Serena Williams’ singles comeback at Wimbledon drew an average of 1.8 million viewers on ESPN, making it the network’s largest audience for a Day 2 at the prestigious grass-court Grand Slam.
The match, which marked the 44-year-old Williams’ first singles outing in nearly four years, peaked at 2.1 million viewers despite taking place on a Tuesday afternoon in the US, the network announced on Friday.
Williams was defeated 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 by 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia, yet demonstrated she could hold her own against an opponent less than half her age after such a lengthy absence from the sport.
The ratings surpassed those of last year’s men’s semi-finals, which pulled in an average of 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 received wild card invitations to compete in both singles and doubles at Wimbledon, and it remains unclear whether she will still take to the court alongside elder sister Venus in the doubles.
Serena revealed on Wednesday that she had tweaked her right knee towards the end of the first set against Joint.
Across the entirety of Tuesday, ESPN’s Wimbledon coverage averaged 937,000 viewers, representing a 55% rise compared to last year and the highest figure ever recorded for a Day 2.
Overall, across Monday and Tuesday, it represented ESPN’s most-watched first round for Wimbledon, averaging 734,000 viewers. Monday featured a five-set triumph for defending champion Sinner and a four-set victory for seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.