Founded in 2020 by Patrick Mouratoglou (Serena Williams‘ former coach) and Alex Poprin to inject excitement into tennis during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) has consistently aimed, “to bring new fans to tennis and younger fans,” as Patrick Mouratoglou put it back in November 2024. For the past five years, UTS has hosted events across the globe, including France, Belgium, the United States, Germany, South Korea, the UK, and Norway. This vision is now manifesting on a grander scale, with a recent Saturday event’s attendance stunning even seasoned American tennis pros!

The two-day Bastide Médical UTS Nîmes 2025 event began on April 4-5, 2025, transforming the 2,000-year-old Arènes de Nîmes – typically a concert and cultural venue – into an unexpected clay-court for the UTS Tour. A record-breaking crowd of 8,000 fans packed the amphitheatre to witness the quarterfinals—a record since the UTS Tour’s inception. But the excitement was just beginning.

Saturday revealed an even larger crowd of 12,500, shattering the record in style—56.25% rise than the first day. The breathtaking drone footage of the venue, shared on UTS’s Instagram, caught the attention of the ‘Nothing Major’ podcast hosts.

The 2017 Wimbledon semifinalist, Sam Querrey, called the packed amphitheatre “unreal.” He said, “The amphitheatre, the photos, it looked as close as to what you get from, like a gladiator back in the day in the current day tennis.” What makes him think this event is working so well? He added, “UTS are strategically picking good weeks, good days in the calendar, I was kind of with you, John, if you asked me this question 3 years ago, I’d be like, ‘It’s alright, it’ll probably fizzle out.’ but no, it’s still going.”

In UTS, matches are divided into four eight-minute quarters. Players serve just once per point, and let calls are eliminated to keep the pace fast. To add an extra layer of strategy, players can use bonus cards, which can make a single point worth three. Additionally, with top players like Gaël Monfils, Andrey Rublev, Ugo Humbert, Casper Ruud, Holger Rune, Alex De Minaur, and Ben Shelton, it’s the perfect spot to catch your favorite player in one day!

Steve Johnson chimed in, noting that it’s “extremely smart for these guys to do it in one day fashion.” He further elaborated, “Get everybody that wants to watch tennis there on one day. Sometimes we feel as if these tournaments that stretch out for seven days, 14 days. You just spread out the fans over the course of a week or two weeks and to get everybody there, in that amphitheatre, 12,500 people, it looked incredible.” 

Interesting fact: The UTS tournament in Guadalajara in February drew a record-breaking crowd of 25,000 over its three-day duration.

This event wasn’t just jam-packed but also marked the first win of Casper Ruud, known as “The Ice Man” for his cool-headed play, as he defeated Tomas Machac in the final round with a 12-13, 16-14, 15-14, 15-11 victory! Sam also praised his photo at the end, noting how incredible Ruud looked holding up the iconic Zeus trophy in front of the cheering fans, who were vocal throughout the day, enjoying top-class tennis as well as gorgeous weather. And players’ reaction?

“It’s going to be one of the highlights of my life playing there,” Russian player Andrey ‘Rublo’ Rublev said after the opening match. “I never in my life experienced something like that, even as a tourist. I’ve been many times in Rome but I’ve never been inside the Colosseum, so to be able not just to be inside something similar but to perform, it’s amazing.”

Frenchman Ugo “The Commander” Humbert was effusive in his praise, declaring, “It’s totally crazy, it’s the best court I’ve ever played on.” Czech Republic’s rising star Tomas Machac echoed the sentiment, calling it “a lifetime experience.”

But how did Patrick Mouratoglou pull off this successful event? Well, he says that his former mentee, Serena Williams, gave him some good advice.

Patrick Mouratoglou knew UTS was a good idea, thanks to Serena Williams!

Back in 2020, Mouratoglou revealed, “Before I started and I had this idea, I called her (Serena) and said this is what I’m going to do. First of all, she’s always super supportive to what I’m doing, extremely nice. We have a very good relationship, so she is supporting.” Serena’s advice was clear: involve women from the start.

Mouratoglou initially thought he could delay this, but Serena insisted, “No, you have to involve women at UTS 1.”

Serena’s advice led to the introduction of a women’s event during UTS’s second edition in 2020. This featured a four-player field with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Ons Jabeur, Alizé Cornet, and Brenda Fruhvirtova. Pavlyuchenkova won the inaugural women’s title by defeating Alizé Cornet. And Serena’s response to it?

She praised Mouratoglou’s entrepreneurial spirit, recalling that she said, “You have such an entrepreneur mind, it’s unbelievable.” Her enthusiasm was palpable as she noted, “It looks fun, it looks amazing.” Although this was the last time a dedicated women’s event was held, Serena’s input had a lasting impact.

Today, UTS is thriving, with a growing fan base and increasing recognition. Initially met with skepticism, UTS has won over many with its innovative format and strategic scheduling. As of 2024, UTS has hosted events in Oslo, New York, Frankfurt, and London, attracting top players like Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. With Serena’s advice still resonating, UTS continues to push boundaries and attract new fans to tennis.

Now Mouratoglou will bring this energy to its Asian debut in Hong Kong in October 2025 – featuring Andrey Rublev, Alex De Minaur, and Zhang Zhizhen. Now, it is only a matter of time before it surpasses the record set in Nimes.