The Tennis tournament will be held on April 4 and 5 in the Nîmes arenas. Update with Vincent Bastide, who reveals the name of the seventh of the eight players who will be present, Alex de Minaur.
Attaching the name of your company to a sporting event represents a significant commitment. Why this choice?
If we had to take a somewhat basic shortcut, sport is an element that continues to preserve health conditions and it is our objective to keep patients in the best possible condition. Then, sport conveys values that resemble us: the search for surpassing oneself, ambition, challenge. Tennis is, moreover, a sport that I played and in which I managed to build a network and have the right knowledge to organize an event of this size. I think of Jérémy Chardy, high-level athlete, and alongside that, Patrick Moratoglou, creator of the UTS. I found the idea interesting because it aimed to democratize the sport by making tennis more dynamic and more accessible in terms of price.
Accessible, but yet with a raised platform.
Of the eight players, we have four who are part of the Top 10, six of the Top 20. And the two who are not part of it have a reputation and an exceptional career, as is the case for Gaël Monfils who been 6th player in the world, who has just won in Auckland. And so the one who joins us, the Australian Alex de Minaur, 8th in the world. The last participant will be known in February, but without revealing his name, I can say that he is non-European and in the Top 20 worldwide.
It is therefore the great return of tennis to the arenas.
Yes ! After the Philips Trophy (between 1986 and 1989) or the Davis Cup which took place in this magnificent enclosure that is the arenas, I found it magical to be able to bring this type of event back to life and to do it, what's more, with this field of players, these new rules which give very little downtime and a lot of dynamism. And I have not forgotten the precious support of the town hall of Nîmes.
Financially, what does this naming represent?
We do not communicate on the figure, but it is on a constant budget: for this we have terminated a certain number of partnerships, such as Roland-Garros for example or with football clubs other than Nîmes Olympique.
Bastide Médical UTS Nîmes in brief
THE PLAYERS Alex De Minaur, 25 years old, 8th in the world, Australian No.1. On the UTS, winner of the grand final in London 2025. French number 1 Ugo Humbert (14th in the world) and Gaël Monfils (41st in the ATP), recent winner in Auckland, oldest winner of an ATP at 38 years old . Taylor Fritz (world No.4); Casper Ruud (N.6); Andrey Rublev (world No.9), Holger Rune (N.13).
PROGRAMME Four quarter-finals on Friday April 4; semi-finals, finals and two classification matches on Saturday April 5 in a clay court created for the occasion
TICKETS 15,000 tickets sold in a few weeks, including 10,000 tickets sold for Saturday. There are still a thousand seats left in the stands at the top of the arenas, at €15 each (and hospitality packs). 5,000 tickets sold for Friday, places at €12 in particular still remain on sale. Information and reservations on www.uts.live.
Were you surprised by the enthusiasm when the ticket office opened?
We were impressed by the speed and power of the sales growth. Since the event has existed, there has never been this level of enthusiasm. It should be noted that this tournament, which is outdoor, which is not the case for all dates, is held with an audience size which is one of the largest. Usually, the tournament has 6,000 spectators on average, here we would be at 12,500, more than double. This is all a pleasant surprise.
Will we be there on a “one shot” or a longer-term partnership?
As it is a world tour, in which six dates take place in different countries, I would tend to say that if the event is successful, as it seems to be, why not repeat it. To the extent, of course, that the local public authorities give us the green light and support the process.
Does associating yourself with a global event also mean working, strategically, on your development abroad?
In any case, this is the group's ambition. For a number of years, I made the decision to export ourselves beyond our borders, by establishing ourselves in England, Belgium, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Canada… By this enlargement of the zones geographical, it is also a way for us to communicate through the brand.
Related News :