US Open: Women's final depends on Djokovic and Medvedev on TV ratings
The popularity of the women's final between Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez was higher among TV audiences in the USA than that for Novak Djokovic's historical hunt.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Sep 15, 2021, 09:26 am
In 2015 it was when the USTA sent the message to the tennis world early in the summer that the tickets for the women's final were already sold out, while tickets were still available for the men's. The simple explanation: six years ago Serena Williams could have made the calendar Grand Slam completely, then failed in the semifinals to Roberta Vinci. The final against Flavia Pennetta didn't attract that much attention.
This year Novak Djokovic had the perhaps unique chance of winning all four majors in one year. The Arthur Ashe Stadium was full, Djokovic made it to the final, as is well known, the opponent was his first pursuer in the ATP world rankings Daniil Medvedev. The TV ratings in the US show, however, that there was less interest in Djokovic's historic performance than in the teenage finals between Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez.
Does the unsuccessfulness of US men play a role?
That may have something to do with the start of the NFL season, which started with most of their matches last Sunday. However, one can certainly question whether the target group of tennis fans has a large overlap with that of football fans. In addition, the women also had to compete against the most popular sport in the USA on Saturday, and the broadcasts of college football also attract large audiences.
Is it because of the potential length of the men's matches? Did the women (also) have a better story to tell with the two young outsiders this year? Or is women's tennis simply more popular with fans because of the years of unsuccessfulness among men in the USA? There are probably several possible answers here.