Djokovic-Alcaraz Australian Open Final sets nine-year viewership high on ESPN
ATPFriday, 06 February 2026 at 18:17
The two biggest stars in men's tennis secured a nine year record on ESPN over the weekend with the Australian Open men's singles final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic which began Sunday at 3:30am ET on ESPN.
This averaged 730,000 viewers with the four-set win over Djokovic marked a 57% increase over last year's Australian Open men's final between Sinner and Zverev. it is the largest audience for a men's singles final since Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's five set thriller in 2017 which averaged 1.1 million views.
The men's semi-finals performed superb too. A five set win by Alcaraz over Zverev averaged more than the men's final, this was due to the length and also that in Europe for instance it was during the late morning. Alcaraz's win averaged 743,000 viewers. This marked the second most watched men's semi-final since 2014.
The women's singles final also saw a healthy increase since last year. Elena Rybakina's win over Aryna Sabalenka averaged 487,000 viewers on ESPN which was up 8% versus 2025 when Madison Keys beat Sabalenka.
Alcaraz won't play Rotterdam
Also the 15-day tournament saw a 29% increase year on year across ESPN, ESPN2 and the ESPN app with over 303,000 viewers per window which meant it was the most watch Australian Open since 2020.
Carlos Alcaraz will not play though for some time with Rotterdam seeing him withdraw from the tournament. He has decided it seems to take some time out after becoming champion in Melbourne. Alexander Zverev too has decided not to play.
While Novak Djokovic is always a doubt and whether he plays in the Middle East or Miami/Indian Wells remains a question for a player who by his own admission does not search for ranking validation anymore.
Elena Rybakina too is part of a culled Qatar Open field with most of the big names deciding not to play including Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula among others. The Kazakh will look to continue her incredible form.
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