The tennis world is feverishly awaiting the announcement next Monday of whether or not to hold the US Open. In the meantime, a return to normality in a definitively different year, initiatives are emerging. Like the competition initiated by Patrick Mouratoglou or like the future French elite circuit, of which the president of the FFT, Bernard Giudicelli, unveils the main lines at Le Figaro.
The US Open in question
The specter of the white season appears much less threatening today than it did a few weeks ago during the Covid-19 pandemic. If Roland-Garros should fight well in the fall (September 20 or 27), nothing is yet guaranteed for the US Open (August 31-September 13). "The goal for many players and for managers is above all to finish the season in Europe, which is now less affected, says a source close to ATP. But the American Federation (USTA), which has just laid off 110 people, needs to play the tournament, most likely behind closed doors, to receive the revenues from TV rights which account for more than half of its turnover. The American Grand Slam could in any case be disputed without the Big 3 (Djokovic, Nadal, Federer). After the package for the season of Federer (read below), it is now Djokovic and Nadal who threaten to boycott the tournament. The Serb protesting against the "extreme" measures of the recovery across the Atlantic (hotel near the airport, staff reduced to one person and tests several times a week). Nadal wondering about the interest of a trip to the United States for a single tournament, before a European tour on clay which promises to be substantial. “It is quite possible that Djokovic and Nadal are deadlocked in New York. They are not close to a Grand Slam, ”confirms the source. Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev and Grigor Dimitrov, like Djokovic, expressed reluctance Friday on their participation.
“We want it to be dynamic with a lot of twists and turns. A UTS match is more of a sprint than a marathon ”
Patrick MouratoglouThe very original concept of Patrick Mouratoglou
Thought in full containment, the Independent Tennis League (UTS) of the French trainer Serena Williams, officially starts this Saturday behind closed doors, within its academy in Sophia-Antipolis. The Ultimate Tennis Showdown breaks the codes, since the traditional sets will give way… to four 10-minute quarters (and a fifth in the event of a tie). Players can also influence the game by playing bonus and penalty cards (points, service, etc.). “We want it to be dynamic with a lot of twists and turns. A UTS match is more of a sprint than a marathon (…) People consume shorter video formats and prefer the content to snack on. The longer the matches, the more the attention span decreases, which is even more true for young audiences, "said Mouratoglou on videoconference on Thursday. On the program for five consecutive weekends at the academy: five meetings on Saturday, five on Sunday (live on Eurosport 2 at 5:15 p.m., subscription on utslive.tv to see the full competition). Ten players make up this League, with three top 10, including the world number 3 Dominic Thiem, or Stefanos Tsitsipas, 6th at ATP. France is represented by Benoît Paire, Richard Gasquet and Lucas Pouille. With its original concept, the UTS aims to continue after the crisis. The bet is launched.
» READ ALSO - Adria Tour: Djokovic finds the courts and the public
Djokovic's circuit with (a little) public
The Adria Tour (broadcast on Eurosport 1 and Eurosport Player), initiated by Novak Djokovic, which takes place in the Balkans, from June 13 to July 5 on clay, aims to be more classic, but has the particularity of welcoming the public . For the first weekend in Serbia in Belgrade, in the Novak tennis center, funded by the star's family, the 1,000 tickets, which went on sale on June 3, were sold in seven minutes. The new deconfinement measures, which came into force on June 1 in Serbia, allowing up to 1,000 spectators to open air sports events ... Besides the best player in the world, the Austrian Dominic Thiem (for the first weekend before join the UTS), or the German Alexander Zverev, 7th at ATP, will be in the game. The eight participants will be divided into two pools of four. The first two from each pool will play the final. The matches will be played in two winning sets, each in four games. "The players are looking forward to resuming competition," said the Serbian star. We are professionals and want to play. After Belgrade, the Adria Tour will travel to Zadar, on the Croatian Adriatic coast, and this charity exhibition will also pass through Montenegro and Bosnia before ending on July 5 with an exhibition match in Sarajevo.
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- Quarter-time, maps, interactivity ... the very original game format of the UTS de Mouratoglou