Novak Djokovic loss to Jannik Sinner at Australian Open sets historic viewership record, most watched semi-final on ESPN since 2014

The intrigue surrounding Novak Djokovic facing Jannik Sinner at the 2024 Australian Open was so much so that the match set new records in the semi-finals in Melbourne as the Italian ace toppled the Serbian in a 1-6, 2-6, 7-6, 3-6 defeat to the Italian who will play in the final on Sunday morning against Daniil Medvedev. It set a historic precedent as the highest viewed men's semi-final match since 2014 on ESPN.

Djokovic who has won the Australian Open 10 times has previously had multiple high profile losses to Sinner and the stakes were thus that 79% more fans tuned into their stream compared to last year's most watched semi-final match. It also received 29% more than the 2022 equivalents in the semi-finals. While the WTA matches also received top viewership despite the lopsided nature of the draw after early exits for the big names.

The 2023 US Open rematch between Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka in Melbourne received the highest viewership on the American cable network since 2021 and was 15% up on 2023 and 22% up on 2022. This was despite Coco Gauff losing with relative ease in a 7-6, 6-2 win for Sabalenka who went on to win the final against Qinwen Zheng with the final against Elena Rybakina suffering big time with poor viewership so those figures will also carry some intrigue.

This went for the whole tournament though in 2023 with the final in the men's between Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas receiving 36% less viewership than Rafael Nadal's 2022 triumph. Sabalenka's maiden major triumph also failed with 21% fewer fans than 2021. The numbers have yet to be disclosed for the women's final and the men's final takes place on Sunday. But it bodes well for the current state of the sport.