Coco Gauff’s victory at the French Open 2025 has been the talk of the town. She overcame a spirited challenge from World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final, toppling her rival in three sets to secure her second Grand Slam title. The 21-year-old has been touted as the face of American tennis since her arrival on the scene.
Gauff won her maiden Major title at the US Open 2023, beating Sabalenka in the final as well. While her achievements have made an impact and resulted in an increased interest in the sport, the raw numbers with regards to the broadcast ratings indicate otherwise.
TNT Sports was responsible for the French Open coverage in the US starting from this year, taking over from the Tennis Channel. Matches were also shown on TruTV and HBO Max. Their efforts were highly commendable. Many former players were roped in as pundits and their social media game was on point as well.
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However, the average audience for the women's final in the US was 1.5 million. The numbers are appalling, especially with an American in the final and the country having a population of 340 million. TNT Sports marketed this as an increase of over 94 percent from last year. While that sounds impressive, looking at the raw data does dampen one's spirits.
The numbers paint a rather grim picture when stacked against other countries. France, with a population of 68 million, pulled in an average of 3.2 million viewers for the women's final, the highest since the 2005 final. The numbers reflect that only 0.4 percent of the American population displayed an interest in the women's final, while 4.7 percent of the French population was tuned in for the same.
The US remains one of the biggest markets for any sport to succeed, especially with the country's culture surrounding sports. Thus, women's tennis could suffer in the long run if the viewing numbers don't increase. The WTA currently features a strong crop of players, so marketing and broadcasting needs to be in sync to help the sport reclaim its former glory.
The numbers pulled by the Williams sisters, Maria Sharapova, Steffi Graf and other stars were massive compared to what today's generation of players are managing to rope in. There's tremendous potential in the current crop of players, which isn't being utilized properly at the moment.
Gauff has cemented her position as a superstar. With her charisma and results, she can certainly grab more eyeballs over the course of her career. Her popularity has also surged by a considerable margin not only due to her recent triumph in Paris but also because of her mature handling of Sabalenka's remarks against her.
Whether or not that translates into more viewers down the line remains to be seen. The fragmented coverage of tennis remains a sore spot for audiences. The French Open being in a different time zone also plays a part in fewer Americans watching the tournament. However, the real test will be the US Open. If the season's final Major has dismal viewing numbers in the host nation, then that would definitely be the time to ring the alarm bells.
The US Open 2023 final featuring Coco Gauff remains one of the most watched tennis matches in recent times in the USA
As mentioned earlier, Coco Gauff beat Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the US Open 2023 to capture her first Grand Slam title. An average of 3.4 million people in America tuned in to watch her do the same. The only other match to surpass this number over the past decade was the 2019 final between Serena Williams and Bianca Andreescu, with an average of 3.7 million people watching their showdown.
Even the men's singles final over the past 10 years didn't manage to bring in as many viewers in the US as Gauff's showdown against Sabalenka. With her newfound rise in fame, if the 21-year-old reaches another final in New York, then there's a good chance that she could surpass the viewing numbers of her previous final.
Gauff has been quite busy since her French Open victory. She has made numerous appearances on talk shows and has handled herself with grace and poise. The reception she received at a WNBA game could point to a massive wave of support for her, especially in her home country.
This could mark a turning point for the sport as well. America has been waiting for its next superstar in women's tennis and Gauff has positioned herself to take over that mantle. If her recent popularity attracts more people in America to watch women's tennis, then it could breathe new life into the sport.
Given her young age, Gauff could keep audiences hooked for a long time, just like the Williams sisters did during their heyday. It is quite difficult for a player to shoulder the responsibility of a sport's popularity. However, the reigning French Open champion has shown that she's up for the challenge.
