The second official season of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown brought big changes to the UTS format – and a new surface! For the first time in the history of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, the surface in play was clay. And that wasn’t the only thing that was different at UTS4, compared to the previous edition of UTS (UTS3, played in Antwerp in October of 2020).  

For the first time in any tennis format, second serves were not a part of the equation. There was also a 15-second shot clock between points. 

Talk about fast and furious! If you want a great workout, try playing clay-court tennis in ten-minute quarters, with no second serves, just like the pros did in Nice… 

The tournament turned out to be a revelation on many levels, and the eventual champion was the ultimate eye-opener. 

In one of the biggest surprises in the history of UTS, Parisian Corentin Moutet ran the table on the red clay at the Mouratoglou Academy, winning all five of his matches to claim the title in commanding fashion. 

Talented, tumultuous and seemingly born to be a UTS star, Moutet thumped world-beating Daniil Medvedev and Fabio Fognini en route to the final, then took out powerhouse Taylor Fritz for the trophy. 

Part tornado – it was his nickname, after all – and part showman, Moutet embraced the competition with 100 percent of his being, and it showed in his game. The Frenchman used the cards, which players use to gain precious points by employing specific tactics, to perfection. 

Medvedev was nicknamed “the Chessmaster” for the competition, but it was Moutet who made the other players look like pawns to his queen. 

“I think it helps me to be more offensive, with the cards,” Moutet would say. “To get the two points, the winners, you have to be offensive. It’s pushing me to be like this, I think it’s a great format for me, it’s pushing me to be a great player.” 

It wasn’t just tactics that made Moutet embrace the Ultimate Tennis Showdown. Moutet also enjoyed the fact that at UTS, players are encouraged to be themselves on court. Showboat, talk trash, argue, get frustrated – anything goes! 

“I love this feeling, to be free on the court, to express myself,” he said. “You can see that everybody who was watching the match liked it, not because of me but because of all the players, because we are human, we are authentic.”