ULTIMATE TENNIS SHOWDOWN - PATRICK MOURATOGLOU PRESS CONFERENCE

How did you choose the players?

I chose the players on different criteria. First the level, as we want to see good tennis. I also wanted a variety of styles. We have two guys who play serve and volley – Feliciano Lopez and Dustin Brown. Other guys that have trick shots and super-fun games – we have Benoît Paire and Dustin Brown.

 I want variety, that’s what’s great about life in general. It’s diversity of styles, diversity of personalities and I think that what we’ve got. We’ve got grinders from the baseline, we’ve got serve and volley. We’ve got players that are very calm, we’ve got players that get angry easily, we’ve got trick shot players. We have only ten [players] but they’re all so different and that is what’s really fun. 

I’m sad we lost two players also; I’m sad Fabio Fognini cannot make the show.

Do you have any plans for a women’s UTS?

Yes, I do. I am a great supporter of women’s tennis. Of course, I want to bring women on board. I just couldn’t do it yet. I apologise as I should have done [it]. I think it would have been impossible to do both men and women for a new event in such a short period. The risks were much too big. But it’s definitely a goal.

How did the rules come about?

Actually Serena [Williams] gave me one or two really good ideas when I first talked to her about it. It was details about the rules. Unfortunately, I cannot say [what they were] because we haven’t been able to put them in. They were a little risky technically… We’re starting with something more simple but hope to use them [in future].

Did you have to make changes to the rules to suit the players? 

I wanted to speak to them individually and explain why we’re doing it. I wanted to know if they were into it and excited by this project. I think they’ve going to play a great role I want them to get really excited and enjoy it. 

The reactions were really good. None of the players we were in touch with said they didn’t want to play. All the players we reached out to said yes apart from maybe one or two who said they weren’t ready.

I think it’s fun to do something different. They do the same thing all year long. The feedback has been good. We’ve written down their [players’] ideas.

If you could pick one of the new rules to have on the Tour, what would it be?

Coaching. The WTA has done it already. I think [coaching] has to be in English. You do this for the fans. They want to get to know the players better, to understand the tactics, to know things the other guys don’t know, to get behind the scenes. There are some speeches… I always refer to the final of Indian Wells that the coach of [Bianca] Andreescu gave; I think it was amazing. It can also be inspirational. I think it is a great moment in sport [coaching]. It’s so sad not to get that [experience for fans]. It’s not always good but when it’s not always good you don’t have to show it.

I think it’s so sad not to get that. It’s also a lack of respect to the coaches – they are out on the side, they have to shut up. They work hard all year long, a lot of them are doing a great job and I think should be able to express themselves. I think it would be a good gesture… the fans are dying to get that.

Which is the second rule you want to see applied?

I think the time limit. I know it’s impossible and not going to happen. The core fans of tennis will never except this and it changes the game. I think today’s tennis, especially on the men’s side, it’s all physical, especially the top three [Federer, Nadal, Djokovic]. They’re able to put out a high intensity for a long time without getting tired and being able to repeat that day after day. This dimension has become so important in today’s tennis.

With the UTS, that’s not the case. The format is short and it doesn’t give so much importance to be able to hit for hours and hours.

Why is it important to target young people and make something different to other tournaments? 

It’s extremely important for any fanbase to renew. Tennis fans are extremely loyal – they’ve been here for 40 years and we still have a great fanbase that still loves tennis whatever happens.

I think tennis doesn’t renew its fanbase because the format is old fashioned and hasn’t changed for 40 years. We have also lost a lot of emotion that we had in the 70s and 80s – I was there, and I became a tennis fan back then and it was incredible. You had so many great personalities and so much emotion on the court and all of this disappeared because the code of conduct became extremely tough. You basically explain to people how they should behave which I think is wrong. Everyone is different and this diversity is interesting. Everyone should be able to behave the way they want if they respect the rules. 

I know the ATP and WTA are not going to change [the rules] – I completely understand that, it’s not a criticism. They have to please their fanbase which has been huge for 40 years, is very conservative and likes tennis the way it is. I like tennis the way it is. In ten years the [average] fanbase will be 71 years old and at some point, it’s not going to work anymore. Also, the sponsors might leave at some point. 

I think the whole industry will be in trouble if we don’t propose a second tour. I think both tours can work together really well. A more traditional tour for people who like it that way and a more modern tour for younger people or for some that like both. In other sports it exists. 

What targets have you set for the UTS?

I would say after five weeks, we should have a minimum of 50,000 people. That would be a good start because it’s completely new and disruptive... People will be against it before they’ve even watched it but that’s OK.

How do you measure success with something as new as this? 

If I’m selling bottles of water, I will see how many I sell. I guess the number of subscribers is a good indication of how much they [fans] like it. Are they prepared to pay to watch it? Practice is free but you know you’re a good coach when people pay to get you. You’re facing the reality when people have to pay to get your product, to enjoy it enough to pay – yes or no? We can judge it on how many people watch it on TV but I think the real deal is this.

What consultation took place to ask fans about this new format of tennis?

We didn’t ask the fans. What we did was simple. We looked at what was successful in tennis in the past and looked at what was happening then now. We want to bring back what made tennis so successful in the 80s.

Then we looked at other sports and especially that were able to recruit young fans. And then we looked at how people are consuming videos. The way people consume has completely changed and we took all of this into consideration to image the product of tomorrow.

In future, we want to ask the fans what they like, what they dislike. For me this project is for the future of tennis. I’m not saying it’s going to be only this, but I want to try and involve as many people as possible… People from the tennis industry, broadcasters because they know the audience… It’s not a product that’s going to stand still. We have a first format we created but we’re completely open to make changes, evolve and make become the ideal product for fans.

 Each player in the UTS will have a purse and that will go into a pot. The winner will take 70% and the loser 30%. What are these values for the top and bottom player?

 The winner gets more than the loser. It’s interesting but I think I want to change it more in the future. I believe the players should be involved in the success of the matches. For sure, they’re here to play tennis but I think they need to find a way to bring fans on board and get more fans involved. I will take that into consideration in future.

They have to be responsible for how good our sport is. How much they’re able to bring fans in to watch them.

 It’s $30,000 for the highest and $5,000 for the lowest [players].

How would this tournament slot in with a calendar that moves around?

I don’t know yet. First it has to be a success. If it is, we have to sit down with the ATP and WTA, they will understand that it’s good for tennis and the whole industry. I told them if they want to keep it under their umbrella, I am completely fine with that; I’m not trying to compete with them at all.

I love tennis and want it to be great. I see there is an issue and we have to solve that issue. That’s the whole point about my initiative. If we find out it’s successful, then great. The good thing about UTS is that it’s only on weekends. It can be in the same location as [other] tournaments. It’s only one hour so it’s not exhausting for the players. They can play this [the UTS] and then start a tournament in the week. There are many ways to make the two fit.

We don’t know how the tennis calendar will look in the future. We’re in the middle of a huge crisis so to me there is only one goal: make this UTS a big success. Find a new format that fans like, I’m not saying we know but we see issues and have tried to find solutions to them. If not, then we try to adapt but if it works then I’m sure we’ll find a way to work it out.

You’re not sure about how this will go in the future. What are the goals you have set for this tournament?

At the end of UTS 1, the weekend after starts UTS 2 and so on. I’m not exactly sure how it’s going to work in the future as there are a lot of parameters. I have a plan A but also a plan B in case it doesn’t work.

 Having success is having fans that like it; having subscribers that want to watch the platform because it’s amazing. When you pay the subscription - that is around $10 to $12 depending on the country – it’s for a lot of things. It’s for 50 matches live, it’s for all the replays, all the TV shows before and after, interviews with players, streaming matches. It’s a lot of content and a whole ecosystem around UTS.

The goal is to have success and have people really like it. My only goal is to please the fans. Tennis is an extremely traditional sport – a lot of people don’t like change. Those guys can stay on ATP and WTA – I like it too and I’m going to keep watching it – but I think it’s also good that when you have less time, you have a format that is more dynamic, more fun, more emotional.