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On March 8, a positive for Covid-19 detected in a hospital in California's Riverside County caused the cancellation of Indian Wells, the tournament considered the fifth largest on the calendar. That decision, considered at the time somewhat exaggerated, was the first step towards the abyss of tennis, a sport to which, 10 weeks later, nobody can assure a future in the short term. The men's circuit (ATP), the women's circuit (WTA) and the International Federation (ITF) have extended the break until July 31 and this week it has already been confirmed that the Miami Masters 1000 will not be able to relocate in October either. In the midst of these cataclysms, emergency resources are imposed.

"The ATP, the WTA and the organizers of the Grand Slam are too conservative, but the time has come when it is mandatory to renew themselves," proclaimed Patrick Mouratoglou last week , the coach who has been guiding the steps of Serena Williams since 2012 and who now promises shake tennis from its lethargy.

Armed with fierce ambition, the Frenchman has promised to push ahead with an alternative circuit, called the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS), which will bring together some of the best racquets in the world. It will be from June 13 in Nice, in the facilities of its academy, the largest in Europe, converted in 2019 into the operations center of Novak Djokovic or Coco Gauff .

"This is a necessary change for a sport in danger, which does not seem capable of attracting the youngest," said Mouratoglou, convinced of his role as an alternative to the powerful tennis establishment . For five weekends, among the delicious sunsets of the French Riviera, tennis could look like what it once was.

"Offer more entertainment"

At the moment three top-25 players - David Goffin , Fabio Fognini and Benoit Paire - have confirmed their presence , to which must be added Dustin Brown and Alexei Popyrin , son of a close millionaire from Mouratoglou who has signed up for the project's fatherhood . Other top-10s also appear in the foreseeable guest portfolio , such as Stefanos Tsitsipas , Gael Monfils - both formed from adolescents in those same facilities - and Felix Auger-Aliassime , who already exercises in Nice every afternoon with the Greek.

The initial plan, postponed in the first instance by the sanitary imperatives of the Emmanuel Macron government, included 50 matches for the best of three sets, with no audience in the stands, but with wide repercussion on television streaming . Despite the fact that there is still no official program, nor a table, nor an order of play, Mouratoglou feels totally convinced of its possibilities. Why not give live tennis like never before? It will be a revolutionary way of consuming this sport, with the idea of ​​offering more entertainment », clarified the organizer, determined to reduce the duration of the matches and to enhance the show with tools never before seen.

"We will work hard"

"We will leave the ambient microphones open and the players will be able to shout at will," Mouratoglou explained about his revolutionary regulatory code, where line judges will be eliminated and the traditional scoring system will be modified, which, in his opinion, has become obsolete for new fans. "It will be a league focused on the player, where most of the income from streaming will go to them," confirmed the champion of 10 majors with the great diva of the women's circuit.

"We will be working hard during games," Goffin promised Wednesday, more than satisfied with this glimpse of light at the end of the confinement. The number 10 of the ranking, who at the beginning of the crisis had to leave his home in Monaco to return to Belgium, seems delighted with this "virtual context" that will accompany them on the pitch, with musical moments during breaks and the predictable controversies derived of the mistakes of a single chair judge.

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