The drawing power of the Williams sisters is not what it once was.
The Wimbledon women’s final, featuring Serena Williams’ straight-set victory over Venus Williams, drew a 2.7/8 overnight rating on NBC Saturday afternoon, down 21% from a 3.4/10 for the same matchup last year.
The 2.7 overnight is the lowest ever for an all-Williams Grand Slam final on broadcast, and the second-lowest for the women’s final at Wimbledon since ’95.
Since their first head-to-head meeting at Wimbledon drew a 4.6 overnight in ’02, overnight ratings for each subsequent Venus/Serena matchup have declined — to 4.0 in ’03, 3.4 in ’08 and 2.7 in ’09.
Overnight ratings for Wimbledon women’s final since ’95.
| Year | Date | Time | Matchup | Net | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Sat., 7/4/09 | 9:00 AM | S. Williams/V. Williams | NBC | |
| 2008 | Sat., 7/5/09 | 9:00 AM | V. Williams/S. Williams | NBC | |
| 2007 | Sat., 7/7/07 | 9:00 AM | V. Williams/Bartoli | NBC | |
| 2006* | Sat., 7/8/06 | 9:00 AM | Mauresmo/Henin | NBC | |
| 2005 | Sat., 7/2/05 | 9:00 AM | V. Williams/Davenport | NBC | |
| 2004 | Sat., 7/3/04 | 9:00 AM | Sharapova/S. Williams | NBC | |
| 2003 | Sat., 7/5/03 | 9:00 AM | S. Williams/V. Williams | NBC | |
| 2002 | Sat., 7/6/02 | 9:00 AM | S. Williams/V. Williams | NBC | |
| 2001 | Sun., 7/8/01 | 9:00 AM | V. Williams/Henin | NBC | |
| 2000 | Sat., 7/8/00 | 9:00 AM | V. Williams/Davenport | NBC | |
| 1999 | Sat., 7/3/99 | 9:00 AM | Davenport/Graf | NBC | |
| 1998 | Sat., 7/4/98 | 9:00 AM | Novotn?/Tauziat | NBC | |
| 1997 | Sat., 7/5/97 | N/A | Hingis/Novotn? | NBC | |
| 1996 | Sat., 7/6/96 | N/A | Graf/S?nchez Vicario | NBC | |
| 1995 | Sat., 7/8/05 | N/A | Graf/S?nchez Vicario | NBC |
