Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray faced off in the Miami Open 2015 final and it became one of the most-watched summit clashes of the tournament. Even a Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal title clash in 2017 could not better the numbers.
Top seed Djokovic and third seed Murray battled in the 2015 final as the former sought to defend his title. Federer did not participate that year while Nadal went out in the third round.
Djokovic and Murray had clashed in the Australian Open 2015 summit clash. The Miami Open final presented the Brit an opportunity to take revenge for the defeat in Melbourne. The duo went toe-to-toe in the opening set, stretching it to the tiebreaker before Djokovic won. Murray, though, bounced back in the second set to level affairs and seemed primed to avenge his AO loss.
However, Novak Djokovic thrashed Andy Murray in the decider to inflict a bagel and triumph 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-0. The fact that it was a rematch of the enthralling Australian Open final created high interest in the fixture. As per Sports Media Watch, around 625,000 people watched it on ESPN for a final rating of 0.4.
Two years later, the Miami Open 2017 witnessed a Fedal final after 12 years. Neither Djokovic nor Andy Murray participated that year. Interestingly, like 2015, the 2017 final in Miami was also a rematch of that year’s Australian Open final where Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal. Hence, their battle for the title in Miami was expected to break all viewership records.
However, the clash’s numbers paled in comparison to the Miami Open 2015 final. Only 495,000 viewers tuned in to ESPN to watch Federer win 6-3, 6-4 for a rating of 0.3. It performed better than other summit clashes but the Fedal clash failing to outdo the Novak Djokovic vs Andy Murray 2015 tie was a surprise.
Since 2017, the Miami Open has not seen much of the Big 3 in finals. Federer’s 2019 victory was the only time either of the legendary trio played the summit clash in the Florida tournament. With the advent of streaming also being a factor, no match has been able to touch TV viewership of the aforementioned finals.
