Patrick Mouratoglou explains ambitious plans of returning Ultimate Tennis Showdown in 2023 and beyond

Could the returning Ultimate Tennis Showdown compel Grand Slam tournaments to adapt their rules to the tastes of the next generation of tennis fans? That is the hope of co-founder Patrick Mouratoglou.

The former long-term coach of Serena Williams explains his ambitious plans for the UTS tournament, which will return in 2023 after a two-year hiatus.

The UTS was created during the pandemic as a fan-centric format aimed at introducing the next generation of fans to tennis. It includes rule innovations like single serves only, four quarters of eight minutes, and a loosened code of conduct.

The tournament was first organised in 2020, but was then halted after just a single season.

Stefanos Tsitsipas finished at the top of the standings after the inaugural season, with Richard Gasquet and Matteo Berrettini rounding out the podium.

The new season will kick off in the United States in July, before heading to Europe in September, and finally in Asia and the Middle East for the final leg and Grand Final.

“We couldn’t do an edition in 2022, simply because we were in a fundraising period,” Mouratoglou told Eurosport’s Arnold Montgault.

Despite the UTS making its name with innovative rules, the major change in 2023 will be the introduction of a live audience.

Mouratoglou says he expects the change to be an impactful one: “We’ve never had an audience because all the editions took place during the period when we were all confined, people were forbidden to go to the stadiums.

“Obviously, a sporting event with an audience or without an audience is as different as night and day. I’m extremely excited to see the audience that’s going to come to UTS.”

The tournament’s focus on bringing in new fans will extend to their conduct at the events themselves.

Mouratoglou says: “We’re going to do everything we can to get young people to come, obviously. And I think it’s an innovation in the sense that we intend to let the audience express themselves completely, which is absolutely not the case in the classic tournaments. Because the things you hear the most are ‘shhhh, please be quiet’.

“We’re going to do the opposite and we’re going to encourage people to express all their emotions because, in fact, for me, sport is pure emotion, and I think that players are capable of playing in noise. They are just not used to it.”

Tennis cannot resist the influence of other sports, and Mouratoglou says it shouldn’t try.

He said: “There is no reason why a shooter in the NBA, when he is going to shoot with everyone shouting at him that he is going to miss, would succeed and in tennis, you can’t hit a forehand or a backhand when there’s noise? So it will be a big change for the players.”

The ultimate goal is not to make tennis something it isn’t, but to help it evolve.

Mouratoglou explains: “It’s not about distorting tennis. I think there are maybe one or two things that could be added to the ATP or the Grand Slams that I think would be in the direction of history, and I think it would be positive for the game.”