“If he can’t play, he has to leave the court” – Mouratoglou on why UTS won’t change physio rule

UTS creator Patrick Mouratoglou says he would fall in love with the format if he saw it for the first time as a fan – and added that he won’t be changing one of the rules that caused controversy at the UTS Grand Final in London.

Gael Monfils, La Monf, had to retire from a round-robin match after suffering an ankle injury as he was not able to receive physio attention on court – despite his opponent Jack “The Power” Draper agreeing to it. However, at UTS, a player cannot receive medical attention during a quarter.

“I don’t want to have those physios coming on the court, because I know how it ends,” said Mouratoglou. “It ends like ATP where they call the physio every time they have a problem, they want to break the rhythm. I think about the fans. If the guy is not able to play, sorry, but he has to leave the court.

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“I know it’s frustrating. I understand it’s more frustrating for the players because they are used to having this and they don’t have it anymore. But I think it’s a good rule.”

Mouratoglou: Jack Draper showed incredible qualities

Rules confusion aside, the Frenchman was full of praise for what he saw on the court at the ExCel Arena.

“We had some incredible matches thanks to the good, very good line up of players that we had,” he said. “Some guys played incredible tennis. It’s impressive to think that they are in the middle of their preseason and they are able to play already that well.”

He added: “I know that if I would come to watch, not knowing UTS, I would fall in love with it.”

And he had particular words of praise for champion Draper.

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“Jack was very impressive because he was without his biggest weapon, the serve, and he showed incredible qualities, beating the best guys from the baseline and being especially incredibly efficient at the big points and big moments, which is very important, and will be very useful in the future.”

As for the future of the tournament, Mouratoglou is planning for four UTS events in 2024.

“The first one will be in February, it’s going to be in Oslo,” he confirmed, “and the three others, it’s a mystery for the moment.”

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