At a time when the tennis world is stuck, the influential Patrick Mouratoglou makes things happen. A week after raising the alarm on the situation of players ranked outside the top 100, Serena Williams's coach and Tennis Majors expert just announced he is launching a new tennis league, the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS), that could change the way we consume tennis both on the short and the long run.
While no ATP or WTA match will be played before at least July 13th, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Patrick Mouratoglou promises to feature 50 matches during five consecutive weekends, starting as soon as of May 16-17th, to feed people's appetite for tennis.
Surprisingly enough, he assures, in the extended interview he gave last night to Tennis Majors that you can read below, the UTS is not a one-shot and will continue when the ATP and the WTA tours resume. "The UTS is a championship that is going to last the whole season, and for the years to come. Players will earn points, money, and there will be a champion", he told our interviewer Josh Cohen.
With this concept he shares with Alexei Popyrin’s father, the 49 years-old tennis coach aims at revolutionizing the tennis experience for fans and spectators, and at making tennis attractive for young people. "I want players to be encouraged to show their emotions. I want coaches on the court, I want interaction with the public", he praised.
The event will be held at Mouratoglou's Tennis Academy, the biggest in Europe, located near Nice, in the south of France. Indeed, France announced the end of its coronavirus lockdown on May 11th and Mouratoglou promises that dire preventing measures will be taken during the games.
For now, two players have given their agreement to participate: David Goffin and Alexei Popyrin, who trains at the Mouratoglou Academy. As he has made his project public, he ensures he will now speak to more players, discuss with broadcasters and publish the entire casting next week.
Here are the main quotes by Patrick Mouratoglou from our exclusive interview with him.
