Serena’s quest has major impact
Possible Slam is talk of tennis, boosting ratings, attendance
Of the first four questions world No. 1 Novak Djokovic received after a tense four-set win in the fourth round at the U.S. Open, two were about Serena Williams.
He answered two more a few minutes later, growing testy as the questions became repetitive. But Djokovic is no anomaly this year in the Open; almost every player in the draw, no matter his or her ranking or outcome of the match played that day, has been asked to comment on Williams’ impact on tennis. Or Williams’ role-model status. Or how Williams is so good at winning after dropping the first set.
Especially during the first week of the tournament, highly ranked players such as No. 2 Simona Halep and No. 5 Petra Kvitova, the two-time Wimbledon champion who sailed through her first four rounds, were barely considered, much less treated as title contenders.
“I know there are a lot of people speaking about Serena,” said Kvitova, who lost in the quarterfinals. “I have read it a lot, as well. I have read a lot of interviews on the name Serena. But I’m OK. I don’t think that anybody is expecting something from myself.”
Kvitova put it in words: This year, the world No. 1 player’s historic quest to be the first since 1988 to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam means all eyes are on Williams.
“Absolutely, this is the biggest story of the tournament,” said ESPN commentator Rennae Stubbs, a former major champion in doubles. “It’s the biggest story in tennis since 1988, and it’s really inevitable that players are getting questions about it. I think everyone’s been expecting it.
“In 1988 I wasn’t on tour, but I do remember the conversation being blown up with the Graf calendar-year Grand Slam, but now with the media attention and social media it’s just so much bigger and there’s so much more on it. I don’t recall anything this big, certainly anything in tennis, really.
“This is an extraordinary story for tennis in general, and it only happens once in a blue moon.”
Ticket sales show that the fans agree.
The 2015 Open is the first in history in which the women’s final sold out before the men’s, and this is the first time since 2009 that attendance exceeded 300,000 over the tournament’s first five days. The first week in New York featured five consecutive sellout sessions, and interest has continued to grow.
Williams plays Roberta Vinci of Italy in Friday’s first semifinal, then Halep faces Flavia Pennetta.
Lew Sherr, the USTA’s chief revenue officer, said the USTA sells most of its tickets before Wimbledon, but Williams’ impact has become clear on the second- ary market, a popular avenue where consumers can buy tickets for her matches after the schedule is released.
According to ticket resale website Seat Geek, by the time Serena beat her big sister Venus to get to the semifinals, average ticket prices for Saturday’s final nearly tripled from where they were at the start of the tournament, from $587 to $1,529.
Those interested in watching the final from the lower bowl at Arthur Ashe Stadium will need to shell out at least $3,000 a ticket.
Sherr said the USTA also is benefiting from the attention being paid to the possible Slam.
“In addition to our broadcast coverage and higher ratings, I think all the additional news coverage that is happening outside of our broadcast, whether it be on ESPN Sports Center or on the national network news shows, it’s just put a bigger spotlight on the Open, creating more attention for us,” Sherr said. “It’s helping with some of our ground-pass sales, with people who maybe wouldn’t have come out in the past.”
ESPN owns sole broadcast rights to the Open for the first time this year, and Williams has proved to be a huge ratings draw.
The quarterfinal matchup between the sisters Tuesday night earned a 4.8 rating, peaking at 5.6. The entire telecast, which included Djokovic’s win against Feliciano Lopez in the quarterfinals, was the second-highest-rated tennis broadcast in ESPN history, ac- cording to the network.
USTA CEO and President Katrina Adams said the crowd at the Open is noticeably more diverse this year, particularly in the more expensive seats.
And the relative diversity in the women’s draw is nothing to ignore, as well, and it’s another example of the Williams sisters’ footprints on the sport.
No. 19 Madison Keys, 20, and No. 29 Sloane Stephens, 22, are the two highest-ranked American women aside from the Williams sisters ( Venus is No. 23). Keys is biracial, and Stephens is black.
Adams said having more diversity among the top 100 players is one of the most important results of the Williams sisters’ success, but Serena also has become a cultural icon as the veritable face of women’s tennis.
“Listen, strong is beautiful. Serena is a phenomenal woman, on and off the court,” said Adams, who played on tour for 12 years. “What she exemplifies with her strength, with her grace, with her athleticism, with her success, it really transcends.
“I think what she’s done for the sport globally is amazing.”