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.
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