The 2024 US Open was loaded with upsets and compelling stories, but that didn’t translate to viewing figures with the American audiences.

Even though there were Americans in both the men’s and women’s finals, TV figures did not get the boost that may have ben expected.

Jannik Sinner’s win against Taylor Fritz in the US Open men’s final averaged 1.8 million viewers across ABC (1.67M) and ESPN+, down 31% from last year.

It was the least-watched men’s final since 2020, even though the event airing on broadcast television for the first time since CBS last held rights in 2014.

The Aryna Sabalenka vs Jessica Pegula women’s final averaged 1.8 million across ESPN (1.6m) and ESPN+, down 53% from Coco Gauff’s win over Sabalenka last year and also down 10% from 2022.

While an NFL match was clashing with the men’s final, these figures will be a concern for tennis chiefs worried about the sport’s popularity in the era following Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic’s years of dominance.

The early exits for Carlos Alcaraz and Djokovic at this year’s US Open will have affected the TV viewing figures, but they could have been boosted by the presence of Pegula and Fritz in the final.

These numbers may confirm that the next generation of champions will need time to build their fan bases, with leading tennis agent Patricio Apey among those convinced tennis will thrive when the next stars build their audience.

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Apey works with Stefanos Tsitsipas and has previously worked with Andy Murray, with his conviction that tennis will find new champions to promote the sport evident as he sat down for an interview with Tennis365.

“I always laugh because I’m old enough, sadly, to remember how the eras move on in tennis,” Apey told us at The Boodles tennis festival in June.

“I loved to watch Guillermo Vilas when I was younger and we had the (Bjon) Borg and (John) McEnroe era.

“When I got into the business, Jimmy Connor was still winning titles. He won his 109th title when I was getting into the tennis business and that is still a record for most titles won in the game.

“Ever since then, I’ve heard people saying tennis is dead when Connor, McEnroe and Borg are gone.
“Well, guess what, along came (Boris) Becker, (Stefan) Edberg and many others.

“Then we heard American tennis is dead as without their players at the top, the sport will die. Then you have a little guy named Michael Chang winning the French Open, Jim Courier came through and then we had Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.

“It’s almost laughable to remember now that people were spinning the same ‘tennis is dead’ stories when Sampras and Agassi were coming to the end of their careers, but then we had the greatest in men’s tennis that lasted for 20 years with Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.

“This has been arguably the most extraordinary era in the history of any sport.

“We have not had one nation dominating the World Cup and while golf had a dominant player in Tiger Woods for a few years, it’s nothing compared to what we have seen from these three amazing tennis players.

“That said, I have no fear that the next 20 years and beyond will be just fine, even though these three great champions are at the end now.”

Apey went on to suggest Alcaraz and new world No 1 Jannik Sinner will benefit from a tennis landscape elevated by the prominence of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, as he suggested fans around the world are ready for a new chapter.

“The people coming through are just as exciting,” he added. “They are humble, nice people who the public will warm to.

“Look at Carlos Alcaraz, everyone loves this kid. And he is not alone.

“Here is a young man that plays a lightning brand of tennis. He gets up in the morning and he is humble, caring and polite to everyone. Let’s be happy he is in our sport.

“Jannik Sinner is the same. He is a lovely, lovely, lovely guy.

“You have got those two and we don’t know if they are ready to replace Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.

“Will either of them be as good as Djokovic and win as many trophies as him? It’s doubtful, but that will be decided over the next 65 Slams.

“What we have now is different. The new guys are dynamic, they can be controversial and there is always space for different actors in any good film.”