"Fans were attentive the entire time" - Influencer Rachel Stuhlmann lauds Serena Williams' ex-coach for Ultimate Tennis Showdown event 

Tennis influencer Rachel Stuhlmann has shared her appreciation for Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou for his role in organizing the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS), the 2023 edition of which was in Los Angeles.

Mouratoglou co-founded the UTS in 2020 with Alexei Popyrin's father, Alex Popyrin back in 2020, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic's disruptive impact on the tennis season.

The fifth edition of the event was recently held in Los Angeles, where 'The Great Wall' Yibing Wu made a thrilling comeback to defeat 'The Hot Shot' Taylor Fritz in Sudden Death on Sunday, July 23. With his win, Wu joined the ranks of previous UTS winners Matteo Berrettini, Alexander Zverev, Alex de Minaur and Corentin Moutet.

Rachel Stuhlmann, who was in attendance at the event, took to social media and revealed why she is "obsessed" with the event. She praised the event's electrifying atmosphere, claiming that she had never witnessed such an excited and attentive crowd before.

"The overall environment- a DJ playing music the entire time, fans cheering/walking to their seats whenever they want, the players engaging with the crowd. I’ve never seen a tennis match/event where fans were attentive and excited the ENTIRE time," she captioned her post on Instagram.

She also talked about the joy she derived from watching players put their fun and humorous sides on display.

"Loved watching the pros show their fun and hilarious personalities in ways they wouldn’t be able to during traditional matches," she posted.

Stuhlmann then called Mouratoglou a "mastermind" for co-founding the league, and expressed her anticipation for future UTS events.

"@patrickmouratoglou is a mastermind. Grateful to have been a part of Ultimate Tennis Showdown LA, and looking forward to the future UTS events!" she wrote.

"How great this is for the sport, a perfect small break in the calendar" - Rachel Stuhlmann praises Ultimate Tennis Showdown event

Yibing Wu won the UTS event in Los Angeles

Rachel Stuhlmann lauded the Ultimate Tennis Showdown's innovative format too. The tournament features timed quarters indtead of sets, a 15-second shot clock for serves, and the option for players to take a coaching timeout once per set.

"The format: 6 matches a day, four 8-minute quarters, one serve, three point bonus card, no warm up.. among other things… it was fast paced and the perfect amount of tennis," she posted.

She asserted that the "fun and fast paced" event provided players with a perfect break from their hectic schedules. Moreover, she expressed her belief that UTS events made the sport more accessible and palatable for the general audience.

"How great this is for the sport. The tour schedule is long and serious. This is a perfect small break in the calendar for players to have some fun and also great prize $. Also in this day and age attention spans are short. UTS makes tennis fun and fast paced in a way thats easy and interactive for general sports fans to digest and get/stay excited about the game," she added.

The sixth edition of the UTS event is scheduled to be held in Frankfurt, Germany between September 15-17. Daniil Medvedev, Reilly Opelka, Nick Kyrgios, Gael Monfils, Benoit Paire, Andrey Rublev and Diego Schwartzman are set to feature in the event.