The public are clearly catching onto the new-age tennis rivalry that is defining the sport.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have combined to win the last eight men’s singles Grand Slam events. That’s domination not seen since, well, the Big Three dominated the sport for the greater part of the past 20 years. But the new blood is surely working out from a viewership standpoint.
According to ESPN SVP of Research Flora Kelly, the men’s singles final at the US Open between Alcaraz and Sinner drew 3 million viewers, an 82% year-over-year increase versus Sinner’s win against American Taylor Fritz in 2024. Per Kelly, it was the second most-watched men’s singles final ever on ESPN, falling just short of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in 2015 (3.2 million viewers).
Viewers are becoming familiar with the rivalry in a way that bodes well for tennis viewership. Earlier this year, when Alcaraz and Sinner met in the finals of the French Open, viewership for the match hit a four-year high in TNT’s first year airing the event. The more these two meet late in Grand Slams, the better it is for the sport of tennis.
This year’s US Open final is made even more impressive by the fact that it was delayed over 30 minutes, pushing the match further into key parts of the NFL window than is typical.
If Alcaraz and Sinner can replicate even a portion of the stardom the Big Three had, tennis will be in good hands for years to come.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.