Serbia Open dropped from ATP schedule

The Serbian Open, owned by Belgrade- native Novak Djokovic and run by his family, has been dropped from the ATP World Tour calendar, Bloomberg has reported.

The red clay tennis tournament won’t be held this year after Family Sport, the event’s organizers, decided to cease operation, the tour said today on its website. None of the ATP’s Top 35 ranked players participated in the tournament last season.

“We have made the most rational decision considering the circumstances,” Family Sport said in a statement on the tour website. “We are grateful for everyone’s contribution and help in running this event that brought a lot of international stars and attention to Serbia.”

The tournament was scheduled to take place from April 29- May 5 this year, according to the website. It was the only ATP tournament held in Serbia, and rights to the event were bought back by the ATP.

Italy’s Andreas Seppi won the event last year in a field that did not include Djokovic, then the top-ranked player, and countrymen Janko Tipsarevic, No. 8, and Viktor Troicki, No. 30. Djokovic, who won the inaugural tournament in 2009 and again in 2011, pulled out in 2012 citing the need for a break from tennis.