Alcaraz French Open final win earns TNT Sports record viewing figures
Carlos Alcaraz’s thrilling French Open fightback over Jannik Sinner on Sunday produced the UK’s highest ever viewing figures for a Roland Garros final on TNT Sports or predecessor Eurosport.
City AM has learned that TNT Sports’ audience reach was over 1m as Alcaraz closed in on his stunning fifth-set tie-break victory over the world No1, after saving three championship points.
It beat Warner Bros Discovery-owned UK broadcasters’ previous highest viewing figures, for Novak Djokovic’s defeat of Andy Murray in 2016.
Warner Bros Discovery have had UK rights for the French Open for 35 years, with the tournament shown on Eurosport until their channels stopped operating in February following the launch of TNT. Last week the network announced a five-year extension to the contract until 2030.
The Alcaraz-Sinner audience provides evidence of the appeal of a new generation of male tennis stars in a significant boost for the sport following the retirements of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Murray.
An audience reach of over 1m compares favourably with TNT’s viewing figures for Champions League and Premier League matches last season.
Alcaraz came from two sets down and 5-3 behind in the fourth to retain his crown 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (10-2) and take his tally of Grand Slam titles to five, aged just 23.
The epic match in Paris lasted almost five and a half hours, making it the longest French Open final in history.
TNT attracted strong viewing figures throughout the French Open, with Coco Gauff’s own comeback win over Aryna Sabalenka their fourth highest figures for a women’s final.
Sabalenka’s semi-final victory over Iga Swiatek was their best-ever audience for a women’s semi-final, with streaming numbers on Discovery+ for that game comparable with those of a Premier League match.