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This has never been accomplished by any tennis player in the past. The event took place in September at a competition held in Frankfurt. On one end of the court stood Gaël Monfils, an experienced player known for his remarkable agility. On the opposite side was Andrey Rublev, who holds a spot in the top 10 rankings worldwide.
Monfils was behind in the match and it was now his turn to serve. He waited at the baseline, using his racket to bounce the ball. Was he capable of making a comeback?
Out of nowhere, the speakers in the arena began blaring techno music. Monfils stopped in his tracks and started dancing. The crowd erupted in cheers while Rublev flashed a grin. Monfils was clearly enjoying himself and eventually abandoned his racket to perform spins on the floor. It was as if a Harlem Globetrotter had traded their basketball for a tennis racket.
Monfils, speaking through Zoom, laughs as he admits, “I’m at a loss for words.” He clarifies that the dance was purely unplanned. In any other tournament, Monfils would have faced immediate consequences for his actions. However, the Frankfurt tournament was anything but ordinary.
The Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) was established in 2020 as a league. After a break of two years, it returned in 2023. The upcoming competition, known as the “Grand Final,” will take place in London from 15 to 17 December. In summary, it can be described as a combination of the ATP Tour and the UFC.
The UTS matches are divided into four rounds. In the event of a tie, players enter a sudden death situation. If you lose two points in a row, you are eliminated. In addition, there is a DJ who plays music during breaks between rallies. Players are allowed to banter during these breaks as well. They can also express themselves freely during matches, similar to Monfils’ style. Along with Rublev and Monfils, the UTS lineup includes renowned players like world No 3 Daniil Medvedev, and up-and-coming stars like Ben Shelton, who reached the semi-finals of the 2023 US Open. And just like at UFC fights, the audience is lively, although not as rowdy.
UTS was created by Patrick Mouratoglou. He was born in France in 1970 and is considered a prominent figure in the world of tennis. As the founder of the Mouratoglou Academy, he coached Serena Williams from 2012 to 2022, during which she won 10 grand slam singles titles. In recent years, he has gained a significant following on social media as “The Coach,” sharing his wisdom with over a million followers.
In order to comprehend UTS, it is important to understand what motivates Mouratoglou. He states, “Tennis is my passion.” Sitting in his bright office on the French Riviera, Mouratoglou has a full head of greying hair and neatly trimmed facial hair, giving him the appearance of both a movie star and a tennis coach.
However, Mouratoglou’s appearance was not always as impressive. He shares that in his childhood, he was extremely introverted and frequently sick. As a result, he often felt isolated and alone, except when he was on the tennis court. Mouratoglou found solace and comfort on the court, and his talent was quickly recognized as he rose through the ranks in junior tournaments. As a teenager, he became a highly regarded prospect in France and the possibility of a professional career became a reality.
Subsequently, an event occurred that greatly influenced Mouratoglou’s character. His parents advised him to give up playing tennis. “My parents believed it was far too dangerous. Therefore, I was unable to continue pursuing my passion, leading to immense disappointment.” Mouratoglou reluctantly retired from the sport, fully aware that he could have potentially achieved great success.
If a young athlete is unable to become a professional due to a lack of skill, it may be difficult for them to accept. However, if their dreams are hindered by an injury, they may attribute it to fate. Yet, if they are not allowed to pursue their aspirations, like in Mouratoglou’s situation, it can have a devastating impact on their spirit.
Mouratoglou returned to the world of tennis in his mid-20s and established his own academy. He expressed his passion for the sport and his desire to increase its popularity.
This was the driving force behind UTS. For a while now, Mouratoglou has been concerned about the aging fanbase of tennis. After conducting research, he discovered that the average age of a tennis viewer is 61. Younger audiences are not as interested in watching tennis, especially full matches on TV.
According to Mouratoglou, one reason for this is that the sport has not kept up with the digital revolution, leading to shorter attention spans. The format has remained unchanged for over a century, creating a disconnect between the targeted generation (the future) and the format itself.
In recent years, various sports have attempted to reduce the gap in order to attract new viewers. For example, Major League Baseball has recently made significant changes to America’s beloved pastime. These changes include giving pitchers a limited time of 15 to 20 seconds to throw a pitch and increasing the size of bases to allow players to reach them more frequently. According to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, these changes were made in response to fans’ desire for faster-paced games. Golf, on the other hand, has traditionally appealed to an older demographic compared to other sports. However, with the introduction of LIV Golf, a new tour backed by Saudi Arabia, the game has undergone a transformation. LIV Golf features a shortened format with only three rounds instead of the usual four found on the PGA Tour, and a more relaxed dress code for golfers. The addition of music during gameplay also aligns with LIV’s slogan, “Golf, but louder.” However, the success of these changes has been mixed. While MLB’s alterations have generally been well-received by fans, LIV Golf has struggled to attract a dedicated audience, possibly due to allegations of sportswashing.
UTS, also known as “Tennis, but louder,” is not intended to replace the ATP Tour. Instead, its purpose is to establish a separate league with a different audience. Mouratoglou clarifies that players are still able to participate in both formats. The concept behind UTS was to reimagine the sport of tennis, taking into consideration how people currently consume content.
The scoring system in UTS matches differs from regular tennis. Instead of sets and games, there are four “quarters.” To prevent matches from becoming too lengthy, each quarter is only eight minutes long. Similar to a tiebreak, players serve twice and points are tallied individually. However, UTS also includes a “bonus card” that players can use to triple the value of the next point. At the end of the quarter, the player in the lead only needs to score one more point to win the quarter.
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The UTS events occur during a weekend, with players split into two groups. They compete against members of their group on Friday and Saturday. The top two players from each group advance to the semi-finals and ultimately the final on Sunday.
“It is enjoyable and wonderful,” expresses Christopher Clarey, the writer of The Master and a journalist who reported on tennis for over 30 years at the New York Times. He currently contributes to Tennis & Beyond on Substack. “They have truly considered some creative concepts,” Clarey adds. “You are not entirely altering the fundamental nature of tennis, but rather creating something that appears quite distinct.”
One noticeable contrast is the speed of the match. UTS participants are limited to a single serve instead of the usual two and there is a maximum of 15 seconds between points. According to Clarey, the abundance of breaks in traditional tennis is a major issue. Mouratoglou believes that any pause in the action can result in a loss of audience engagement. He describes traditional tennis as a marathon, while UTS is more like a sprint.
For players, that sprint is no walk in the park. “I found it very hard, very intense,” admits Monfils. “It was a different way of approaching the game … every point counts. We are under pressure because we have only one serve. And I found it very physical too, because we don’t get much respite.”
The outcome leads to a very entertaining game of tennis. There are even unique shots that are not typically seen in traditional tennis. When Mouratoglou designed the UTS court, he placed the net at the edge of the court instead of extending it past the court. This allows for players to easily hit around the net, as Monfils did with a powerful return in his match against Rublev. Monfils expresses his excitement about this new technique in his arsenal, stating “It’s incredible. We have many potential shots when we move sideways and play with a cross-court shot.”
However, for Mouratoglou, showcasing exhilarating tennis is only part of the equation. He believes that sports should offer more than just two players hitting a ball back and forth in order to attract new fans. Similar to the UFC, there needs to be a competition between individuals with distinct personalities. That is why each athlete is given a nickname (“La Monf” for Monfils, “The Chessmaster” for Medvedev, “The Mountain” for Shelton) – whether or not fans find it charming or cliché is a matter of personal taste.
During each quarter, there are also interviews on the court where players can engage in light-hearted trash talk. This highlights another aspect that UTS is trying to cultivate. In traditional tennis, players strive to control their emotions, like the calm and collected Roger Federer. However, in UTS, displaying emotions is encouraged. According to Matthew Willis, author of The Racquet on Substack, viewers of UTS have likely appreciated seeing players embrace a more uninhibited version of themselves.
Not only are players given more freedom, but the audience as well. At its inaugural event of the year in Los Angeles in July, UTS saw a turnout of 18,000 spectators and nearly sold out. Plans are also in progress for a women’s version of the competition. Unlike at Wimbledon, where even sneezing can earn you disapproving looks, spectators are encouraged to make noise. Mouratoglou jokes, “Tennis is the only sport where you pay for a ticket to attend a match and then you’re told to be quiet.”
The viewers are also present on the internet. Enthusiasts have the option to watch events live on the UTS website. The most exciting highlights are shared on social media, making it easier for younger audiences to engage with tennis in shorter segments, revolutionizing the way the sport is typically watched. According to their data, UTS has accumulated over 55 million views on social media. It can be described as “TikTok tennis.”
The event did not please everyone. Tennis is known for being traditional, and this is not the first time a sport has attempted to modernize by incorporating DJs and reducing game length to attract younger viewers. When UTS was initially introduced in 2020, it faced harsh criticism. Australian broadcaster Craig Gabriel denounced it as a “joke.” (Gabriel declined an interview through his publicist.) Stuart Fraser, a tennis correspondent at the Times, expressed on Twitter that the first day of UTS “will go down in history as the day tennis was distorted.” (Fraser did not respond to interview requests.)
Mouratoglou remains undeterred. He believes that new ideas are constantly met with criticism, so he does not place much significance on it. He says with a smile that the success of the idea will ultimately determine its worth. He emphasizes that it is not his or anyone else’s commentary that matters, but rather the level of success it achieves.
Source: theguardian.com
