NBC drew a 2.1 overnight for the French Open men’s final yesterday morning, which saw Rafael Nadal win his ninth title at Roland Garros and fifth in a row. Nadal’s win in four sets over Novak Djokovic on Sunday is up from a 1.7 overnight for his win over David Ferrer in straight sets last year and up from a 2.0 overnight for the final against Djokovic in ’12. That telecast in ’12 saw the match suspended due to rain in the fourth set with play resuming on Monday. Sunday’s telecast was well below the 2.6 rating for Nadal’s win over Roger Federer in ’11. Meanwhile, NBC drew a 1.5 overnight for Maria Sharapova’s three-set win over Simona Halep on Saturday morning, down from a 1.8 overnight for Serena Williams’ win over Sharapova in straight sets last year, and down from a 1.7 overnight for Sharapova’s win over Sara Errani in straight sets in ’12 (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
LEAVING IT ALL ON THE COURT: NBC captured Djokovic vomiting on the court early in the fourth set, and the moment caught the attention of both Twitter users and bloggers. The Boston Globe's
Ben Volin wrote, "NBC showing Djokovic spitting out his water in high-def super slo-mo was probably the grossest thing we’ll see today." NFL.com's
Gregg Rosenthal replied, "That wasn't spitting out. That was some slo-mo vomit." SB Nation's
Spencer Hall wrote, "That was the most beautiful vomiting shot I've ever seen, NBC" (
TWITTER.com, 6/8). THE BIG LEAD's Kyle Koster wrote, "NBC was considerate enough to show the bodily function in slow-motion for, you know, scientific reasons" (
THEBIGLEAD.com, 6/8).
UP IN THE SKY: In N.Y., John Martin noted wire-guided cameras since '10 have "taken to the air above three of the four Grand Slam tournaments." While some players are "wary of cameras' widening presence," none "express surprise that the images can draw gasps of appreciation from fans." Wimbledon is the lone holdout among the major events, and All England Club spokesperson Johnny Perkins said, "It was considered and rejected, partly on aesthetic grounds, but also for technical reasons having to do with the way the wires would have been attached to parts of Centre Court" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/8).
