Djokovic and Thiem headline European exhibition tour swing

Novak Djokovic’s Adria Tour has begun the European exhibition swing with a bang, with players like Thiem and Zverev set to compete. Here are the details of the star-studded event.

There’s been a wide range of exhibition tournaments popping over since the March suspension. From the UTR Pro Series to the recently announced NZ Premier League, many of the sport’s stars have begun to trickle out and compete.

The European swing of exhibition tournaments is slowly starting to take shape. Headlining the list is a recently announced event taking place in the Balkans that have some of tennis’ top players. World #1 Novak Djokovic was was one of the key organizers of the exhibition, and alongside him were #3 Dominic Thiem, #7 Alexander Zverev, and #19 Grigor Dimitrov.

Coined the Adria Tour, the events will begin next month in four Balkan nations. It will begin in Serbia at Djokovic’s private academy, followed by stages in Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia.

"“I am delighted that Dominic Thiem, Grigor Dimitrov, and Alexander Zverev will be my guests,” Djokovic told Serbian press. “The three big names, they will all play in the opening leg in Belgrade. Zverev might play in Croatia too, while Dimitrov could appear in Croatia and in Montenegro.”"

Viktor Troicki and Damir Dzumhur are two other players confirmed to compete in the events, along with more unconfirmed “major European players”. The tour’s format is a round-robin style with two groups of four players competing at the first three stops (Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro).

There will also be a qualifying event held, the Serbian National Championships, in order for one or two players from the country to qualify. All proceeds from the tour will go to regional humanitarian projects as well as the Novak Djokovic Foundation.

Alongside the Djokovic-led tour is an Eastern European Championships event that will be held in Belgrade, Serbia, led by recent retiree and former World #8 Janko Tipsarevic. Troicki and Dzumhur will be participating, along with Croats Borna Coric and Marin Cilic.

Dominic Thiem and the Austrian exhibition event is set to begin soon, as well as the seven-week German tour, featuring 32 male and 24 female players.

The events will strictly comply with the restrictions and spectator rules set by countries and tennis tours during the suspension. The rules for exhibition events usually put in place are currently on hold at this time, as these events are the sole matches being played.