Young faces are not always easy to find at major tennis events, but the UTS Grand Final in London confirmed there is a space for one of the world’s most traditional sports to open its eyes to something new.
Alex de Minaur won the UTS Grand Final for the second successive year and the huge prize money he won was a primary motivation why the world No 7 interrupted his off-season to take part in a high-profile event in front of a big crowd in London.
Yet anyone who was in attendance at the Copper Box Arena for the star-studded UTS event over the last few days will confirm this is the kind event that tennis needs to embrace.
Matches are played over four eight-minute quarters and both players only get one serve, bonus cards offering players a chance to boost their score in an event that is played in amid booming music and excitable fans – and those crowds are not the traditional more mature audience we often see at tennis events.
The line-up at the UTS Grand Final included Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, Ugo Humbert, Tomas Machac, David Goffin and Adrian Mannarino, with all eight players embracing the relaxed atmosphere they stepped into.
More Tennis News
Stunning prize money revealed for the last big European event of the tennis season
We saw high fives for all smiling young fans around the court and the kind of interaction that is not always possible in the heat of tournament battle.
Some of the young fans may not be familiar with the players they are watching for the first time, but you can be sure they will follow their progress from this point forward and that is the kind of outreach the sport needs.
The big prize money will also ensure top players attend and for UTS guru Patrick Mouratoglou, the future of the event is only going to be bigger.
“The more we are growing, the more attractive we are to players, and we are thankful to the ones who have believed from the start and who have been present almost every event, but yes, there are two or three names which we would love to have.
Alex de Minaur (@UTSTour)
“Fans can love classical tennis and they can also love UTS. The goal of UTS is mostly to bring new fans to tennis and younger fans, but of course, any tennis fan is more than welcome.
“I don’t even understand how traditional tennis events can complain about having competition from UTS. You know, in every single field in the world, there is competition.
“If someone plays UTS, a player, he loves it, he thinks it improves his game because it’s played differently and it pushes them to also develop other things.
“So I think everybody’s winning there and again, I don’t see any problem with competition. I think if in the world, if there was, there would be no competition, it would be a disaster.”
Ask the kids who attended the UTS Grand Final in London to rate their experience at an event that tapped into their eagerness to loud, brash and exciting tennis and most will probably admit they enjoy it a little more than regular tennis.
While some traditionalists may not enjoy Mouratoglou’s rebranded version of the sport, tennis needs to open it’s eyes to a world outside of it’s traditional audience and UTS ticks that box time and again.