Zagreb, October 16, 2024 - The former Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia and Minister of Finance, Zdravko Marić, has been elected as the new President of the Croatian Tennis Association. He was unanimously chosen by the attending members of the Croatian Tennis Association's Assembly during a session in Zagreb.
Marić succeeds Nikolina Babić, who led the Croatian Tennis Association for six years.
The Assembly was attended by 39 voting members out of a total of 50, and the election was preceded by a comprehensive and detailed report on the work of the Croatian Tennis Association from 2018 to mid-October 2024.
"I would like to thank Nikolina Babić and her team for leading the Croatian Tennis Association, both in the office and in the committees. The results speak for themselves. Progress has been made, and it is clear that tennis is one of the flagships of Croatian sports. The first Olympic medals came from tennis, and this continued in Paris. All of this commits us, and I take it very seriously, despite the voluntary nature of this role. It obliges us to work together for the betterment of Croatian tennis. As for priorities, there are no surprises—children must be our priority. It's up to us to decide how we will attract, educate, and keep them engaged in this wonderful sport for as long as possible. Today, Zagreb and Split are mentioned in the context of courts, but we must not neglect other parts of Croatia. I will wholeheartedly support the continuation of infrastructure development. Nikolina and her team fought hard on this issue, and persistence and solid arguments are needed to show that this is not a project for individuals but for the entire community," said Zdravko Marić.
Nikolina Babić thanked her colleagues and Assembly members for years of cooperation:
"I am proud, and it was a pleasure working with you all. My decision to step down, as I have previously mentioned, is solely due to personal and professional obligations, so media reports suggesting other reasons are untrue—it's just tabloid gossip. I wish you all great success, stay united, tennis comes before everything."
At the Assembly, Excellence Awards were also presented, which the International Tennis Federation (ITF) awarded to two tournaments held in Croatia from the ITF World Tennis Tour calendar. The recipients were the directors of the Opatija tournament, Branimir Horvat, and the Bol tournament, Zvonimir Jakšić.
The Croatian Olympic Committee congratulates Zdravko Marić on his election as President of the Croatian Tennis Association and wishes him great success in his work for the benefit of Croatian tennis!
