Williams Sister's Wimbledon Final Draws Viewers And Praise
NBC's Wimbledon coverage from 9:00am-2:00pm Saturday, which featured the women's final between Serena and Venus Williams, earned a 4.6/14 overnight Nielsen rating, tying '99's 4.6/15 for the ladies' final between Lindsay Davenport and Steffi Graf as the highest overnight rating since '95 (5.3/18 for Graf-Arantxa Sanchez Vicario). The Williams-Williams final was also up 28% from last year's 3.6/10 for the comparable women's final match from 9:00am-2:00pm on a Sunday. Yesterday's Lleyton Hewitt-David Nalbandian men's final earned a 3.1/9 overnight, up 3% from the 3.0/9 for last year's tape-delayed Goran Ivanisevic-Patrick Rafter match, played on a Monday (NBC).
REVIEWS: In Ft. Lauderdale, Jim Sarni wrote NBC "made a smart move by teaming John McEnroe and Chris Evert on all Wimbledon matches. Their banter [was] engaging" (SUN-SENTINEL, 7/5). USA TODAY's Michael Hiestand writes under the header, "McEnroe Adds Spice To Bland Tennis Finals" (USA TODAY, 7/8). During yesterday's men's final, NBC aired streaker Mark Roberts "with a digitized dot covering his groin, but his derriere was uncovered." NBC Sports Chair Dick Ebersol: "I did it because I was blown away that the BBC would show it live, frontally, and nothing covering him up, without cutting away at all." The net received no complaints (N.Y. TIMES, 7/8). MULTICHANNEL NEWS DAY writes that while in years past, TV nets "carefully avoided capturing shots of streakers that interrupted sporting events," NBC, "rather than shield viewers at home, ... ran an instant replay" (MULTICHANNEL NEWS DAY, 7/8).
SISTER ACT: In N.Y., Selena Roberts wrote: "Venus and Serena gave a glimpse of the kind of riveting match they can produce when both are on at the same time. Suddenly, the excuse for disliking the sisters — often linked to their poor play against each other — was erased. If there is an anti-Williams sentiment, it has to be personal, not professional. This was not a classic, but it was a high-quality match" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/7). In Chicago, Jay Mariotti wrote the match "brought out fire and fury from polite, down-to-earth housemates who haven't always understood the public fuss about their previously lukewarm rivalry" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 7/7). In Palm Beach, Karen Crouse: "It was the most thrilling display of tennis that the Williamses have produced outside their backyard practice sessions" (PALM BEACH POST, 7/7). In DC, Rachel Nichols wrote the Williams sisters "finally started to fulfill the promise of their own talent, giving their rivalry a new edge, and, in the process, a new front-runner" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/7).
MEN'S GAME FAILS TO EXCITE: In L.A., Diane Pucin wrote if Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt "is the best there is, men's tennis is in trouble. Right now the men's game is almost unwatchable. The best of the new breed are all numbing baseliners" (L.A. TIMES, 7/4). In San Diego, Nick Canepa: "The men's game has hit the net and can't get up" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 7/4). In Orlando, David Whitley: "Tennis doesn't need America's love and Nielsen ratings to survive. But if it is to ever thrive again, it could use a red-white-blue hero" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 7/8).
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