This year, at the US Open 2021, the tennis world witnessed two epic finals in the women’s and men’s singles competition, respectively. On the women’s side, an all-teenager final between 18-year-old Emma Raducanu and 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez took place for the first time since 1999. On the men’s side, the top two seeds, Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev, faced each other, where the Serb was going for the Calendar Slam. Surprisingly, the viewership numbers favored the teenagers.
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What’s more, the viewership numbers for women’s semifinals on ESPN had outranked men’s semifinals from 2017 to 2020. Also, according to Ben Rothenberg, it is the fifth time in seven years that more people have enjoyed the US Open women’s final match than the men’s final.
This weekend is going to be on another level.
Interestingly, the difference between the viewership was almost half a million. While women’s final had 2.442 million viewers on ESPN, men’s final had 2.051 million viewers.
Fifth time in seven years that women’s #USOpen final outdrew the men’s on American TV. Remarkable that the women remained a bigger draw with two players from outside the top 70 compared to a men’s 1-vs-2 battle for a historic Grand Slam.
Obviously NFL competition is a MAJOR factor here as it always on that Sunday but an interesting TV data point nevertheless: U.S. Open women's final: 2.442 million viewers on ESPN. U.S. Open men's final: 2.051 million viewers on ESPN.
Women’s tennis outranks men’s tennis in US Open finals’ viewership
Primarily, the absence of Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal in the final might have hindered viewership. However, the tweet suggested that the NFL competition might have worked against Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev‘s final.
For this, Rothenberg showed a comparison of the US Open semifinals between women and men. And surprisingly, the viewership for women’s semis has been up every year since 2017.
Women have comfortably outdrawn men in #USOpen semifinal rounds too, for those of you who think NFL is the sole difference maker here. Women’s tennis is a more valuable TV draw for the #USOpen. Is what it is.
Here are #USOpen semifinal ratings in the U.S. during the ESPN era: Women have *comfortably* outdrawn men every year. And since people kept mentioning NFL re: the final numbers, note that the NFL season launches on that Thursday night when the women play. Women still prevail.
Moreover, there was no Serena Williams and Venus Williams in the competition this year. Also, there was no American man or woman in the US Open quarterfinals. Even then, the teenagers, Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez, drew in a large audience at US Open 2021.
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 11, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; (L-R) Leylah Fernandez of Canada and Emma Raducanu of Great Britain celebrate with the finalist and championship trophy (respectively) after their match in the women’s singles final on day thirteen of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Additionally, the Djokovic-Medvedev final saw numerous celebrities in the Arthur Ashe Stadium. However, while they came to witness history, the Russian caused the upset of the season.
Watch this story: Top Us Open Finals Featuring Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic And Others
What’s next on the ATP and WTA Tour?
Since all four Grand Slam tournaments are overs, players will compete for ranking points in events across the globe. Also, they will try to make it into the WTA Finals and ATP finals.
Getty
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 08: (R-L) Alexander Zverev of Germany, Dominic Thiem of Austria, Matteo Berrettini of Italy, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, Daniil Medvedev of Russia. Roger Federer of Switzerland, Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, and Rafael Nadal of Spain pose for a selfie on a boat on The River Thames during previews for the Nitto ATP Finals at The O2 Arena on November 08, 2019, in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Every year, the finals mark the end of the season. And, it is a prestigious event where only the top eight players of the season can compete. Let’s wait and watch what happens next in the world of tennis.
Also Read: Roger Federer’s Embarrassing Stat Against World No. 1s in Grand Slam Finals Over the Years