- Meet the Tournament Director Željko Franulović -
The successful Tournament Director of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Željko Franulović, will be the Tournament Director of the Legends Team Cup - ATP Champions Tour.

Željko Franulović has been the successful Tournament Director for the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters for the past 17 years, and will, effectively July 1st, become the Tournament Director for Legends Team Cup - ATP Champions Tour.

His experience from his long and successful career as a player and tournament director will be of great value for the development of a new and exciting project for the tennis world. Željko’s large network of contacts with sponsors, players, the media and important governing bodies in the tennis world will be key assets for everyone involved.

It is a pleasure to meet you Željko, can I ask you to tell us something about yourself and your professional career?
I started my professional career as a tennis player. In the 70s and 80s I was in the top 10, with a total of 9 ATP victories, including Monte-Carlo in 1970. Until the 90s ATP only had a small office in Paris and because the players organization was getting more important, I was called to run the European Head Office which we decided to set-up in the Principality of Monaco. During my ATP career I served as a Board member, Executive Director for Europe and Tournament Director of the ATP Finals in Frankfurt, Hannover and Lisbon. In 2005 I became Director of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

How does it feel to be the director of this prestigious tournament and what skills are required?
I come from a tennis family, my background is in tennis and having been a professional player it gave me a significant edge. Furthermore, during my tennis career, I was also studying law and have graduated at the university which came in handy when I started running tennis tournaments. This being said, my academic and professional background have been a good combination and instrumental when it came to running a major tournament like the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and making it successful.

In your opinion, how much tennis differs from other sports? What makes it so enjoyable?
Tennis is an individual sport, it is global and easy to follow, it is not violent and in general players are behaving well. Families prefer it compared to other sports because it’s a good sport for their children’s body and mind and for developing their identity.