UTS's ambition: "We want to banish the word exhibition".
The 2024 edition of the UTS (Ultimate Tennis Showdown) delivered its verdict in London on Sunday, with Alex De Minaur beating Holger Rune in the final.
This parallel competition, which is currently an exhibition, aims to grow and become a real circuit in its own right.
If the field of players is interesting, it's mainly thanks to the prize-money involved and the format of the matches, which is much more condensed than on the ATP circuit.
Speaking to Eurosport, Baptiste Kern, UTS Director of Operations, explains the nature of the competition: "Our first criterion is a very high level of play. The second is to have personalities.
Gaël Monfils turns the stadium upside down every time he comes. He's got that magic about him.
Kyrgios, as soon as he's in form, we take to him. He has a kind of aura. But when we say personalities, we're not just talking about whimsical players.
If Sinner and Alcaraz want to play the UTS, we'll be delighted to take them on."
However, the UTS must be organized, like this weekend's finals, during the rare off-peak periods of the ATP calendar.
This reinforces the exhibition status that the organizers don't like to hear: "There are two pillars: the show and the sport.
We have to find a balance between the two, and we're constantly looking for the right boundary.
We really want to banish the word exhibition, even if technically it is one.
It's another sport with the same stars, who themselves will play differently."
