Over the years, many experts and pundits have come together and talked about the fading popularity of the game that has produced some of the best names in the world. One among them is the former coach of Serena Williams, Patrick Mouratoglou. Having coached some of the best names in the world and being associated with the game for almost his life, the 53-year-old, in a recent interview talked about the concerning problems with tennis.

He raised an alarming call while sharing his thoughts on the future of tennis. Moreover, he also talked about his initiative, the UTS, and how it could change the way people look at the game forever.

Patrick Mouratoglou talks about the decreasing fandom of tennis and how could he improve it

Patrick Mouratoglou, the innovative mind behind the dynamic version of tennis, the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS), isn’t just introducing a new format, he’s working on a crucial alarm for the sport’s future. Mouratoglou talked about a major concern. He suggested that over the years, the tennis fans have remained the same, and they date back to the 1970s and 80s. He even included himself as one.

Patrick Mouratoglou also suggested that if they don’t work towards bringing in a new fanbase, the craze for the game could fade away and the people would no longer be excited to watch tennis matches. That was one of the major reasons why he introduced the UTS.

“Tennis fans are old and getting older and the problem is not the age, but it is the same fan base since the 1970s and 80s,” said Mouratoglou. “It is the same fan base since the 1970s and 1980s. It’s me! I was ten at the time and now I am 53 and this is the fanbase of tennis.

“If we don’t renew the fan base and don’t bring in new people, it is going to fade away. That’s a fact. All the studies that have been made show the same thing. Everybody knows that, but it is difficult to make drastic changes as all the traditional fans will be upset. That is why I did UTS,” he further said.

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Thus, his idea is clear. Without bringing in new fans, the craze and the fun that this sport once used to have could fade away easily. The introduction of the UTS is a step taken to work progressively towards securing the future of the game. Now, for those who might not know this, here’s a quick overview of what UTS is all about.

Everything that you need to know about the UTS

As already mentioned, it is a short and crisp format of the game and it is introduced to make the game more fun and engage more fans. It is a year-round league and it happens in multiple locations across the globe. The rules are simple, there will be a 40-minute match between the two players and there will be 4 quarters of 8 minutes each.

To add to the fans’ excitement, there are interviews in the middle of the match to have an idea of what’s exactly going on in their head. Not only this, the players can also receive coaching tips midway through their matches. Some major names in the tennis world have made their way into the grand finals so far which will be held in London in December this year.

Thus, started as an initiative, Partick Mouratoglou sees it as a ray of hope that could work towards saving the future of the game. How successful could his initiative be? Do let us know in the comments below!

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