Expo Tel Aviv is the host venue for the Tel Aviv Open. Before moving to its current home, the event was held at the Israel Tennis Centers. In 2022, the ATP Tour returned to Tel Aviv after a 26-year hiatus. The first-ever tournament occurred in 1978 as a Challenger-level event.
But, just one year later, in 1979, the competition upgraded to an ATP Grand Prix competition. The following decades saw the Tel Aviv Open stop and start for several reasons. After three years of success between 1979 and 1981, the tournament stopped for one year in 1982 due to the Israel-Lebanon War.
However, the event was back in 1983 and remained in Tel Aviv for 14 consecutive years. During this time, many famous competitors lifted the title, including former world number one Jimmy Conors, who won in 1989.
The competition also holds the record for the youngest winner of an ATP event. Aaron Krickstein won the tournament in 1983, aged 16 years and two months in 1983. Incredibly, the young American returned the following year and succeeded again, winning successive Tel Aviv Opens.
After 1996, the tournament had a one-year hiatus and returned in 1997 as a Challenger event again. However, following just two years at this level, the Tel Aviv Open did not take place for another 22 years.
Eventually, the Tel Aviv Open took place again in 2022 after nearly two decades without action. The competition replaced the Serbia Open on the ATP Tour schedule, and several elite players participated.
The likes of Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, and Marin Cilic were part of the 2022 Tel Aviv Open main draw. Djokovic emerged as the victor on the tournament’s return, defeating Cilic in the final. Despite returning in 2022, the Tel Aviv Open was canceled again in 2023 following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.
