Is UTS the ultimate test of fitness for tennis players?
Rublev and Ruud weigh in on how demanding the UTS format is physically after their match at the UTS Grand Final in London this Friday
Watch any match at the UTS Grand Final in London this weekend, and you’ll notice one thing: the players are tired. For a format that only lasts for three or four chunks of eight minutes, it’s surprising to see professional athletes struggling to answer questions between quarters because they’re so gassed.
One of the cornerstones of UTS is its rapid pace. The format is designed to be more engaging for a younger generation that are used to TikTok and instant gratification, so there’s no room for down time.
But what does this mean to the players that have to execute at the highest level on court?
Casper “The Iceman” Ruud and Andrey “Rublo” Rublev have both weighed in on the topic after their matches in London on Friday.
Ruud: “I feel a little better when I have time”
Ruud had a mixed day to open his UTS Grand Final campaign in London, beginning with a loss to Rublev, before finishing strong with a 3-0 win over Paire.
This is following his UTS debut in Frankfurt this September, where he failed to progress beyond the group stage despite being one of the highest ranked players in the field. After his performance on Friday, the Norwegian has said there’s one thing he’d like to change about the format:
“If I was to bring one new rule to UTS, maybe give it a little extra time between the points,” Ruud said.
“I don’t know, it’s fun that we play rapid, but sometimes it can reduce the level a little bit. I feel a little better when I have more time. Maybe we could try to have 20 seconds instead of 15 seconds [between points].”
While The Iceman is looking to cool things down a little, the only player to beat him on day one at the UTS Grand Final has a contrasting perspective.
Rublev: “Fitness is one of the basics”
Anyone watching Rublo on court at UTS London would think that the Russian hates the format. He’s constantly looking frustrated, stressed, even despairing.
Yet, the world No 5 is on a six-match winning streak in UTS, the longest in the format’s history. And Rublev believes that fitness is one of the keys to his success.
“Fitness is one of the basics,” Rublo said to the media on Friday in London. “It’s your physical condition, how strong you are, how fast you move, how long you can play on a high intensity and how is your endurance.”
“Maybe… you’re going to cramp and you could die, so you need to have really good fitness,” Rublev continued. “Also you need to be really strong physically to not have injuries. Elbow, shoulder, wrist, all these muscles they need to be really strong and not many players are taking care of it.
“The ones who do take care, they are super strong.”
In the same breath that Ruud criticised the speed of UTS, he did acknowledge that playing in this format is fantastic practice heading into the 2024 season. Despite being a shorter format, it is perhaps the greatest litmus test for a tennis player’s fitness–one that Rublev has passed with flying colours so far.
After all, Rublev did defeat Ruud 3-1 earlier today.
