 2020, when it was cancelled during the pandemic, which is why 2026 was the 36th edition. According to the ATP, Carlos Moyà holds the records with five singles titles and 44 match wins. An 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz won in 2021, the event’s youngest champion. Marin Čilić is the most recent home winner, in 2012. In 2025 the singles title went to Luciano Darderi, who beat Carlos Taberner in the final, and in 2026 Daniel Mérida won the 36th edition.

2026 dates and category

The 2026 edition was the 36th. According to the ATP, it was an ATP 250 on outdoor clay with total prize money of €612,620. Qualifying ran on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 July, the main draw from Monday 13 July, the doubles final on Friday 17 July and the singles final on Saturday 18 July in the evening. Some local coverage gave 10 to 18 July, so sources differ slightly; for match days, follow the ATP schedule. The official site already lists 9 to 18 July 2027 for the next edition, without a breakdown of qualifying and main draw days, so confirm on croatiaopen.hr before booking.

The venue and seating

Matches are played at the Stella Maris tennis centre, about 3 to 4 kilometres north of Umag’s old town and almost on the shoreline. The main court is the ATP Stadium Goran Ivanišević, named after Croatia’s 2001 Wimbledon champion, and the second show court is the Studenac Arena. The tournament website gives the centre court a capacity of 4,032 spectators, and the Studenac Arena, which sits beneath the East stand of the main court, has 1,000 seats.

Seating on the main court is split into West, East and South stands; the Studenac Arena has East, North and West stands. The premium choice is Premium East: reserved seats in the first ten rows of the East stand, directly behind the players’ benches and the chair umpire.

Tickets and how to buy

Tickets are sold online through the official shop linked from croatiaopen.hr:

• Daily tickets: a seat for all matches on one chosen day, either on the centre court or the Studenac Arena.
• Maxi ticket set: centre court tickets for six days, which the tournament describes as its best value option.
• Premium tickets: courtside seats on the centre court, including the Premium East block.

Main draw matches on both show courts require a ticket, while qualifying matches are free to watch. Scan your ticket on exit too, or you cannot re-enter. Prices are not published on the information pages, so check the shop directly.

Getting there from Trieste, Venice and Pula

• Trieste (Friuli Venezia Giulia airport): the natural choice for anyone combining Umag with northern Italy. The drive runs south past Trieste and through a short stretch of Slovenia; you will need a Slovenian motorway e-vignette if you use the motorway there.
• Pula: Istria’s own airport, at the southern end of the peninsula, with the Istrian Y motorway taking you north along the west coast.
• Venice Marco Polo: more flight options but a noticeably longer drive around the top of the Adriatic. Our tennis hotels in Venice and the Veneto suit a few nights in the lagoon first.

Croatia is in Schengen and uses the euro, so crossing from Italy is simple. Seasonal passenger boats also cross the northern Adriatic in summer; our guide to crossing from Italy to Croatia by boat explains the options.

Playing Tennis in Umag

Stella Maris: the tournament courts

Outside tournament week, the Stella Maris centre works as a club for visitors. The Istrian tourist board lists 13 clay courts and 1 hard court there, 7 of them floodlit, open from 1 March to 31 October. You play on the tournament’s own clay, within sight of the sea. Booking is done by phone through the centre or through Plava Laguna’s reception desks; there was no public online booking system when we checked. Published rates are still in kuna, the former currency, so ask for current euro prices.

Katoro: the Umag Tennis Academy

A short drive north, in the Katoro resort area, the Umag Tennis Academy is the bigger complex and the one to choose for coaching. Our research turned up contradictory information on its size: Plava Laguna’s own tennis page describes a 20 court complex, while its hotel pages and the Istrian tourist board list 26 courts (25 clay and 1 hard, with 4 covered clay courts). It has a fitness area, changing rooms, a pro shop and a restaurant, and the tourist board lists it as open all year, making it the option for winter and early spring.

Other courts in Umag

• TC Punta: 8 clay and 3 hard courts in the Punta area near Umag town, a seasonal centre.
• Savudrija: four Greenset hard courts at the Skiper complex next to Adriatic Istria Resort (the former Kempinski), listed as open all year.
• Municipal stadium: 2 hard courts in town.

Nearby clubs: Novigrad, Poreč and Rovinj

Novigrad, a short drive south, has its own clay culture. The local tourist board lists 23 clay courts in the area, most of them close to the Aminess Maestral and Aminess Laguna hotels, with a smaller cluster in Karpinjan just north of the centre.

Poreč has resort tennis centres run by its hotel groups, Plava Laguna among them. Rovinj, the more glamorous base, has hotel and club courts near the old town; our Rovinj and Istria guide covers the town itself. In both, court access varies by hotel, so check with the hotel or club before you travel.

Where to Stay

The Plava Laguna group runs most hotels around the tournament site. For more, see where to stay in Istria and our dedicated list of tennis hotels in Croatia.

Adriatic Istria Resort (formerly Kempinski Hotel Adriatic), Savudrija

This five-star resort sits in Savudrija, a short drive north of Umag on Croatia’s westernmost stretch of coast. The former Kempinski Hotel Adriatic has run as Adriatic Istria Resort since Minor Hotels took over management in February 2026, and it is due to relaunch as Anantara Adriatic Istria Resort in early 2027 after a full refurbishment. It has 186 rooms and suites, a private beach, a spa of around 3,000 square metres with indoor and outdoor pools, tennis and padel courts, and the 18 hole Golf Adriatic course next door. The Istrian tourist board lists the neighbouring Skiper courts as four Greenset hard courts; ask the hotel about court booking and how the refurbishment affects facilities.

Best for: couples who want golf, spa and tennis in one place, with Stella Maris an easy drive for match days.

Check rates at Adriatic Istria Resort

Hotel Pelegrin Plava Laguna, Umag (Katoro)

This adults-only hotel in a pine grove at Katoro was renovated and renamed for the 2025 season; you may still see it listed as Hotel Coral or Meliá Coral. It sits right beside the Umag Tennis Academy, with tennis available for an extra fee, plus indoor and outdoor seawater pools and a Blue Flag beach about 50 metres away. Both Plava Laguna and the Istrian tourist board list it as a four-star hotel, so treat older descriptions of it as Umag’s only five-star hotel as out of date.

Best for: adult players who want the academy on the doorstep and a quiet pool.

Check rates at Hotel Pelegrin Plava Laguna

Hotel Garden Istra Plava Laguna, Umag

The tournament’s own site notes that Garden Istra traditionally hosts players and their teams during tournament week, about 2 kilometres from the stadium in the Katoro area. It has indoor and outdoor pools, a spa, an on-site tennis court and access to the Katoro courts. It closes in winter, roughly mid November to early February.

Best for: families and fans who want the tournament atmosphere close at hand.

Check rates at Hotel Garden Istra Plava Laguna

Hotel Sipar Plava Laguna, Umag (Punta)

A four-star beachfront hotel in the green Punta area, closer to Umag’s old town and about 2 kilometres from Stella Maris. It has three outdoor seawater pools, a Blue Flag beach and nearby courts with a tennis school (extra charge). It is seasonal: the 2027 opening period is listed as 18 April to 26 September.

Best for: families who want the beach first and tennis a short walk away.

Check rates at Hotel Sipar Plava Laguna

Combining Tennis with Wine, the Coast and Trieste

Istrian wine. The hills behind Umag rise quickly into Istria’s wine country, where Malvazija Istarska, the region’s fresh white, and Teran, its deep red, are made by family estates. Our Istria wine guide covers the grapes, the estates and which ones accept visitors.

The coast. South of Umag lie Novigrad, Poreč and Rovinj, each with an old town and harbour. Our guide to Istria by boat covers day charters to Rovinj and the Brijuni islands.

Trieste. Umag is close enough to Italy that Trieste works as a day trip or as the first or last stop of the holiday. Its coffee houses, Piazza Unità and Miramare Castle make an elegant counterpoint; our guide to Trieste and the gulf by boat shows how to see it from the sea. If your trip continues in Italy, our hub of luxury hotels with tennis courts in Italy picks up where Istria leaves off.

Best Months for Tennis in Umag

• March and April: the outdoor season at Stella Maris opens on 1 March; some hotels are still closed.
• May and June: ideal playing weather, long evenings under the floodlights and quieter beaches than in high summer.
• July and August: tournament month and peak season. Play early or under floodlights; Katoro is the better bet during the event.
• September and October: warm sea, softer light, the grape harvest inland and good court availability. Stella Maris closes for the season on 31 October.
• Winter: the Katoro indoor courts stay open, but many hotels close.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Croatia Open Umag?

The 2026 edition had qualifying on 11 and 12 July and the main draw from 13 to 18 July. The tournament site lists 9 to 18 July 2027 for the next edition; confirm the main draw days on croatiaopen.hr before booking.

How much are tickets and where do I buy them?

Online through the official shop linked from croatiaopen.hr: daily tickets, a six day Maxi set or Premium courtside seats. Prices are shown in the shop; qualifying is free.

Can visitors play on the tournament courts?

Yes. Stella Maris is open to the public from 1 March to 31 October, apart from the tournament period. Book by phone or through a Plava Laguna hotel reception.

Which airport is best for Umag?

Trieste suits travellers combining Umag with Italy, and Pula is Istria’s own airport to the south. Venice offers more flights but a longer drive.