Félix Auger-Aliassime: “Playing Bastide UTS Nîmes is a great idea for me to perform on clay”
Speaking during his run in Montpellier, the current World No. 8 and 2025 ATP Finals semifinalist Félix Auger-Aliassime confirmed that he is more than ready to swap the hard courts for the red clay of the Roman Arènes for the next Bastide UTS Nîmes (3-4 April).
Living in Monaco, “The Gentle Warrior” is practically a local, admitting that the chance to drive himself to one of the tour’s most spectacular venues was a major perk.
“The reason I want to play UTS is to get matches on clay before Monte-Carlo,” Auger-Aliassime explained to the media. “I hope it gives me the opportunity to better prepare for the start of the clay season, which is always a bit complicated for me.”
The fast-paced, high-pressure UTS format – featuring 8-minute quarters and no second serves – is the ultimate test for a player looking to find his sliding rhythm and aggressive baseline game ahead of the first Masters 1000 of the spring.
Beyond the technical benefits, Félix was lured by the sheer scale of the Nîmes event. The inaugural edition in 2025 became an instant classic, with images of the packed amphitheater going viral across the player lounges.
“The images I saw last year… there were 12,000 people in the Nîmes Arenas,” Félix recalled. “It’s fabulous to bring world-class tennis to so many passionate fans. When I was approached this year, I took it very seriously. My team and I agreed: it would be a great idea.”
With over 15,000 tickets already sold for the two-day event, Félix joins a “5-star” field including Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, Alexander Bublik and Ugo Humbert. Auger-Aliassime didn’t play UTS since the second test edition of 2020 at the Mouratoglou Academy. He reached the final.
