Why this year’s Wimbledon final was the most watched ever

If you were one of the millions of people who tuned in to the Gentlemen’s Singles Final at Wimbledon on 14 July, you will have enjoyed a cracking match. A real nail-biter, it saw both Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on top form, delivering some of the finest-quality match play we’ve ever seen. It’s a match that shattered viewing records, with 9.6 million people watching in the UK alone and many more watching around the world. How did all these people know that this was a match they couldn’t miss?

 Two thrilling players

Having dabbled in comedy, music and even Hollywood filmmaking in his spare time, world number one Djokovic has one of the biggest personalities that the game has ever seen and millions of fans around the world. Described by Andre Agassi as one of the greatest three players who ever lived, he’s guaranteed to be exciting to watch. Federer, also acclaimed as one of the best ever, is as much loved for his personality and sportsmanship as his play and has a huge fan following. Had he won the match, he would have become only the second player ever to knock out both Djokovic and Nadal in the same tournament.

 An amazing twist

Did you know that it has been 71 years since a player who was championship points down came back to win the final? The last person to do so was Robert Falkenburg in 1948. Djokovic did it twice in the fifth set to deliver one of the most thrilling conclusions in match history. The two players were closely matched throughout and the lead kept switching between them, prompting casual fans to start watching when friends alerted them to the fact that something special was happening. Watching the odds change on Sportsbet.io tennis news made it clear that nobody could be sure who had the upper hand from one moment to the next. When it was announced that the match would go to a deciding-set tie break – for the first time ever at Wimbledon – the atmosphere was electric.

 Star power

Wimbledon always attracts a few celebrities, and doubtless some fans will have tuned in to see the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge watching the final from their box, with Wales’s own Katherine Jenkins and model Kendall Jenner also in attendance. However, the real star power manifested a day earlier when actor Woody Harrelson joined the crowd. The Oscar winner’s larger-than-life reactions to what he was watching went viral online, giving the tournament a massive publicity boost right before the big day. No internet user could miss the fact that it was happening or fail to be reminded how much fun tennis is to watch.

This year’s final delivered a historic moment in the history of the sport, and those fans who missed it will be kicking themselves. It was also a big moment in television history, and it will help to guarantee good TV coverage of tennis in years to come.