Published 02/03/2023, 12:03 PM EST
Australian Open 2023 was a special one for the Serbian ace, Novak Djokovic; particularly for 2 reasons. Firstly, it was his quest for the 10th season-opening title; and secondly, after last year’s Covid-19 debacle, the Serb was granted a temporary visa to play at the Island nation. However, according to the experts’ many tennis legends’ absences, both on and off the court, might have some role to play in the dismal broadcast records.
Despite the huge support for the Serb, the packed stadiums during the matches didn’t reflect the true picture. As the statistics later revealed a contrasting trend in viewership; not just across America, but also in Australia in over a decade.
Novak Djokovic’s 10th title coincides with a steep decline in viewership
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As the Serb landed on the Island nation to contest the season-opening Grand Slam, it was anticipated to be a thrilling event. Which it certainly was, but not for all the stakeholders. The dismal viewership trend has incurred a huge loss to the tournament, while the Serb claimed his 10th Australian Open title.
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And a Tweet by the famous tennis journalist, Ben Rothenberg, unsurprisingly highlights a similar fact, “#AusOpenfinals ratings way down, particularly on the men’s side, where Djokovic winning his 10th was “the least-watched men’s final in at least a decade” per @AustinKarp. Not just an American phenomenon; TV numbers in Australia were majorly down, too.”
Furthermore, the poor performance of the season opener has also been attributed to the absence of many star tennis players including, Roger Federer, and the early exit of the Spaniard, Rafael Nadal. Moreover, on the WTA side, the absence of Serena Williams.
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The absence of tennis stars contributes to poor ratings in the Australian Open broadcast
It was a no-show from tennis GOATs, Roger Federer and Serena Williams, due to their retirement from the professional circuit last year. However, the Australian Open also suffered due to the absence of the US Open champion, Carlos Alcaraz. And also the controversial Aussie star, Nick Kyrgios, who had to undergo surgery.
Furthermore, the tournament incurred a massive loss of $500 million.
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