Novak Djokovic’s semifinal loss to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open pulls in record viewership numbers second only to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s epic 2014 showdown

According to ESPN, the coverage of the first men's semifinal match between Djokovic and Sinner averaged 760,000 viewers.

Novak Djokovic’s semifinal loss to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open pulls in record viewership numbers second only to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s epic 2014 showdown

L-R: Roger Federer, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal (Via Open Source/X)

The Friday night semifinal might have resulted in heartbreak for Novak Djokovic fans, but it still proved to be a record-breaking one. ESPN has announced that Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic’s semifinal contest at the Rod Laver Arena has been recorded as the second-most-viewed match ever at the Australian Open.

Sitting above their record is the semifinal contest between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the semifinal of the 2014 Australian Open. Jannik, who ended the hopes of the World No.1 Djokovic from claiming his 25th major title, defeated the Serbian 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3. However, the viewership for the second semifinal contest between Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev is yet to be released.

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According to ESPN, the coverage of the first men’s semifinal match between Djokovic and Sinner averaged 760,000 viewers. This number currently stands as the most-viewed Australian Open men’s semifinal telecast since 2014’s coverage of Nadal and Federer’s 845,000 viewers.

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The report added that the 760,000 viewers for this year’s primetime window are +79% from the comparable window of last year, 425,000 viewers, and +29% from 2022 (590,000 viewers).

The contest between the Big 3 has always been regarded as one of the most viewed matches in the history of the Grand Slam event. However, that seems not to be the case. The highest viewed Wimbledon match was the final tie between Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic in 2022, earning over 53 million viewers as recorded by BBC live tennis.

The most viewed match in the French Open, as stated by Tennis Channel, was the quarterfinal contest between Nadal and Djokovic, which generated a viewership of 666,000.

Cool Sinner to face Daniil Medvedev in the final of the 2024 Australian Open

Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev will meet for a first Grand Slam final showdown in Melbourne, with only one player’s name guaranteed to be on the trophy. The tournament will be seeing a new winner after a long time. Only Stan Wawrinka had the guts enough to break the shackles, by winning the Melbourne crown in 2014. Since 2006, except for Wawrinka, no one apart from Big 3 managed to win the Australian Slam in men’s singles.

Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner
Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner (Via Open Source/X)

Sinner, who beat the 10-time champion to reach his first Grand Slam final, remains favorite ahead of the 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev. The Russian, on his part, came from behind to defeat Alexander Zverev in a five-set thriller of a semi-final.

The Italian’s strength has been his serve. Against Djokovic, he did not break a point and has been unbroken in 88 service games in the Australian Open.

If Sinner turns victorious at the end of the contest, he will be the third Italian man to win a Grand Slam singles and the youngest men’s champion in Melbourne since Djokovic won it in 2008 at the age of 20.

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