Nielsen: Wimbledon readies for the ‘Serena Effect’
June 30, 2026



Throughout her tennis career, Serena Williams has proven to be a powerful force in television. Nielsen data shows her matches consistently draw massive audiences across the US, turning tennis broadcasts into must-watch events.

This pattern, known as the ‘Serena Effect’, shows her ability to engage viewers. With her return to Wimbledon this week (on ESPN for US audiecnes), viewership could be impacted. Leading into Williams return to Wimbledon on June 30th, Nielsen has quantified the ‘Serena Effect’ by analysing how her career has consistently grown TV ratings and captivated diverse audiences year over year.


Historical breakdown of Serena Williams at the 2022 US Open

Williams’ last appearance at the 2022 US Open provided some of the most dramatic metrics in cable sports history, proving that her drawing power grew even stronger at the end of her career:

The Record-Breaking Finale: Her third-round singles match against Ajla Tomljanović became the most-watched tennis telecast in ESPN’s 43-year history. The three-hour broadcast averaged 4.8 million viewers and peaked at 6.9 million viewers during the final set.

Outperforming Mainstream Sports: According to Nielsen data, her final Friday night match beat major network shows and several high-profile college football games to become the top programme of the day across all broadcast and cable networks.

Early Round Dominance: Her opening-round match against Danka Kovinić averaged 2.7 million viewers. This figure quadrupled the 2021 opening window and actually surpassed the viewership of both the men’s and women’s singles finals from the previous year. Her second-round victory over Anett Kontaveit drew an average of 3.6 million viewers, peaking at 5 million.