World number three Novak Djokovic confirmed on Wednesday that the first ATP tennis tournament to be staged in Serbia will take place next May after his family bought the licence of the ABN Amro Open previously held in the Netherlands.
"After all the success of our tennis players lately, we have managed to put Serbia on the tennis map of the world," Djokovic told a press conference.
A prize money of 500,000 U.S. dollars will be on offer in the tournament to be directed by Nikola Pilic.
The 21-year-old Serb said he would aim to bring top-ranked players to the ATP event between Masters Series events in Rome and Madrid next May.
"I spoke to some of them about coming, but nothing was sure until we really got the event," Djokovic said.
"However, it is not crucial that we immediately get (Rafael) Nadal, (Roger) Federer or (Andy) Murray to play. It is important that we get quality matches," he added.
Serbia, a Balkan country with some 7.5 million population, also boasts world-class female players, such as the world number one Jelena Jankovic and number five Ana Ivanovic.
Meanwhile, Ivanovic is said to be interested in bringing a WTA tournament to Belgrade next winter.
Belgrade has never hosted any type of major tennis competition in more than a decade due to tense situation in the region.
(Xinhua News Agency December 4, 2008)
