Serena Williams' last match: The Most Watched Tennis Match in ESPN's History

[Lozo1016]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1567278279953993728

Serena’s Swan Song – ESPN's Most-Watched Tennis Telecast on Record

Friday’s US Open Third Round match on ESPN – apparently the last in the remarkable career of Serena Williams, as she lost to Ajla Tomljanovich of Australia 7-5, 6-7, 6-1 – is the most-watched tennis telecast on record in ESPN’s 43-year history. An average of 4.6 million viewers (P2+) tuned in...

espnpressroom.com

Friday’s US Open Third Round match on ESPN – apparently the last in the remarkable career of Serena Williams, as she lost to Ajla Tomljanovich of Australia 7-5, 6-7, 6-1 – is the most-watched tennis telecast on record in ESPN’s 43-year history. An average of 4.6 million viewers (P2+) tuned in for the telecast from Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. The previous record of 3.9 million was for the 2012 Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Championship, when Roger Federer defeated Andy Murray, in ESPN’s first year with exclusivity and first-ball-to-last-ball coverage from London.

The Primetime telecast on ESPN was the best ESPN tennis telecast on record and was the most viewed telecast of the day for broadcast and cable networks in total viewers and all key male and person demos. Serena’s match averaged 4.8 million viewers from 7:15 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. ET and peaked with 6.9 million viewers in the 10:15 p.m. quarter-hour.

It really shows how beloved she is in America. This includes past Slam men's and women's finals. Serena Williams once again sets the standard. I miss her already.

 

[Chezbeeno]

I was in the stadium for the match and the atmosphere was absolutely unreal. It's really easy for fan engagement to ebb and flow in a tennis match, because of how up and down the matches can be, but the fans were 100% locked in the whole time. Really special.

 

[THUNDERVOLLEY]

Just more evidence that Serena is the legend of this century of tennis. No one comes close.

 

[Milanez82]

Impressive

This is why Federer needs a send off too

 

[Jokervich]

What were the figures for Djokovic's CYGS attempt last year? That must have been watched a lot too.

 

[Lozo1016]

What were the figures for Djokovic's CYGS attempt last year? That must have been watched a lot too.

US Open Viewership up 33% in Prime Time, 13% Overall

The 2021 US Open in New York averaged 881,000 viewers in prime time, up 33% (from 662,000) over last year, and it was up 13% (from an average of 702,000 to 796,000) for the entire two weeks of telecasts. Coverage totaled 153 hours across ESPN and ESPN2, an increase of 15% over the 133 that had...

espnpressroom.com

The Djokovic-Medvedev final averaged 2.05 million viewers. Sometimes it's tough for the men's US Open final because it's going head-to-head with the Opening weekend of the NFL.

 

[L4S10s]

That record is gonna stay for a while..

 

[BayAreaBooster]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1567278279953993728

Serena’s Swan Song – ESPN's Most-Watched Tennis Telecast on Record

Friday’s US Open Third Round match on ESPN – apparently the last in the remarkable career of Serena Williams, as she lost to Ajla Tomljanovich of Australia 7-5, 6-7, 6-1 – is the most-watched tennis telecast on record in ESPN’s 43-year history. An average of 4.6 million viewers (P2+) tuned in...

espnpressroom.com

It really shows how beloved she is in America. This includes past Slam men's and women's finals. Serena Williams once again sets the standard. I miss her already.

I have no idea what is there to watch in Serena's game. Zero stroke quality, ugly baseline game. A power serve is all she had. I am glad she is done and dusted. This is the day I will resume watching WTA.

The US folks have zero taste in tennis if this is true.

 

[ihitlikeagirl]

I think she has a core group, who know less about tennis and more so admire that she broke barriers. Those were Serena fans vs "tennis fans" IMO. Maybe a tiny bit of crossover where some were both. Most people I know that are into tennis are not fans for same reasons stated above about quality of her game, past her expiration date, and poor attitude.

 

[Hoi Polloi]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1567278279953993728

Serena’s Swan Song – ESPN's Most-Watched Tennis Telecast on Record

Friday’s US Open Third Round match on ESPN – apparently the last in the remarkable career of Serena Williams, as she lost to Ajla Tomljanovich of Australia 7-5, 6-7, 6-1 – is the most-watched tennis telecast on record in ESPN’s 43-year history. An average of 4.6 million viewers (P2+) tuned in...

espnpressroom.com

It really shows how beloved she is in America. This includes past Slam men's and women's finals. Serena Williams once again sets the standard. I miss her already.

That are surprisingly low numbers.
Maybe only TV without internet streaming (can that even be counted)?

I mean the USA has a population of about 340 million.
And then only 4.8 million viewers? Serena‘s last match???
That is not even 1.5 percent of all Americans!

I remember that in the late 80s Davis Cup matches with the German team regularly had 6 to 8 million viewers in Germany. The cake took again - who else? - good old Steffi.
Or better good young Steffi in her 87 YEC final against Sabatini. It was broadcast in prime time in Germany (8 p.m.) and had more than 10 million viewers! West Germany had a population of about 60 million then. So 16 % of Germans watched Steffi winning her first YEC title!

16 % in Germany with Graf vs. 1.5 % in the USA with Williams.

 

[Tshooter]

Premiere of that dragon nonsense on HBO had about 10 million viewers.

 

[BayAreaBooster]

I think she has a core group, who know less about tennis and more so admire that she broke barriers. Those were Serena fans vs "tennis fans" IMO. Maybe a tiny bit of crossover where some were both. Most people I know that are into tennis are not fans for same reasons stated above about quality of her game, past her expiration date, and poor attitude.

I feel Venus broke barriers in a much classier and likeable way. She was always gracious whether in victory or defeat; not resorting to dirty trickery (playing race/gender card) or threatening lineswomen as Serena did.

 

[puppybutts]

I have no idea what is there to watch in Serena's game. Zero stroke quality, ugly baseline game. A power serve is all she had. I am glad she is done and dusted. This is the day I will resume watching WTA.

The US folks have zero taste in tennis if this is true.

so dramatic. "This is the day I will resume watching WTA." yeah, cause it was impossible to watch WTA before because of one player. don't you people ever get tired of getting so dramatic over one woman?

 

[Tshooter]

so dramatic. "This is the day I will resume watching WTA." yeah, cause it was impossible to watch WTA before because of one player. don't you people ever get tired of getting so dramatic over one woman?

A lot of posters have PTSD episodes when Serena plays dating back to her threatening the lineswoman.

 

[Bhagi Katbamna]

Hopefully, it is her last match. Though I suspect we'll have to listen to the ESPN staff go on and on about her.

 

[ghostofMecir]

Hopefully, it is her last match. Though I suspect we'll have to listen to the ESPN staff go on and on about her.

They go on and on about her because it’s good for business. Look at these numbers—they‘re not going to be created by anyone else. They hyped her up, she lived up to the hype for all those years, they hyped her up again for this going away tournament, and the hype delivered into a telecast that was exceedingly successful.

 

[Bhagi Katbamna]

They go on and on about her because it’s good for business. Look at these numbers—they‘re not going to be created by anyone else. They hyped her up, she lived up to the hype for all those years, they hyped her up again for this going away tournament, and the hype delivered into a telecast that was exceedingly successful.

Hyping her up won't get them more viewers if she remains retired.

 

[juanparty]

I think she has a core group, who know less about tennis and more so admire that she broke barriers. Those were Serena fans vs "tennis fans" IMO. Maybe a tiny bit of crossover where some were both. Most people I know that are into tennis are not fans for same reasons stated above about quality of her game, past her expiration date, and poor attitude.

What barriers she broke?

 

[BayAreaBooster]

What barriers she broke?

To be fair, both Serene and Venus broke barriers coming from a poor background and their color. That said, Venus is genuinely likeable as a person; unlike Serena, she never threw a drama or threatened lineswomen or called umpires a thief or played the gender card as Serena did.

 

[MichaelNadal]

 

[Mr.Lob]

To be fair, both Serene and Venus broke barriers coming from a poor background and their color. That said, Venus is genuinely likeable as a person; unlike Serena, she never threw a drama or threatened lineswomen or called umpires a thief or played the gender card as Serena did.

False narrative They didn't come from a poor background. Their mom was a nurse and Richard made good money. Supposedly he moved to Compton to toughen his kids up.

 

[FrontHeadlock]

Lmao this says all you need to know about American tennis “fans”.

 

[FrontHeadlock]

They go on and on about her because it’s good for business. Look at these numbers—they‘re not going to be created by anyone else. They hyped her up, she lived up to the hype for all those years, they hyped her up again for this going away tournament, and the hype delivered into a telecast that was exceedingly successful.

exactly. It becomes all about the eyeballs and the ratings and not the sport itself.

very sad!

 

[MichaelNadal]

Lmao this says all you need to know about American tennis “fans”.

What that they tuned in to see the greatest American player in history's last match?? ROTFLMAO idiots

 

[Rosstour]

I was in the stadium for the match and the atmosphere was absolutely unreal. It's really easy for fan engagement to ebb and flow in a tennis match, because of how up and down the matches can be, but the fans were 100% locked in the whole time. Really special.

Yup. I was there too. Feel lucky to have seen it.

I have no idea what is there to watch in Serena's game. Zero stroke quality, ugly baseline game. A power serve is all she had. I am glad she is done and dusted. This is the day I will resume watching WTA.

The US folks have zero taste in tennis if this is true.

You are absolutely buggin, Serena has easily the best strokes on tour still. She hits the FH like an ATP player, her wrists are so strong and steady...was amazing to watch

 

[ChaelAZ]

I have no idea what is there to watch in Serena's game. Zero stroke quality, ugly baseline game. A power serve is all she had. I am glad she is done and dusted. This is the day I will resume watching WTA.

The US folks have zero taste in tennis if this is true.

 

[THUNDERVOLLEY]

so dramatic. "This is the day I will resume watching WTA." yeah, cause it was impossible to watch WTA before because of one player. don't you people ever get tired of getting so dramatic over one woman?

No, they do not. However, it's revealing behavior: this kind of obsession has shared patterns with other insignificant individuals who were filled with hate against a target. Realizing that, the only way to have their "last word" (out of frustration that they will never convince the public of the target's state of being "the wrong one") is to come to the uconclusion that they "need" to harm the person they've identified as a target. That is the undeniable state of mind of so many of the Serena-haters.

 

[THUNDERVOLLEY]

I was in the stadium for the match and the atmosphere was absolutely unreal. It's really easy for fan engagement to ebb and flow in a tennis match, because of how up and down the matches can be, but the fans were 100% locked in the whole time. Really special.

The people I know who were in attendance have all shared the same sentiments. It was a one-of-a-kind event unlikely to be felt/seen again.

 

[BayAreaBooster]

What that they tuned in to see the greatest American player in history's last match?? ROTFLMAO idiots

Greatest American Player? Greater than Pistol Pete? No way.

You got to be kidding or you are delusional.

 

[lidoazndiabloboi]

Is the ESPN numbers only US viewership? Does anyone know the worldwide numbers?

 

[Maverick13]

The finals aren’t on ESPN so it’s a dumb stat.

 

[Moon Shooter]

This just shows how unpopular professional tennis is in the us. So many pro players act like jerks so it’s no surprise. Tennis itself is growing pretty well in the US though.

 

[Bhagi Katbamna]

This just shows how unpopular professional tennis is in the us. So many pro players act like jerks so it’s no surprise. Tennis itself is growing pretty well in the US though.

Tennis was the most popular it has ever been when it was populated by jerks like Nastase, McEnroe, and Connors.

 

[Rafa24]

I have no idea what is there to watch in Serena's game. Zero stroke quality, ugly baseline game. A power serve is all she had. I am glad she is done and dusted. This is the day I will resume watching WTA.

The US folks have zero taste in tennis if this is true.

I wish women played Bo5 because she'd be lucky to have 10 slams.

 

[PDJ]

Not everybody watching was hoping for a win
I recall watching the match against Vinci (the time zone was in my favour) and literally cheering Roberta on.

 

[Rafa24]

I wish they'd played highlights of the USO where she whined in the final against osaka like an idiot and when she told the line judge she was going to shove the ball down he throat for calling her for a foot fault.

 

[Moon Shooter]

Here are some viewer stats including some from different countries:

Tennis Viewership Statistics - Tennis Creative

Check out some of the most interesting tennis viewership statistics and find out just how many people from around the world watch tennis on tv.

tenniscreative.com

 

[PDJ]

Here are some viewer stats including some from different countries:

Tennis Viewership Statistics - Tennis Creative

Check out some of the most interesting tennis viewership statistics and find out just how many people from around the world watch tennis on tv.

tenniscreative.com

Fascinating. Thank you for posting.
Not surprised by local names doing well in their home countries, however, interesting that Americans without name recognition (ie. Kenin) don't draw in the viewing figures in America.
And, Halep is clearly a god send for Romanian TV, Swiatek similarly in Poland.

 

[LuckyR]

This is all BS, if you include radio listeners, more folks tuned into Margaret Court's 1958 Australian Open final.

 

[Subway Tennis]

Yup. I was there too. Feel lucky to have seen it.



You are absolutely buggin, Serena has easily the best strokes on tour still. She hits the FH like an ATP player, her wrists are so strong and steady...was amazing to watch

Must have been incredible being there, particularly when Serena kept fighting off those match points one after the other in those final stages.

 

[BGod]

Just wait for Fed's last match at Winbledon.

 

[Hoi Polloi]

Tennis was the most popular it has ever been when it was populated by jerks like Nastase, McEnroe, and Connors.

But that was in a time when most people were racists, warmongers, homophobes or sexists.

 

[nemala]

Even Barty had 3.6 million average viewers for the AO 2022 final only inside Australia. How is it the whole of the US could only manage 4.8 mllion?? Unimpressed.

 

[aliceinpains]

Even Barty a 3.6 million average viewers for the AO 2022 final only inside Australia. How is it the whole of the US could only manage 4.8 mllion?? Unimpressed.

Alot of people dont have ESPN 2.

 

[Moon Shooter]

Alot of people dont have ESPN 2.

I think if you get Espn in most places you also get espn2.

“A spokesman for network, whose stable of tennis analysts include former world number ones Chris Evert, John McEnroe and Caroline Wozniacki, last week told Reuters that the network would be happy to discuss the possibility of bringing Williams into the broadcast booth if she wanted to go in that direction in retirement. “

Serena’s swan song most watched match in ESPN history

Williams’s third-round loss to beat Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York averaged 4.8 million viewers from 7:15 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. ET and peaked with 6.9 million viewers in the 10:15 p.m. quarter-h…

nypost.com

oof I don’t think these networks understand how often people watch a match to root against a team or player. The insufferable commentators are no doubt another reason why pro tennis gets such bad ratings in the us. Having Serena talk more is gasoline on the fire.

 

[THUNDERVOLLEY]

Tennis was the most popular it has ever been when it was populated by jerks like Nastase, McEnroe, and Connors.

Indeed, but as you see in this thread, some want to see tennis as a pampered, isolationist country club sport, overpopulated by mousy personalities that would have killed the sport if not for the rise of the players you mentioned.

I don’t think these networks understand how often people watch a match to root against a team or player. The insufferable commentators are no doubt another reason why pro tennis gets such bad ratings in the us. Having Serena talk more is gasoline on the fire.

Woefully incorrect as usual. The historic ratings and on-site attendance records are merely more evidence supporting the fact that Serena is a legend of the sport and in popular culture, and there's not a thing you and the others fueled by blood hatred can do to change that truth.

 

[fundrazer]

I wish they'd played highlights of the USO where she whined in the final against osaka like an idiot and when she told the line judge she was going to shove the ball down he throat for calling her for a foot fault.

Wasn't that against Clijsters? Or am I misremembering?

 

[FrontHeadlock]

The people I know who were in attendance have all shared the same sentiments. It was a one-of-a-kind event unlikely to be felt/seen again.

Well technically only one match could have been her last. The fact that she won't be playing anymore is quite exciting.

 

[THUNDERVOLLEY]

Only to zealots fueled by blood hatred.

 

[FrontHeadlock]

Woefully incorrect as usual. The historic ratings and on-site attendance records are merely more evidence supporting the fact that Serena is a legend of the sport and in popular culture, and there's not a thing you and the others fueled by blood hatred can do to change that truth.

Correct. As I wrote in another thread, Americans don't love sports (look at the ratings for a great match between two less popular players in the 3R of the USO), but they do love celebrities, events and media spectacles. This was certainly that in spades.