From London to Seoul: When the Off-Season Turns into a Global Exhibition Tour

While the season should be coming to an end, tennis refuses to stop. Stars are multiplying spectacular exhibitions, between show, business, and passion.

AFP

Jules Hypolite

le 03/12/2025 à 20h31

1 min to read

Alcaraz Extraits de Dossiers Medvedev Monfils Sabalenka Sinner

December now resembles a parallel circuit: the grand final of the UTS (Ultimate Tennis Showdown) in London, the Miami Invitational, the Garden Cup in New York, exhibitions in India, Macao, Dubai, or China.

The names of these events, often spectacular, are designed to catch the eye and maintain public interest, even during a period when fans, already saturated with tennis for nearly eleven months, still seem ready to consume more.

A duel between Sinner and Alcaraz before the Australian Open

The schedules also bank on star appeal: Carlos Alcaraz is participating in a mini American tour, Aryna Sabalenka is the headliner of the exhibition organized at Madison Square Garden, while Daniil Medvedev or Gaël Monfils head to India to play some mixed-team matches.

Some even extend into January, like this exhibition organized in South Korea, placed just before the Australian Open, which features a duel between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

For the organizers, the ingredients are simple: total freedom regarding the calendar, short formats, and high profitability. Stars can be approached without the constraints of the ATP or WTA, while they enjoy fees sometimes comparable to those of official tournaments, for reduced effort.

The full investigation available this weekend

Find the full investigation "Saturated calendar, multiplied exhibitions: the paradox dividing tennis during the off-season" on TennisTemple the weekend of November 6-7.