ESPN drew a 1.9 overnight rating for Novak Djokovic' four-set win over Roger Federer yesterday morning in the Wimbledon men's final, flat compared to the same matchup last year, which went five sets. This year's matchup also is down slightly from Andy Murray's straight sets win over Djokovic in '13 (2.0 rating), and down sharply from Federer's four-set win over Murray in '12 (3.1 overnight). ESPN first picked up complete Wimbledon TV rights prior to the '12 event. Meanwhile, Serena Williams' win in the women's final on Saturday drew a 1.3 overnight on ESPN, up big from a 0.7 for Petra Kvitova's straight sets win over Eugenie Bouchard last year and a 1.1 for Marion Bartoli's win over Sabine Lisicki in '13. However, Saturday's telecast was down slightly from a 1.4 for Williams' win over Agnieszka Radwanska in '12 (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
THUMBS UP: In Tampa, Tom Jones writes ESPN's Chris Fowler "has settled into the announcer's chair quite comfortably." John and Patrick McEnroe "have emerged as tennis' top analysts, and Chris Evert has really found her voice in the booth." Overall, it is "hard to find much fault with ESPN's coverage." ESPN's Tom Rinaldi received a kiss on the cheek from Williams "just before he interviewed her after her victory Saturday in the Wimbledon women's final." Aside from "just looking awkward, it invited criticism that Rinaldi is a little too chummy with Williams." Jones: "I have no issues with Rinaldi congratulating Williams and thanking her for talking to him. That's being polite. A kiss seemed a bit much" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 7/13). In N.Y., Phil Mushnick writes during the Wimbledon women's final between Williams and Garbiñe Muguruza, ESPN "early and then steadily relegated the match to background status, overwhelming it with endless dialogue" between Fowler and Evert. They "examined every aspect -- real and suggested -- of Williams’ game, no shortage of needless stats and graphics included" (N.Y. POST, 7/13).
