Wimbledon women’s final draws record ESPN audience

The Wimbledon women’s final between two Czech players averaged 1.9 million viewers on ESPN, the network’s highest-rated women’s championship match at the tournament. The match featured multiple swings in momentum. One player held a 5-2 lead and five match points in the second set before losing that set 7-5, then won the deciding set 6-3.

Viewership comparison The 1.9 million average marked a 48% increase from the 2025 women’s final, which ended in straight sets in 57 minutes. The men’s final averaged 2.4 million viewers, a 16% decline from the 2025 edition. Overall daily Wimbledon coverage on ESPN averaged 853,000 viewers, an 18% year-over-year gain and the second-highest total in the network’s history at the event.

Historical context The 2026 numbers trailed only the 2019 Wimbledon, when the men’s final went five sets and the women’s final featured a matchup against a former world No. 1. A first-round match on Day 2 drew 1.8 million viewers, the largest audience for any single day’s play at the tournament on ESPN.

International numbers In Italy, the men’s final averaged 4.2 million viewers and captured a 33.8% audience share, according to Sky Italia. That figure was down from 5.7 million viewers for the same player’s 2025 final in Italy. ESPN has held exclusive U.S. rights to Wimbledon since 2012.