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Printable Page
07/03 08:00 CDT Serena Williams' singles return sets ratings record for
1st-round Wimbledon match on ESPN
Serena Williams' singles return sets ratings record for 1st-round Wimbledon
match on ESPN
LONDON (AP) --- Serena Williams' singles return at Wimbledon was watched by an
average of 1.8 million viewers on ESPN, helping make it the network's biggest
audience for a Day 2 at the grass-court Grand Slam.
The match, which was the 44-year-old Williams' first singles contest in nearly
four years, had a peak of 2.1 million viewers despite being played on a Tuesday
afternoon in the U.S, the network said Friday.
Williams was beaten 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 by 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia
but showed she could be competitive with an opponent less than half her age
after being away for so long.
The viewing figures were higher than for last year's men's semifinals, which
averaged 1.3 million viewers on ESPN. Last year's men's final between Jannik
Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz averaged nearly 2.9 million viewers.
Williams was given wild card invitations to play both singles and doubles at
Wimbledon and it remains to be seen whether she will still play doubles with
older sister Venus.
Serena announced on Wednesday that she tweaked her right knee toward the end of
the first set against Joint.
For the entire day on Tuesday, ESPN's Wimbledon coverage averaged 937,000 which
was an increase of 55% compared to last year and the highest ever for a Day 2.
Overall, for Monday and Tuesday, it marked ESPN's most-viewed first round for
Wimbledon with an average of 734,000 viewers. Monday featured a five-set
victory for defending champion Sinner and a four-set victory for seven-time
champion Novak Djokovic.
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
