A tour coach: "The level of play is much higher at the UTS than at an ATP match".
The UTS, a competition created by Patrick Mouratoglou, renders its verdict this weekend with the final to be played in London.
This exhibition tournament, with its unique rules of play, is trying to carve out a place for itself on the calendar, and this week brings together a number of tour stars: Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, Holger Rune, Gaël Monfils and Ugo Humbert are among those taking part.
The matches, played in 8-minute quarters, feature a much faster format than on the ATP circuit. For example, there is no second serve and only 15 seconds between each point.
And for Xavier Moureaux, coach of Benoît Paire in 2023, this competition has nothing to envy from traditional tournaments: "The level of play is much higher on the UTS, in terms of intensity, than on an ATP tennis match.
Every point counts. In a basic tennis match, up to 3-3, you get bored. Here, from the very first point, you have to go for it. This intensity really makes it top-level training."
Is this enough to make it a credible enough competition to occupy a more important place on the calendar? The Belgian coach agrees: "For me, it's one of the ways of making tennis popular again.
The UTS does a lot of good for fans and for promoting tennis. It remains one of the real doors to the future of tennis."
