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3 reasons why the UTS was a huge success for tennis

By Brandon Daniels

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 20: Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece celebrates winning his Men's Singles first round match against Salvatore Caruso of Italy on day one of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 20, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 20: Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece celebrates winning his Men's Singles first round match against Salvatore Caruso of Italy on day one of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 20, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images) /
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The crowd cheers as Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka reacts after winning his men’s fourth round match against Serbia’s Victor Troicki at the Roland Garros 2016 French Tennis Open in Paris on May 29, 2016. / AFP / PHILIPPE LOPEZ (Photo credit should read PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
The crowd cheers as Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka reacts after winning his men’s fourth round match against Serbia’s Victor Troicki at the Roland Garros 2016 French Tennis Open in Paris on May 29, 2016. / AFP / PHILIPPE LOPEZ (Photo credit should read PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP via Getty Images) /

Edge-of-your-seat drama brings an atmosphere comparable to major sports

The atmosphere at the UTS, even without fans, was electric. Every point felt tense and had the feeling that it mattered, which every point did. The beauty of the UTS is that it takes every point and turns it into a do-or-die, match point feel.

In comparison, In the majority of traditional tennis games, the points don’t feel meaningful unless one or both of the players pull off a spectacular shot. Outside of break points, set points, and match points, there is a feeling of meaninglessness for many points, especially for a casual fan.

The UTS welcomes all fans to experience every point with the ultimate excitement because after all, that’s what the event was designed to do.

Think about it from this perspective. If a fan turns on a television to watch a traditional tennis match but needs to use the bathroom at the beginning of a given game, they wouldn’t have missed much once they return. If it’s a short game, the server will have held or the returner would’ve broken. If not, the fan would’ve only missed a few points at most.

Alternatively, the UTS would keep the fan glued to their seat. If they came back from the bathroom, the match could’ve changed significantly in only a few points. Every point matters, and with such little amount of time in between points (15 seconds), there’s almost no chance to leave.

UTS tennis turned the sport from background noise entertainment to must-watch TV. It’s going to become even better once fans are allowed to attend tournaments. Mouratoglou’s event will turn into a soccer match.

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