Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev lead strong field for 2025 UTS Grand Final in London

The Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) will return from December 5th to 7th in London, and there is an exciting entry list for the unique exhibition.

Co-founded in 2020 by Patrick Mouratoglou, former coach of Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, and Alexei Popyrin's father, it has since become a popular concept that attracts several top players for each edition.

Rather than using the traditional scoring system, UTS uses timed sets with a shorter shot clock. It creates a brisk environment that traditionalists do not like but attracts those who enjoy watching something different.

This month's edition will be the sixteenth edition of the exhibition. Tomas Machac, Casper Ruud, and Francisco Cerundolo triumphed in the iterations held earlier this year in Guadalajara, Nimes, and Hong Kong.

London also hosted the event in 2023 and 2024. Jack Draper triumphed on home soil two years ago before Alex de Minaur won 12 months ago. Both men beat Holger Rune in the final, who is currently sidelined with a serious Achilles injury.

The UTS organisers were undoubtedly delighted to have secured Draper and de Minaur's commitment again for 2025. It should have been Draper's first appearance since the 2025 US Open opening round because of an injury.

Draper ended his season early because of an arm issue. He would have almost certainly qualified for the 2025 ATP Finals, but lost his chance to appear in Turin because of that frustrating injury setback. Now, an injury forced him to withdraw from the UTS in London as well.

De Minaur enjoyed another impressive season, culminating in a semifinal appearance at the ATP Finals. The Australian also won the 2020 UTS in Antwerp, demonstrating his ability to thrive in the fast-paced environment.

All three champions at the editions held earlier in 2025 are on the UTS London entry list. Casper Ruud triumphed in Nimes at UTS 14, overcoming Tomas Machac after an exciting and close final in the French city.

That prevented Machac from winning a second consecutive title. The Czech beat David Goffin, who is also on the UTS London entry list, to reign supreme in Guadalajara after being impressive throughout the event.

Andrey Rublev and Cerundolo are the other two former champions on the UTS London entry list. Rublev's moment of glory came in Oslo last year, beating de Minaur. That makes it six former winners and seven finalists set to compete.

Rublev had a mainly challenging 2025 season. The highlight was his 2025 Qatar Open title run, but he finished outside the Top 10 and did not qualify for the ATP Finals for the first time since 2019, ending a streak of five appearances.

Adrian Mannarino is the only UTS London participant who has never previously won or been to the final. Despite no longer being near his prime, the 37-year-old will hope to cause some upsets with his unique and awkward playing style.