“It's magical to bring tennis back to life in the magnificent arenas of Nîmes”: players, ambitions… an update on the Bastide Médical UTS Nîmes

The big boss of Bastide Médical, Vincent Bastide, happy to support this innovative tennis tournament. Midi Libre – D.R.

The tennis tournament will be held on April 4 and 5 in the arenas of Nîmes. The point with Vincent Bastide, who reveals the name of the seventh of the eight players who will be present, Alex de Minaur.

Adding the name of your company to a sporting event represents a major commitment. Why this choice??

If we had to make a somewhat basic shortcut, sport is an element that continues to preserve health conditions and it is our goal 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 dimension. I think of Jérémy Chardy, a high-level athlete, and in parallel to that, Patrick Moratoglou, creator of the UTS. I found the idea interesting because it was intended to democratize sport by making tennis more dynamic and more accessible in terms of price.

Accessible, but yet with a high level of competition.

Of the eight players, four are in the Top 10, six in the Top 20. And the two who are not in the Top 20 have an exceptional reputation and career, as is the case for Gaël Monfils who was 6th 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 in the world.

So it is 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 venue that is the arenas, I found it magical to be able to breathe new life into this type of event and to do it, in addition, with this group of players, these new rules which give very little downtime and a lot of dynamism. And I won't forget the valuable support of the Nîmes town hall.

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Financially, what does this naming represent?

We don't communicate the figure, but it's at a constant budget: we have therefore 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, world No. 8, Australian No. 1. On the UTS, winner of the grand final in London 2025. French No. 1 Ugo Humbert (world No. 14) and Gaël Monfils (ATP No. 41), recent winner in Auckland, oldest winner of an ATP at 38. Taylor Fritz (world No. 4); Casper Ruud (No. 6); Andrey Rublev (world No. 9), Holger Rune (No. 13).
PROGRAM Four quarter-finals on Friday, April 4; semi-finals, finals and two classification matches on Saturday, April 5 on a clay court created for the occasion
TICKETING 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 arena, at 15 € each (and hospitality packs). 5,000 tickets sold for Friday, seats at 12 € in particular still on sale. Information and reservations on www.uts.live.

Were you surprised by the enthusiasm as soon as 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 such a level of enthusiasm. It should be noted that this tournament, which is outdoor, which is not the case for all dates, is held with one of the largest audience sizes. Usually, the tournament has an average of 6,000 spectators, this time we would be at 12,500, more than double. All this is a pleasant surprise.

Will we be there for a “one shot” or a longer-term partnership?

As this is a world tour, in which six dates take place in different countries, I would tend to say that if the event is crowned with success, as it seems to be, why not repeat it. To the extent, of course, that local authorities give us the green light and support the process.

Partnering with a global event also means working strategically on your development abroad?

That is in any case the group's ambition. For a number of years, I have taken the decision to export ourselves beyond our borders, by establishing ourselves in England, Belgium, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Canada, etc. Through this expansion of geographical areas, it is also a way for us to communicate through the brand.