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UTS London Grand Final 2024 Preview: Everything you need to know about the star-studded event

Matthew Johns
Matthew Johns
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The main tour season may be over, but there is still plenty of entertaining action to enjoy with the 2024 Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) London Grand Final coming up.

With the chance to see some of your favourite ATP stars compete once again, we have all the information about this year’s star-studded finale:

What is the UTS?

UTS was created by top tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou back in 2020, who has been very vocal about his goal to bring younger audiences into the sport. The format of UTS goes against the traditional grain of standard tennis, and instead of normal sets matches are played against a time limit. Each match is split into four quarters of eight minutes, with three minute changeovers between each quarter, and the first to win three quarters will win the match, If after the four quarters the match is tied at two apiece then sudden death will be played, where the first player to win two consecutive points claims victory. Some of the other innovative rules that UTS implement include having no warm-up, no second serves, no lets and all coaches wear microphones during matches, so fans can hear lots of tactical insights!

How does the UTS London Grand Final work?

The Grand Final is the culmination of the 2024 UTS season, featuring eight of the standout players. There have been three UTS events prior to the Grand Final this year, taking place in Oslo, New York and Frankfurt, with the winner of those guaranteed to book a place in the London finale. Joining them will be the top three in the UTS race ranking from the year, excluding those players that have won the aforementioned events. Remaining entrants to the UTS London Grand Final are by the way of wildcards. The Grand Final begins in a round-robin format with two groups of four, and the top two from each group will progress to the semi-finals. Semi-finals will then take place in a knockout format, with the winners moving onto the final before crowning a UTS World Champion.

When is UTS London 2024?

The event will take place over three days, beginning on Friday 6th December and concluding on Sunday 8th December. Action on Friday begins at 5pm and sees the first four round-robin matches taking place, with one taking place per hour. In the middle of these four matches at 7pm is an ‘All Star Game’, that sees all eight players on court at the same time playing a variety of different fun minigames. Day two begins at 1pm for the second set of round-robin matches, with the evening session starting at 6pm for the final group games. This is where the top two from each group will progress, with both the semi-finals and final taking place from 2:30pm on Sunday 8th December, where a new UTS World Champion will be crowned.

Where is the UTS Grand Final held?

UTS London 2024 will be held on indoor hard courts at the Copper Box Arena in London, which was one of the venues for the 2012 Olympic Games. The arena can hold upto 7,000 spectators and has also played host to two of Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup ties in recent years.

Who is playing at the UTS London 2024?

The three winners of the UTS events this year were Andrey Rublev ‘Rublo’ (Oslo), Gael Monfils ‘La Monf’ (New York) and Ben Shelton ‘The Mountain’ (Frankfurt). Both Rublev and Monfils will be in London for the UTS Grand Final, but Shelton has elected to stay in America for the off-season. Rublev has won more matches than any other player on the UTS Tour this year (12), highlighted by his triumph in the Norwegian capital back in February.While Monfils is playing his sixth consecutive UTS event, but will not be in his preferred conditions after winning only one of his 10 matches on indoor hard courts in this format.The three players that earned their place in the UTS Grand Final via their ranking in the race are Alex de Minaur ‘The Demon’, Alexander Bublik ‘The Bublik Enemy’ and Ugo Humbert ‘The Commander’. Wildcards were awarded to last year’s runner-up Holger Rune ‘The Viking’, Thanasi Kokkinakis ‘Kokki’ and Denis Shapovalov ‘Shapo’. However, Shapovalov has withdrawn from the event due to an elbow injury and has since been replaced by Jan-Lennard Struff ‘The Thunder’. These eight players are split into two even groups, with Group A containing Rublev, Humbert, Monfils and Kokkinakis, while Group B has De Minaur, Bublik, Rune and Struff.

Are there any ranking points or prize money on offer at UTS London 2024?

There are no ranking points on offer at UTS events as they are not ATP licensed tournaments, but players will be competing for generous prize money offerings. The total prize pot at the UTS Grand Final this year is $2.165 million, with each player receiving a $125,000 participation fee and the eventual champion could earn upto $921,800.

Who won UTS London last year?

Last year saw Jack Draper ‘The Power’ beat Holger Rune ‘The Viking’, 12-14 15-12 13-10 19-7, to win the inaugural UTS Grand Final in-front of his home crowd. However, Draper has not competed in any UTS competition since and will not be in London to defend his title.

Can you still get tickets for UTS London 2024?

You can still get access tickets for the UTS London Grand Final event, including for Sunday where a new champion will be crowned. To get yourself a ticket for the thrilling weekend ahead, visit the official tournament website here.

How can you watch UTS London 2024?

You can watch the UTS Grand Final on Discovery+ and ITVX in the United Kingdom, and on Tennis Channel in the United States of America. For more information on how to watch all of the action in your location, visit the official UTS website here. 
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