“TV ratings collapse? Australian Open wrong with Novak Djokovic,” said TV pundit

According to television expert Colin Vickery, the biggest mistake regarding the collapse of TV ratings at the Australian Open 2023 was to bet everything on Novak Djokovic.

He told: “Nole is a great champion, but we all know that it is not a trump card to raise ratings. Tennis is going through a transition period. Beloved champions such as Roger Federer and Ash Barty have retired and no replacements of their same caliber are on the horizon. Channel 9 has lost far more viewers than it was reasonable to imagine, but they need to start thinking about an alternative strategy for next year.”

Recently, Nick Kyrgios focused on the need to find new stars: “In the last decade and a half, the ATP circuit has only marketed three players and now it’s paying the price. The ATP officials are trying in every way to ‘push’ the Next Gen boys, but the public struggles to embrace different personalities.”

In the past few hours, the Australian broadcaster Channel 9, which holds the television rights of the Australian Open, has communicated that the 2023 edition of the Happy Slam has lost 3 million viewers compared to a year ago, and it is 40% in less.

The most watched match on TV was between Novak Djokovic and Alex de Minaur, which did not go beyond 730,000 viewers. There are several causes for this decline: the definitive withdrawals of Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Ash Barty, the very painful forfeits of Nick Kyrgios and Carlos Alcaraz, without forgetting the premature elimination of the outgoing champion Rafael Nadal.

The Australian Open 2023

Australian Open 2023 ended with victories for Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka. The Serbian phenomenon conquered his tenth title at Melbourne Park, hooking Rafael Nadal at the top of the all-time Grand Slam rankings and returning to the top of the ATP rankings.

Apart from Nole’s records, it was certainly not a memorable tournament in terms of emotions. The 35-year-old from Belgrade met the predictions of the eve without losing a single set in the second week, which removed any uncertainty about the outcome of the first Major of the season.