This article appeared on ATPTour.COM which talks about Viktor Galovic and his new activity as organizer and director of ATP Tournaments. As you know, the ATP Challenger has just ended “Verona Internationals”, held on the fields of our club, and the Verona Tennis Association is mentioned, along with its ninety-year history, at the end of the article.

NB: The article is in English: We report it translated into Italian (con Google Translate); anyone who wishes can read it directly on the ATP pages.

Former pro Viktor Galovic is embarking on a new career on the ATP Challenger Tour, as tournament director in his hometown, Verona

Saturday, Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune has become the last man left in Verona (NDR: idiomatic phrase, indicates the winner), in Italy. The young Dane continued his fantastic run on the ATP Challenger Tour, winning their second consecutive title in dominant fashion. Rune didn't drop a set all week at the inaugural Verona Tennis Internationals, culminating in a victory for 6-4, 6-2 over Nino Serdarusic in the final.

It was a fitting end to an impressive ATP Challenger debut in Verona, as the tournament ushered in a new era on the circuit. And with former professional Viktor Galovic at the helm, it was a success from start to finish. With renowned local chefs and live concerts throughout the week, as well as fantastic light shows marking the night sessions, fans were treated to world-class entertainment and players were treated like rock stars. After touring for almost a decade, this is exactly how Galovic imagined the ideal tournament.

It has become one of the novelties of the ATP Challenger Tour. More and more former players have moved on to a different role, taking office as tournament directors. From the first ones 10 loyal Arnaud Clement (Aix en Provence) and Andres Gomez (Guayaquil), to athletes of the caliber of Luis Horna (Lima), Rik De Voest (Vancouver) and Nicolas Escude (Brest), past champions are returning. The careers of each of these players were launched on the Challenger circuit. Now they are returning to their roots.

This week, Galovic is the last to enter the fray. Croatian, who lives in Italy, he embarked on a new career as a tournament director in his hometown, Verona. It marks the return of the ATP Challenger Tour to the Italian city for the first time since 1990.

Galovic, for many years a pillar of the Top 200 della FedEx ATP Rankings, he lifted his only Challenger trophy in nearby Recanati, in Italy, In the 2017. He would also make five appearances on the ATP Tour, in particular reaching the quarterfinals on the clay of the Swiss Open in Gstaad in 2018, where he punched the number 38 of the world Robin Haase.

After a career of 10 years, Galovic announced his retirement from professional tennis in July. Persistent back and hip injuries may have forced him to hang up his racket, but the 30-year-old won't be leaving the tennis scene. Recently launched 'VK Events', with the intention of organizing many ATP Challenger tournaments throughout Italy in the coming years.

It all starts with this week's inaugural Verona Tennis Internationals. Held at the Verona Tennis Association, the tournament club was founded in 1929 and previously hosted a Challenger tournament since 1988-90. Ora, the historic club welcomes players and fans for a new era of tennis in northern Italy.

Galovic spoke with ATPTour.com during his first week in his new role.

First of all, Viktor, congratulations on this new venture. How did it happen?
In the last few years I was playing well and enjoying myself on tour, but I was stuck with a back injury and had four hernias. I also had to have hip surgery. Now I almost have it 31 years and I don't want to have to have another surgery, so that's it. I played my last tournament in Todi (in July). But now I'm staying in tennis, but in a different way. I think I'll enjoy it more than training and sweating all day.

The tournament actually started as a joke. My friend and I were saying that it's crazy that a club like this in Verona doesn't have a Challenger. For fun we said to ourselves 'let's contact the ATP and do it'. That's how it started. I actually had this idea at the beginning of the year. We started at the end of April and didn't have much time to organize everything. But we managed to make one of the best Challengers in Europe, credo.

Now that the first edition is finished, what are your impressions? How did it go?
I'm the tournament director, but I am also the organizer of the tournament. My colleagues and I organized everything from the beginning. Just four of us created this from scratch. We have done an extraordinary job in just a few months.

The camps are completely new and we have a great hotel and great food. Having a team that knows what the players need is important. We involved Elena Marchesini [NDR: co-founder of MEF Tennis Events] to welcome the players. Furthermore, in the first days, we had to educate the boys who were cleaning the fields, the ball boys and some staff members, but as soon as they knew what to do, everything went smoothly.

Being a former player gives you a unique perspective. How has this helped you in this role?
Being a former player helps a lot. I know everything the players need. I was the one who complained sometimes in some Challengers. We did everything for these players. For example, we could have taken a less expensive hotel, but we wanted to go with the Crowne Plaza and make it more comfortable. With the staff here in the restaurant, all the food is good. If it wasn't, I would have hired someone new. We did almost everything for the players.

For the fans, we put lights on center court, so people from the streets can see them and enter. We didn't expect to have so many people on site. On Tuesday we were already completely full. People had to be vaccinated or have a negative test. We had 200 people sitting and others 200 standing. Now it's holiday in Verona, so everyone is free to watch tennis. They have passed 31 years since Verona last had a Challenger and we didn't want to have any tickets to come and see.

You mentioned the importance of making everything perfect for the players, but how you also improved the fan experience?
The main goal was to make it feel like the ATP tournament 250 of Umag. We decided it would be an event, with great food, music and tennis. It's a tennis tournament, but also a great event. The center court has flashing lights and after matches we have parties in the club. Even before the night games we have an aperitif hour’ (a light aperitif). If you come with your wife and she is not that interested in tennis, he can still have fun and stay for the concerts after the games are over. It is similar to Umag and Braunschweig in the Challenger Tour. Ecco, something like this happens every evening.

ATP Challenger Tour: what was the biggest challenge in making this happen?
Just working with so many people and so many groups to make things happen for the tournament. Organize everything and contact everyone. Coordination. It's like a puzzle. This is the most complicated thing. I'm sure that's the case with many tournaments. This is the biggest challenge in organizing a tournament.

You just started a new event management company, VK Events. Are they just tennis tournaments or are you planning to expand into other areas?
For now it's just tennis and next year we have three Challengers planned. Once again, the main thing for us is to create an event. An entertainment experience. Not just going to a tournament and that's it. Next year we will try to go to the Lido of Venice. It will be in Venice, so you have to come by ferry. And the other one we are trying to do is in Murano. We also want to do something that no one has done in Verona, i.e. bringing an ATP here 250. We still don't know how or when, but the main goal is to have a center court in the arena here. This is the goal.

Now that your playing career is over, How rewarding it is to be able to give back to the Challenger Tour and help him grow as a director?
It's very rewarding. It was the best time of my life. I struggled a lot at the beginning of my career, but getting to the Challenger Tour and having these experiences with a coach and a physio was everything. It was already rewarding in the past and now being able to organize one of these tournaments is even more special.

In the end, What are your fondest memories of racing on tour?? What you'll remember most about your playing days?
I don't have that many memories that come out of winning games. But the main thing I really liked was that it taught me how to handle pressure and get people involved to organize something. He taught me a lot this way, because tennis is stressful. Traveling by plane twice a week is already stressful and then you have stress on the pitch. Tennis is all about solving problems. This has helped me a lot in solving problems right now in organizing a Challenger.