April 30, 2023 - Feliks Lukas, the sports manager and leader of the WTA tournament in Makarska has received a prestigious personal award, reports Dalmatinski Portal.

Feliks Lukas, known to the public as a successful sports manager and director of the WTA tournament in Makarska, is a new knight of the Order of St. George. This order was founded in the 14th century by the Austrian Habsburg dynasty and Pope Paul II, with the aim of preserving the traditions of the countries of Central Europe, most of which were part of the Habsburg Monarchy. At the head of the Order of St. George, which is based on the idea of Central Europe as a Christian, cultural, intellectual and ethical center, is still today the direct heir of that line of Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen.

The solemn ceremony of announcing the new knights of the Order of St. George was held on April 22nd in Vienna, and after swearing to act in accordance with the principles, values and goals of the Order, Feliks Lukas was personally knighted by Archduke Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen himself. Particularly attractive was the parade of knights through the streets of Vienna to the most beautiful baroque cathedral Karlskirche, where the ceremony took place.

"In Croatia, there are about twenty members of the Order of St. George, while there are only about 700 of them in the world. Being a part of this order that works humanitarian and supports a number of activities in the field of economy and culture is a matter of prestige. Not everyone can approach him, but the future knight must be proposed by one of the respected members,' says Lukas, and he was recommended by two well-known noble families, Count Markus Paar from Austria and Count Mario Festetics de Tolna originally from Hungary. After the initiation process and the final decision to enter their Order, the knight title was officially confirmed at a solemn ceremony.

By the way, Lukas, in addition to successfully leading the WTA tennis tournament for years, which was moved from Bol to Makarska last year, is also highly respected outside sports circles. So recently, as the only sports manager from Europe, he participated in the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington with US President Biden.

Appointment as a knight of the Order of St. George is another valuable personal recognition for him on the eve of the WTA spectacle, which will be held in Makarska from June 5 to 11 and will gather around forty of the best female tennis players from Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Slovakia, Montenegro, Italy, China, Luxembourg, and Serbia, Slovenia, and Croatia.

You can learn more about this year's Makarska Open WTA tennis tournament on the tournament website.

February 5, 2023 - He has done more for tennis in Croatia than anyone, and the efforts of Feliks Lukas are being rewarded with a prestigious invitation to the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.

One of the secrets of a happy life in Croatia is to surround yourself with positive people. There are a lot of people who love to complain here, but if you choose the path more positive, you really do get a different perspective.

I was first introduced to Feliks Lukas about 8 years ago in Bol, where he was delivering the only WTA women's tennis event on an island, and not even in peak season. A champion of networking and promoting Croatia, his contribution to promote Croatian tennis and the country in general has been immense. And so it was with some satisfaction the other day that I saw Feliks - along with another of my legendary besties, Marko Rakar - representing Croatia at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, which was attended by USA President Joe Biden and many other dignitaries. More on that from this translated report from Kastela.org.

Feliks Lukas from Kaštela is the only sports manager from Europe at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington

Few can boast that they had breakfast with the President of the USA. One of them is sports manager and director of the WTA Makarska Open tennis tournament Feliks Lukas, who was invited with 600 other guests from 90 countries to the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington. This is a great recognition for a sports manager. He has dedicated his entire career to tennis and has been successfully running the WTA tournament for years, which moved to Makarska last year after Bol.

The centerpiece of this traditional event took place on Thursday in Washington in a somewhat different edition than previous years when the National Prayer Breakfast gathered a larger and more diverse audience, from prominent religious leaders to political lobbyists.

This tradition was started by President Eisenhower, who gave a speech on the relationship between religion and government at the first, more informal and much smaller meeting, so since then the speeches of the American president have been a key part of the event.

(Lukas and fellow Croatian legend Marko Rakar (extreme left) with Congressman Moolenaar)

Joe Biden is the first American president who is a practicing Catholic believer since J.F. Kennedy, and at this year's event, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and King Abdullah II of Jordan addressed the guests via video link.

This is a great recognition for the WTA Makarska Open tournament and its director Feliks Lukas, the only sports manager from Europe who also had several meetings with American representatives and senators and presented them with the successful project of the WTA tournament, which after Bol last year moved to an attractive Makarska.

"Magnificent experience. I'm still impressed. It is a great honor to participate in the traditional National Prayer Breakfast with President Biden and representatives of Congress and the Senate, and with you at this event are famous world names such as Evander Hollyfield, the world boxing legend. I had the opportunity to promote Croatia, Kaštela and our tournament in Makarska and talk to high-ranking politicians such as Congressman John Moolenaar from Michigan; Stan Holmes and Bill Wall, leaders of the US Senate and House Prayer Breakfast Group; Bill Wall, president and CEO of XP International, a company that is involved in the organization of major sports events such as the Tour de France and the Olympic Games," said Lukas.

You can learn more about this year's WTA Makarska Open on the official website.

May 13, 2021 - From June 7 to 12, Bol on Brač will again host tennis players at the 5th WTA Croatia Bol Open. Tournament director Feliks Lukas announced on Thursday that, despite the difficult conditions, the tournament would be the strongest so far.

As in previous years, the Bol tournament is part of the WTA 125 series and will be played in parallel with the second week of the Roland Garros Grand Slam tournament in Paris. The WTA Croatia Bol Open prize fund is $115,000, reports T.portal.

The results of the tennis players at Roland Garros will also dictate the draw for the Bol tournament, but the current list looks impressive at the moment.

"We have 13 registered players from the Top 100, and the last one is currently 126th in the WTA rankings. This year, there will be exciting names, some Grand Slam finalists like Sara Errani, players from the Top 5 who used to shine and burn, such as Eugenie Bouchard. What is especially important to me is that all the Bol winners are coming again. Aleksandra Krunić and the best Slovenian tennis player Tamara Zidanšek, who has won the tournament twice, and Luxembourg tennis player Mandy Minella, have announced their arrival. I would especially like to emphasize the invitation for Argentine Nadia Podoroska, who beat Serena Williams in Rome on Wednesday," said Feliks Lukas at a press conference held at Hotel Dubrovnik in Zagreb, where special guests were Croatian tennis players Ana Konjuh and Jana Fett who have a guaranteed invitation to the main tournament.

Marko Lukunic/PIXSELL

With them, Croatian tennis players Tereza Mrdeža and Tena Lukas should also take part in the tournament, and the list of applicants also includes Bernarda Pera from Zadar, who plays for the US. 

"I would like to thank Feliks for trying to organize the tournament even in these difficult times. It means a lot to all of us, especially the Croatian tennis players. We will see how Roland Garros will fare, and we may not even play. But if not, it is a good consolation to be at home. Bol, where the organization is always at the top level," said Ana Konjuh, who in her only Bol performance (2016) reached the semifinals. Due to a back injury, she had to hand over the match to the ultimate winner, Luxembourg's Mandy Minelli.

Ana's result was repeated in 2018 by Tena Lukas, who was defeated in the semifinal by Slovenian Tamara Zidanšek on her way to her first of two consecutive titles in Bol, which she will come to defend this year.

Vrbovec resident Jana Fett performed in 2019 but did not pass the first round.

"I am thrilled that Bol will be held this year. It is one of my favorite tournaments, as it is at home, and the atmosphere and organization are always great. Bol is a nice place, and I am really looking forward to playing there again. I hope that I will reach at least the final, if not me then one of us," said Fett.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, last year's edition of the WTA Croatia Bol Open was canceled, as were all tennis competitions scheduled to take place between mid-March and early August 2020. This year's edition will be played under strict epidemiological measures, which include testing all tennis players upon arrival and after five days and all people in the organization who will come into direct contact with them.

"At the moment, the Civil Protection Headquarters' decision that there is no audience at sports competitions is still in force. We believe that some measures will be eased by the beginning of the tournament because the tournament is outdoors and we have excellent conditions. Of course, we are ready to hold the tournament under the measures in force," said the tournament director, referring in particular to the difficult conditions in organizing this year's tournament.

"Our budget has never been smaller, the sponsors also never fewer, but our results as organizations are never stronger. We need to tip our hats off to the sponsors who remain."

In addition to tennis, the Bol tournament is also proud of the accompanying events organized as part of the tournament, and they will not be missing this year either.

"In the last edition, we shot the official video of the famous pianist Lola Astanova, which was watched by more than a million people, which was a huge promotion, and it all happened as part of the WTA tournament. This year, our theme is a combination of art and sports, so that world-famous photographers, such as Jadran Lazić and Čedo Komljenović, will come to Bol. Jadran Lazić will present a monograph of his opus exclusively in Bol. As part of the tournament program, we will have the opening of the Museum of the Dominican Convent in Bol," announced Lukas and concluded:

"Every year, Bol has made a significant contribution to the promotion of Croatian tourism, and this year it is of great importance to show the world that Croatia is a safe destination."

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE. 

April 21, 2021 - An avid member of the Croatian tennis community and organizer of the Croatia Bol Open, Feliks Lukas announced on his Facebook page that the Croatian Tennis Federation (HTS) rejected the request of his sister, Tena Lukas, to play at the ITF Zagreb Ladies Open. 

His Facebook post transmitted from 24 Sata:

"The Croatian Tennis Federation rejected the request to invite the seven-time senior national team member and #268 WTA tennis player of the world to the ITF Zagreb Ladies Open, explaining it to Tena as follows:

'Because of your brother's Facebook posts, you are not a candidate for an invitation to the tournament!'

There is no question that the tournament organizer can invite whoever they want, which is justified, and there is no dilemma. In fact, I don’t think it’s exciting at all, nor sportsmanlike to comment on. It should be accepted that each organizer has their own vision and program, and that is ok. And I use this opportunity to wish the tournament in Zagreb a lot of luck, and I am convinced that it will be a successful and strong tournament with many good tennis players. I hope it will be around for many more years and grow.

My comment refers exclusively to the given reasoning and the North Korean methods of “education” and “proportional punishment” of athletes, which once again show the superior competence of the pedagogical quality of the HTS leadership itself. I can only say touché to the umbrella association of Croatian tennis," wrote Feliks on his personal Facebook profile. 

After the post, Lukas explained to 24 Sata why he was so angry: 

"Of course, every organizer has the right to invite whoever they want; I told my sister that she has to work on her own ranking so that she would not even need an invitation. We are a sports family, and we do not want to whine, and it was not the rejection of the invitation that prompted me to publish, but the way of communication and explanation. Obviously, the HTS is in a kind of "fight" with me because of my statements and provocations; this is nothing new, but, sadly, they are dealing with my family like this through me. Two years ago, my other sister, Tajna, was fired from HTS," Lukas said and added:

"These are your "Croatian jobs," they are trying to eliminate me as a hindrance in various ways because I called them out because of incompetence. Our tennis is generally in chaos, most clubs don’t work, and I say that publicly. Since I am not politically engaged and networked, that I come from a family of educators, and I organize a big tournament, it is obvious that I am a threat to them. But it's one thing, it's not a topic, the topic is the way of communication, the topic is how they treat one player completely non-pedagogically, and what kind of message they send to her and everyone else. It bothered me a lot, and that's why I reacted," he concluded. 

The Croatian Tennis Federation gave their reason for not inviting the tennis player 24 Sata.

"As a member of the Croatia national team, Tena Lukas was certainly among the candidates for an invitation to the Zagreb Ladies Open because she deserved this opportunity with her performances in the former Fed Cup (now the Billie Jean King Cup) and on an individual level. However, her latest results were crucial not to be shortlisted this time: she played seven tournaments this year and she was eliminated in all seven in the first round, either in the main event or in the qualifiers. Therefore, other Croatian tennis players got the advantage, so the claims that comments on social media were crucial for not giving Tena Lukas a chance really have no basis," HTS spokesman Igor Rajković replied.

Lukas followed HTS's statement by outlining on Facebook every reason why HTS was wrong in what they did:

"Regarding my previous Facebook comment, which was transmitted in the Croatian media, HTS had to comment with its official press release, and it just confirmed how uneducated and inexperienced they are in the development of Croatian sports, specifically tennis.

Namely, in its defense, HTS stated that the mentioned tennis player Tena Lukas did not get a wild card because she has practically not been able to beat anyone lately. 

Their announcement to anyone in the educational system would be a reason for dismissal. Physical and health education teachers, together with tennis coaches, need to change their way of educating and approaching the development of athletes, as HTS imposes new innovative standards in the development of mental strength and preparation of athletes. 

And if you are still a layman when it comes to educational methods, imagine the following situations and put aside the fact that the HTS accused the tennis player of lying, and imagine the following situations:

1) Imagine that you are a 25-year-old tennis player who is currently in a game crisis, but who also performed at the state senior tennis championship organized by HTS a record number of times with a title, 7 times in a row, and that the same HTS sends you a message through the media that you are incompetent and that you can't beat anyone, and that you didn't deserve an invitation from them for the tournament qualifiers.

2) Now imagine the situation that you are the #274 tennis player in the world in the WTA rankings, and that the WTA is the strongest "brand" in women's sports globally, and that Croatia, along with Martic and Vekic in the top 100, has 4 girls ranked 200th to 300th in the world (Konjuh, Mrdeža, Fett, Lukas), but HTS thinks that you can't beat anyone lately, and they list every painful defeat with which they explain to you pedagogically.

3) Imagine a situation where you played 13 times for the Croatia tennis FED CUP team and achieved 6 victories for the same. That you accepted a performance for that FED CUP when no one wanted to play (obviously due to the great reputation of HTS), and that with your performances that year, you ensured that Croatia remained in the Euro-African group. Imagine that when HTS needed to save the day, you responded and were there, and you never got anything from HTS, not even an appointment for training in Zagreb. Imagine the humiliation when HTS retaliates with a roll call for lying and the media "shit" on you as you lost in the first round of seven matches. Even in the qualifiers. I would guess that they would motivate you to play better and that they are there for all Croatian tennis players. Surely many will still dream of playing for HTS, Davis Cup, and Billie Jean King Cup, i.e., Fed Cup. After all, if you think that Pera and Tomljanović play for the USA and Australia because HTS is really worked on them, let this story serve as an example.

If all the above reasons were not enough for Tena to get a wild card for the quality of the ITF tournament in Croatia, then they must have been enough so that her self-confidence and pride are not spat on by those who would have to take care of her career to live in a more developed society. They easily accused her of lying and covered up the explanation they gave her in the phone call, but what they told the media is even 100 times worse and more miserable. And that says it all about what kind of people manage Croatian tennis.

Now imagine for the end the situation that Ana Konjuh did not get a wild card for the Australian Open and Miami Open with this explanation. How much the Miami Open and Croatian tennis would have been missed because of that if they had characters from HTS as "decision-makers."

Fortunately, HTS does not organize the WTA tournament in Bol, which is silent suffering for them, because Petra Martic would never get a wild card, as she did in 2016 at the WTA Croatia Bol Open when she was the 420th tennis player in the world, and when no one but family and a few connoisseurs of sports believed that Petra would be in the top 100 again very soon. Petra won the doubles trophy at that edition of the tournament and soon began her journey to the top.

As the organizer of the tennis tournament, I did everything despite all obstacles to help young talented tennis players from all over the world, so today, the young ATP lions Casper Ruud and Jordan Thompson and countless Croatian tennis players played in Bol at tournaments organized by me. World media would never know that Bol was the best place in the world for Nadia Podoroska, who played in the semifinals of the RG this year, if HTS had been asked.

But I am most proud that in 2019, for the first time in the history of Croatian women's tennis, as many as 4 Croatian tennis players performed in the main tournament of a WTA tournament. This never happened before the WTA tournament in Bol in 2019, and the invitations that Martic, Konjuh, Boskovic, Fett, Biskic, and others received in Bol, and of course Lukas, they did not receive at the request of HTS, nor did HTS ever ask for invitations for those girls, nor did they care. But good luck for the WTA Croatia Bol Open and for Croatian tennis that HTS does not grant invitations in Bol.

Namely, I never received a letter of support or a positive comment from HTS. Still, I received an official e-mail after the mentioned edition of the 2019 tournament, where 4 Croatian tennis players had a safe entrance to the main tournament, that I harmed the Croatian Tennis Federation by not inviting senior board members of HTS. And I can't lie about that because there is written evidence. And at the same time, their employees, the then executive director, and sports director slept in Bol at the expense of the WTA tournament. But HTS obviously wanted the bus to come to them; they devour them and spend money on someone else's account.

Tajna Lukas Recic was fired upon returning from maternity leave because they were redistributing their jobs (after that, they hired new people because there is no place for a master of kinesiology and a former state tennis champion) and not because her last name is Lukas. And it seems that Tena did not receive an invitation either, because with seven titles in the senior competition, a few in the junior competition, and a #268 world ranking, she still doesn't know how to play tennis enough according to HTS - and not because her last name is Lukas.

P.S. The organizer, I note, has the right to assign a wild card to anyone, and that is their discretion. Being a tennis player without a single point or top 100 does not mean that they need to play a toilet of a tournament. But the point of this story is how the umbrella association of a sport in a democratic country communicates with the athletes who represent that same country.

Because it was a phone call, I don't have a written trace ... The fact is that Tena played for HTS when everyone rightly rejected them, and the same is the fact that HTS beat the same tennis player through the media, accusing her of lying publicly, and added that she lost the last 7 matches in the first round and in the qualifiers. Therefore, as I said in a previous comment transmitted by the media, TOUCHÉ HTS."

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE. 

November 1,  2020 - What do Melinda Gates, NASA, the WTA tennis tour, Cambridge University and lockdown in Dalmatia have in common? They are all helping Making Kastela Great Again - a great lockdown story. 

I meet a lot of crazy people in Croatia, and truly no two days are the same. Many of those crazy people have even crazier ideas, the majority of which never see the light of day, and many of which are forgotten once the bottle of rakija is finished. 

And then there are those crazy people with crazy ideas who actually deliver on those ideas, even when the odds are stacked very heavily against them. 

Crazy people such as Dalmatian Feliks Lukas, a proud Kastela native, whose most impressive accomplishment until this Spring (at least in my eyes) was to bring the WTA Women's tennis tour to a Dalmatian island outside of peak season, attracting some great international names, both on and off the court. I think I am right in saying that the WTA Bol Open is the only tournament on the tour to take place on an island. 

And while the tennis is the highlight, there are also plenty of other incredible moments, as Feliks' considerable charm has helped bring extra promotion for Croatia, as we featured earlier today with this incredible piano performance by Lola Astanova on Zlatni Rat on Bol. Lola had performed at the tennis tournament and was due to make the video, but Feliks managed to persuade her to do so on Brac instead. It is really beautiful, so if you have a few minutes to listen and watch, you will not regret it. 

I met Feliks at the beginning of the year in Zagreb, as he wanted to present me with another of his crazy plans - this time teaming up with senior students from the Cambridge MBA programme with the expressed aim of Making Kastela Great Again. 

And not just any MBA students, but including one whose incredible story of mother of two in Sri Lanka with little experience to leading the team designing the Mars Rover for NASA after 6 years working on SpaceX with Elon Musk, a feat that caught the eye of none other than Melinda Gates.

Melony Mahaarachchi was on holiday in Croatia ahead of starting an MBA programme at Cambridge University and met Feliks:

"A friend of mine, Marino Franinovic, who was at that time advisor of Vice President of EIB, Mr. Vazil Hudak somehow knew or met Melony's husband and he invited me for a drink. I don't know how they met. They were here just for a couple of days in Croatia on a family vacation. She was with her two kids and her husband and I spoke about issues I have as an entrepreneur and the lack of entrepeneurial spirit in Croatia and how young, talented people were leaving the country. They were surprised as they thought it was paradise.

"We kept in touch, and then Melony contacted me out of the blue and told me about the MBA programme in Cambridge. One of the projects that could look into was regenerating a Mediterranean town. She thought of me and beautiful Croatia with the young people leaving and asked if I could suggest a town which could use such expertise. As a proud native of Kastela, it was the obvious place. It will be a great experience for all."

From Mars to Kastela... 

Pretty crazy so far. All was set for the team's arrival in Kastela in mid-March, when Melony and her three Cambridge colleagues would arrive for 4 weeks. Flights were booked and paid for. And then... 

Lockdown!

The flights were cancelled, and there was no chance of the Cambridge team coming for several months. I assumed that the project would be delayed like so many projects in Croatia and all over the world. And I forgot about it. 

Until a few months later when I caught up with Feliks in Kastela. He told me that the final report was almost ready and he would send it to me when it was done. How was this possible? Did they manage to come after all?

No, they have still not managed to visit, but they had all the expert help and more that they could have dreamed of, as Feliks spent weeks visiting every corner of Kastela with his iPhone, taking short videos, explaining, making suggestions. Here are a few short clips to give you a flavour. 

And so they began... I guess if Melony is used to working remotely on projects to Mars from Earth, then Cambridge to Kastela is not so far... Melony has kindly agreed to an interview with TCN about her Croatia experience, which we will bring to you in due course. 

The team set to work, guided by Feliks' diligent work on the ground, many Zoom interviews, and plenty of research. They looked at every single aspect of the destination (and I have no doubt that Feliks showed the every single aspect via his iPhone), so that despite their physical distance, they were able to put together a really very innovative economic development plan for Kastela, one whose main focus was intriguing.

There was plenty of research required away from Croatia of course. Best practices and lessons learned from other similar European destinations of course. 

The 83-page final report has now been finalised and it makes for a fascinating read. As it has not been officially presented yet due to the corona situation, it would be wrong of me to cherry-pick its findings. I will perhaps invite Melony to introduce it during our interview. 

I do have a copy of the final document if anyone would like to read it offline (need to check this is ok to forward) - please contact me on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject Kastela. 

And if you come across a crazy guy called Feliks Lukas on your travels around Croatia, buy him a coffee and take him seriously. I have a feeling that bringing WTA women's tennis to Dalmatian islands and Making Kastela Great Again are just the start...

You can follow the latest from Kastela in the dedicated TCN section.   

June 3, 2019 - First class tennis returns to Brač with the 4th edition of the WTA Croatia Bol Open, which will run from June 3 to 9, 2019. Before Bol fully transforms into a haven for some of the world’s best up and coming female tennis players, TCN met with organizer Feliks Lukas about what we can expect at this year’s edition. 

We return to Bol this year for the 4th edition of the WTA Croatia Bol Open. What can we expect this year?

We try really hard every year to organize the tournament and make it better than it was in the previous year. This year I'm absolutely satisfied, because in sports terms, we have the best list of players to date, and as far as entertainment goes, we secured performances by big stars, so that our visitors can experience the perfect combination of the sun, sea, top-level tennis and entertainment when they come to the WTA Croatia Bol Open. 

How is this year’s tournament different than the last editions?

Like I said, the list of the players is the best yet, and we're very proud of that. The WTA Croatia Bol Open is becoming a matter of prestige; the players themselves are doing excellent marketing for us when talking to one another, they share their positive experiences from Bol and they want to participate in the tournament, and Bol is often a springboard for the girls who are working on getting into the Top 100 in the world. A lot of effort goes into organizing this tournament, and I'm extremely glad we managed to build an excellent image in the tennis world. 

As the biggest novelty for this year, I'd like to highlight that we'll start having nighttime matches, which will attract more viewers because it was often impossible to follow the matches in the strong June sun. Matches on the day of the first round will be played at 8:30 pm on the Central Court and Sunday's finale will start at 8:05 pm. 

You started the WTA Croatia Bol Open thanks to your passion for tennis and will to make something successful in a place like Croatia where so much seems impossible and is often an uphill battle. How has the tournament developed over the years? Are you happy with where it is now, or are you striving for more?

I don't believe it's easy to organize any sporting event, and especially an event of this scale, with all the rules and bylaws that the worldwide organization such as the WTA expects us to follow. The additional organizational challenge is the demanding process of negotiating with government institutions and advertisers. I'd be lying if I said we didn't have the support we need, I have to say that the Bol municipality, Croatian Tourist Board and Central State Office for Sport have recognized this project as an important sport, but also tourist event in Croatia. We also have numerous corporate sponsors, but it's still difficult to complete the financial package. It's a struggle that lasts all the way to April, sometimes even May, so we only have a month to organize the tournament, which is not enough time. Still, our tournament gets better each year, and I'm not giving up. I am still lead by a lot of enthusiasm, and the biggest motive for me are the positive experiences, first by the players, but also by the visitors. 

Once again, you’ve managed an impressive list of players for the 4th edition. Who is the most exciting up-and-coming talent to play in Bol this June?

Although she is not seeded, a serious contender for the title is Timea Bacsinszky. She was a top-ten player several years ago, but an injury stopped her and now she's making a come-back. I'd love to highlight Kaia Kanepi and Siegemund, who used to be top 15 and top 30 players. All three of the winners of the WTA Croatia Bol Open – Mandy Minella, Aleksandra Krunić and Tamara Zidanšek are also going to be at the tournament this year. 

Which of Croatia’s tennis representatives should we look out for on the courts in Bol this June?   

One of the aggravating factors for us is most certainly the week in which the tournament is played, which overlaps with the second week of Roland Garros, and no matter what, we always want our players to stay on the courts in Paris for as long as possible. This year we invited Tena Lukas, after she took full advantage of her invitation last year when she made it to the semi-finals with amazing support from the stands. Jana Fett, a very promising player who has the strength and quality required for a much better ranking than the one she has now.

 You’ve once again managed to couple excellent entertainment with tennis - can you tell us about the events we can look forward to in addition to the tennis this time around?  

Entertainment starts on Friday, June 7th, when our visitors will be able to enjoy the evening of klapa music, a concert by Klapa Šufit and Cambi. On June 8th, the star of the Saturday night in Bol will be Niki Belucci, who is performing at the Varadero Club. The finale of the tournament on Sunday starts at 8:05 pm and the fun at the Central Court will start an hour earlier when Nina Badrić will perform live for the WTA Croatia Bol Open crowd. The closing ceremony of the tournament will also be more lavish, as Lola Astanova, one of the world's best pianists will perform. She has intrigued the world, both with her talent and her attractive appearance. 

• How has the support for the tournament been this year? From Bol and Bluesun to HTZ and sponsors?  

I am extremely grateful to all our sponsors for their support. I'd especially like to highlight the Bol Municipality and its head, Tihomir Marinović, as well as the Bol Tourist Board who have been alongside us this entire time. Also, without the great support by the Bluesun group and Mr. Jako Andabaka, this tournament would not be possible. This year we received strong support by Central State Office for Sport, and, just like in previous years, Croatian Tourist Board. There are several sponsors from the business sector, Kraš, Atlantic Group, Jadrolinija, T-HT, HEP – and I'd like to thank all of them. The tournament keeps growing every year, but we need to make the next step in terms of finances and sponsors, as that would increase the quality of the tournament in the end. We still don't have the title sponsor, which would allow for a bigger sense of security. 

So, can we expect the ‘25th edition’ of WTA Croatia Bol Open in the future? Or do you have plans to create other successful sporting events on the horizon?  

We will keep up our efforts to make this the strongest regional sports event, and there are realistic chances that we'll be able to get the tournament to a higher level. WTA is prepared to support us as much as possible, so all we need to do is find strong sponsors who would also support us in that effort. 

For tickets to the WTA Croatia Bol Open, visit here. 

To learn more about Feliks Lukas, you can check out our interview with him last year ahead of the 3rd edition of the tournament. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

The WTA Croatia Bol Open will be held from June 5 to 10, 2018, at the Bluesun Tennis Center in Bol. 

TCN meets Feliks Lukas, the director of the WTA Croatia Bol Open, which brings tennis back to Brač for its third edition this year. 

The tennis tournament in Bol started with a traditional party, and it was once again, a spectacular one

The WTA Croatia Bol Open will be staged on Brač tennis courts in the second week of June