The passion and fervor of the football fans, who traditionally fill Maracanã, will be transferred to tennis at Maracanãzinho, hosting the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) Rio from Thursday, July 16th, until Saturday, July 18th. The event, an innovative league created by coach Patrick Mouratoglou, arrives in Rio de Janeiro for the first time, bringing together eight prominent tennis players. Among the confirmed names are young Brazilian talent João Fonseca, Guto Miguel, and international stars such as Nick Kyrgios, Francisco Cerúndolo, Cameron Norrie, Tallon Griekspoor, Brandon Nakashima and Corentin Moutet. Unlike conventional tennis, at UTS fans are encouraged to express their enthusiasm freely, just like at a football match.

The UTS Rio clashes will take place on Thursday and Friday, from 6pm to 10pm. On Saturday, the disputes start at 12pm, culminating in the grand final scheduled for 4pm.

Patrick Mouratoglou, known for having coached Serena Williams and mentored Brazilian prospect Victoria Barros, explained the purpose of the tournament. “The concept of UTS is to involve the public more than in traditional tennis. For me, the sport is for people to have emotion, to live and share this emotion between themselves and the players as well”, he stated. He compared the desired atmosphere to that of the Davis Cup, where the fans play an active role. “When I thought about creating a product for the future of tennis, this is something we had to put at the center of the event. For me, UTS is based on the fans. I put the fans at the center of everything and build the event around it. So, there would be no way to not have the crowd involved,” he added.

Mouratoglou highlighted that the choice to host UTS in places with a “football culture” is strategic.

He talked about the acceptance of the athletes. “I think it’s important to go to places where the fans have a football culture. When I created it, many told me that the players wouldn’t want it, they would refuse, but they not only accepted it but loved it. Having noise isn’t boring. Boring is when there isn’t any noise at all. I want to go to places where the fans have that culture, and I feel that in Brazil, of course. When the opportunity to go to Brazil came up, I grabbed it.”

The UTS already had a stage held this year in Nîmes, France, in April, where Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime was the champion. After passing through Rio, the league will head to Gothenburg, Sweden, for clashes on the 12th and 13th of September.

Mouratoglou emphasized the UTS spirit of seeking out emblematic scenarios. “That’s the spirit of UTS: going to iconic places like it was in Nîmes,” he said, referring to the renovated Roman amphitheater in the French city that hosted a stage. “When I spoke to our partners in Brazil, and they went to Nîmes to watch, they immediately thought of Maracanãzinho. They said it would be the ideal place. There is a lot of history there, and this fits perfectly with the concepts of UTS.”

The French coach, who was already in Rio during the 2016 Olympics, expressed great expectations for the Rio fans, despite never having experienced football in the country. “I imagine it’s a one-time thing,” he said. “I know the Brazilian fans will be unbelievable at Maracanãzinho. I can’t wait to be there. It will be a great experience for all of us. We’ve been to big cities like London, New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, but I believe we haven’t experienced a crowd like Rio’s yet. In Nîmes, it was incredible but I believe that in Rio, it will be on another level. There are Brazilians everywhere. When João plays, it’s full of Brazilians, and the atmosphere is surreal, a full stadium. I’m very excited for what it will be like in Rio.”

Match schedule in Rio de Janeiro

Check out the complete schedule of games at Maracanãzinho:

• Thursday, July 16th (6pm-10pm)
• * Corentin Moutet x Tallon Griekspoor
  
  * Francisco Cerúndolo x Brandon Nakashima
  
  * Nick Kyrgios x Guto Miguel
  
  * Cameron Norrie x Corentin Moutet
• Friday, July 17th (6pm-10pm)
• * Guto Miguel x Brandon Nakashima
  
  * João Fonseca x Tallon Griekspoor
  
  * Francisco Cerúndolo x Cameron Norrie
  
  * João Fonseca x Nick Kyrgios
• Saturday, July 18
• * 12pm – 1st classification
  
  * 1pm – Semifinals
  
  * 2pm – Semifinal
  
  * 3pm – 2nd classification
  
  * 4pm – Final