Taylor Fritz becoming the first American in 15 years to reach a Grand Slam final and squaring off against world No. 1 Jannik Sinner seemed like it should’ve excited fans. But to everyone’s surprise, it failed to draw attention from American viewers, falling flat on two major fronts.
Firstly, when comparing the men’s final to the women’s one, it was clear the WTA had more buzz. Both YouTube views and TV ratings showed more interest in the women’s final.
On TV alone, Sunday’s Fritz-Sinner final averaged just 1.8 million viewers across ABC (1.67M) and ESPN+, a whopping 31% down from last year’s numbers.
This is the worst US Open men’s final viewership in four years, even though it was aired on ABC for the first time since CBS last had the rights in 2014. To put it in context, the drop happened despite the growing anticipation for an American in the final and its airing on broadcast television.
Social media, especially on Reddit, reflected fan dissatisfaction. Many commented that the match felt underwhelming. Some even claimed that they barely noticed the buzz leading up to it.
a lot of reasons affected the viewership of the US Open finals, fans have been pointing out a number of them online pic.twitter.com/3MnGFAqANs
— Tennis world (@claygrasshard) September 11, 2024
A huge reason for the low viewership could be the ESPN blackout and the scheduling clash with NFL Sunday. Both the broadcasters and organizers miscalculated how to generate enough excitement for a US Open final, especially with a homegrown talent like Fritz and Pegula in the mix.
Could the early exit of star players affect the US Open downfall?
It raises the question—was the absence of fan favorites like Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, Iga Świątek, and Novak Djokovic to blame?
Alcaraz and Djokovic, particularly, have captivated tennis fans worldwide, and their matches tend to draw huge crowds. Alcaraz’s shock exit earlier in the tournament and Djokovic’s bowing out sooner than anticipated were certainly factors in less interest in the men’s final.
Fans are used to seeing these stars dominate, and without them, the excitement seems to dwindle. The same can be said for the women’s side, with Gauff and Świątek being two of the biggest names in tennis today. It takes a hit on viewership when they aren’t playing, especially on the biggest stage like the US Open.
Even though Fritz is a top-ranked player and the top American male, his showdown with Sinner didn’t generate the same hype that fans expect from a Grand Slam final. The fan favorites exiting early, combined with ESPN’s blackout and competition with NFL Sunday, created the perfect storm for low ratings.
The disappointing numbers from this year’s final raise questions about how tennis can better appeal to American audiences, especially in competition with other major sports. And while Fritz’s run to the final should’ve been the headline, unfortunately, it became overshadowed by the lack of fan engagement.
