The whole idea is to propose an immersive experience. When you watch tennis, you watch from the outside, you're far from the court, the camera is far away and the whole story is about two persons hitting a tennis ball and trying to win.
I think that the ATP and the WTA are doing a good job because they're satisfying their fans, and I am one of their fans.
But I think there is a space for a second league, which is UTS, that is more modern, and is targeting a difference audience.
What we know is that probably the face of tennis post Covid-19 will not be the same anymore. The economic crisis probably is going to strike us really hard. All the business in general, but also the tennis business.
The reason why people watch sport is to feel something. They want to feel emotions. So if the players don't give emotions, it's more difficult to get into it.
Every time the ATP or WTA speak about changing something, you see the reaction. So I think they're doing a good job because those people are still watching tennis 40 years later and they are still fans so I'm not sure they should change because I don't know how the fans would feel.
I think tennis needs to be reinvented. I think there is a space for two different tours. This exists in many other sports.
Life is bigger than tennis.
After a certain point I know my players so well, I can anticipate their reactions.
Winning a Grand Slam was something I was chasing the first day I became a coach.
Young kids do not see tennis as a 'fun' sport.
The way we score is complicated. The rules are strict. The goal on the court is to show nothing, and then when you show something you are a bad person. Getting angry is not allowed. The show that you see on TV is not exciting, like the NFL or NBA, because you are seeing robots.
If David Goffin wants to remain calm and quiet, fine. But perhaps he would enjoy to have a little more freedom to show another side of his personality.
We must have options to make tennis more attractive emotions-wise.
So I don't see any stress from players or coaches with coaching during the matches, to be honest.
Tennis is failing to renew its fanbase. And that's very worrying, because the future doesn't look bright.
I want authenticity, I don't want players to make a show. I want players to be able to be themselves on court and express all kinds of emotions.
I think we have great personalities in tennis, but I think they don't dare anymore expressing their emotions and expressing who they are. It's all about being politically correct all the time.
Some sports give a lot of emotions because you know the people well, not personally but they express their passion and their emotion on the field so you have an attraction. In tennis, because of this code of conduct that is extremely strict, players do not show their personality.
The game of tennis is incredible. The show of tennis, I think, is very old fashioned.
