American tennis player Taylor Fritz has pulled out of this weekend's Ultimate Tennis Showdown due to an abdominal injury. This is concerning because he suffered from the same injury earlier in the season, and eagle-eyed viewers who watched his Miami Open semifinal match against eventual champion Jakub Mensik noticed moments during that tense match when he was touching his right side.
The Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) will continue with Tomas Machac replacing Fritz. Famed tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou created this fast-paced tennis exhibition, which will be held on April 4-5, 2025, at the historic Rome amphitheater. Earlier this year, UTS was played on February 14-15, 2025, in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Eight players are featured in UTS. In addition to Machac, Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, Ben Shelton, Alex de Minaur, Holger Rune, Gael Monfils, and Ugo Humbert will compete.
What are the UTS rules?
Tennis and entertainment go hand in hand at UTS. DJs play music, the players are mic'd up, and coaching is encouraged at all times.
Instead of sets, there are four eight-minute quarters in each match. The first player to win three quarters wins the match. Second serves are prohibited, and a 15-second serve clock limits the time between points.
Tomas Machac is in! The UTS Guadalajara winner will be part of the Bastide Médical UTS Nîmes at Les Arènes de @VilleDeNimes (April 4-5th). @Taylor_Fritz97 is injured and simply couldn’t make it. More information and last tickets on https://t.co/l5VpCByysO #tennis #utstour… pic.twitter.com/ksf2UJ5ase
— UTS Tour (@uts_tour_) April 1, 2025
The quarterfinals are played on Friday, while the semifinals and finals are on Saturday. Machac was crowned the champion in Guadalajara. Each UTS event crowns a champion eligible to compete in the year-end "Grand Final." Future event dates, locations, and details have not been released. The 2024 Grand Final was held in London last December; Alex de Minaur was crowned the champion.
Players are using this weekend's UTS to prepare for the upcoming European clay court season. To participate in UTS, Ben Shelton skipped this week's US Clay Court Championship in Houston, a tournament he won in 2024.