
via Getty
ASB TENNIS CENTER, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – 2016/12/30: Tennis super star Serena Williams with her coach Patrick Mouratoglou during a training session at ASB Tennis Centre, Auckland, New Zealand. She is scheduled to play at the ASB Classic tennis tournament starts on Monday 2 Jan. (Photo by Shirley Kwok/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

via Getty
ASB TENNIS CENTER, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – 2016/12/30: Tennis super star Serena Williams with her coach Patrick Mouratoglou during a training session at ASB Tennis Centre, Auckland, New Zealand. She is scheduled to play at the ASB Classic tennis tournament starts on Monday 2 Jan. (Photo by Shirley Kwok/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Patrick Mouratoglou is all set to launch this year’s Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) Tournament. It will take place in Los Angeles from July 21st to July 23rd. The goal of the three-day tournament is for the players to experience tennis in an unconventional way. Mouratoglou first started UTS in 2020, and the tournament has been running successfully to date.
Matteo Berrettini bagged the lightning bolt-shaped trophy in 2022. The promotions and preparations for UTS this year have already begun, and top-seed players are all set to take part in it. This is the first time Americans are going to witness the modern, unique way of playing tennis under the organization of Mouratoglou.
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A modern tennis experience curated by Patrick Mouratoglou
The majority of the rules for playing tennis have not changed since the 80s. Thus, Serena Williams’ former coach launched his own tournament to bring a revolution to the field. The UTS does not follow the ATP ranking system. It has its own ranking called UTS Race Ranking System. Based on this, the players for the grand final and finals are decided.
After each of the three Regular Events that take place in the US in July, Europe in September, and Asia/Middle East in November/December, respective points starting from 4 to 20 are distributed to the players, and the UTS Race Ranking is updated according to the wins in these matches. However, players to participate are invited by organizers based on their performance.

While there is no change in the format, the draw takes place at the latest one day before the event. The players’ ATP ranking at the date of the draw is considered in the first three regular events. However, for the UTS grand final, UTS Race Ranking will come into play in the grand finals.
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Serena Williams’ ex-coach redefining the on-court interactions
UTS targets to improve player-fan interaction. For this, each player is equipped with a headset. Players can interact with the coach and fans and also answer interviewers’ questions during the changeover.
Another breaking of the barrier is that players are even allowed to talk to each other during the match, except in time of scoring points. Insults and name-calling are strictly banned. But fans can express themselves at any point in the match without restriction. UTS discourages silence, and they want their audience to cheer at the top of their lungs for their favorite players.
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This is just a glimpse into the colorful tennis world Mouratoglou has created. He is passionate about coaching young players in a contemporary way. Eight players have been already selected for UTS. Gael Monfils, Daniil Medvedev, Nick Kyrgios, and Taylor Fritz are part of the eight.
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