Tennis on time, no games and no possibility of treatment. Will UTS catch on?

After a while, more is heard about the new concept of tennis. The UTS tennis series has attracted many fans. Is it realistic to take away the players’ treatment options? And what are the next plans according to the father of the whole project Patrick Mouratoglou?

Dynamic tennis for dynamic times

The demands of modern times brought Patrick Mouratoglou to the idea of a different concept of tennis matches. Few people have enough time to watch a long tennis match. That’s why he came up with the UTS tournament, where everything is fast-paced.

Instead of long sets, where everything most important is quite often played out at the end, comes brisk matches, where his individual quarters are played on time. In 40 minutes everything is done. The intensity of the experience is paramount.

No chance of treatment

Long matches in the classic tennis duel concept are often accompanied by treatment breaks. And this, too, Mouratoglou would like to eliminate.

“If you are not able to continue the match, you simply leave the court,” he adds on the subject. The Frenchman doesn’t want tennis to look like the ATP tour, where summoning a doctor often just disrupts the rhythm of the opponent’s game.

And it’s also a loss for the game as a whole. With all due respect to the health of the players, the game is played primarily for the spectators and fans of the white sport.

UTS plans for next season

Mouratoglou has no plans to compete in the ATP tournament carousel. On the other hand, he stands behind his project and has a clear vision of how it should continue.

In the 2024 season, four UTS series events should take place. However, only the first one is clear. It is scheduled for February in Oslo, Norway. With Casper Ruud and Holger Rune in attendance.

They both took part in the last event in London. Mouratoglou was very complimentary about that one, by the way. Jack Draper, the local tennis player, won the overall victory. 

Finally..

It is true that if tennis has a weakness compared to other sports, it is the length of time. At least sometimes. A radical change to the short and intense matches played by the UTS may at least bring some refreshment.

It will be interesting to see if this special format catches on and which players participate. It is probably clear what will be the deciding factor. Spectators. If there is interest in these tournaments, they have a chance to be at least a popular addition to the traditional ATP format.

Source: TennisMajors, X