LONDON — Helped by some mid-match drama, the Wimbledon final between Linda Noskova and Karolina Muchova this past weekend was ESPN’s most-watched women’s championship match at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.
The all-Czech final, during which Noskova wasted five match points and a 5-2 lead in the second set before eventually winning 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 on Saturday, averaged 1.9 million viewers. That was an increase of 48% compared to last year’s women’s final: Iga Swiatek’s 6-0, 6-0 rout of Amanda Anisimova in 57 minutes.
ESPN began its coverage of Wimbledon in 2003 and has had exclusive rights since 2012.
Jannik Sinner’s four-set victory over Alexander Zverev in the men’s singles final Sunday averaged 2.4 million viewers, down 16% from 2025, when Sinner defeated Carlos Alcaraz in four sets.
Overall, it ranked as ESPN’s second most-viewed Wimbledon, with an 18% year-over-year increase, averaging 853,000 viewers per day, the network said. This year’s numbers trailed only the 2019 edition — when Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in a memorable five-set final for the men’s title and Simona Halep beat Serena Williams for the women’s trophy.
Also this year, William’s return to Grand Slam tennis after nearly four years away earned ESPN its biggest audience for a second day of main-draw play at Wimbledon, with an average of 1.8 million viewers — despite being played on a Tuesday afternoon in the U.S.
In Italy, where Sinner has become the country’s most popular athlete, Sunday’s match in which he earned his fifth Grand Slam title was watched by an average of 4.2 million viewers and earned a 33.8% share, Sky Italia said.
Sinner’s victory over Spanish rival Alcaraz last year had an average viewership in Italy of 5.7 million.
The finals started at 11 a.m. Eastern in the U.S. and 5 p.m. in Italy.