Wimbledon Men's Final Scores A Grand Slam For NBC

Epic Federer-Roddick final down from last year, but second highest championship in nine years

By David Tanklefsky -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/6/2009 4:30:12 PM

Roger Federer's epic Wimbledon victory over Andy Roddick Sunday came up a ratings ace for NBC.

The final, in which Federer won a record 15th Grand Slam title, pulled a 4.2/12 overnight rating. Despite the epic fifth set between Federer and Roddick, that is down from last year's 4.6/12 Rafael Nadal-Federer final.

Last year's final notwithstanding, it was the highest-rated men's championship since 2000, when Pete Sampras won his final Wimbledon championship. That match, which was also the last time an American won Wimbledon, delivered a 5.0/14.

Federer and Roddick have faced off in the finals at Wimbledon twice before, with this year's installment delivering the best ratings so far. The 2004 final earned a 3.6/10 while the '05 matchup delivered a 2.8/5.

The recent uptick in men's ratings didn't translate into women's action. Serena Williams' victory over her sister Venus earned a 2.7/8, down from the 3.4/10 that Venus' victory drew last year.

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We should all be extremely proud of Andy Roddick! Although he lost the match, he won the hearts of everyone, especially all Americans and the Brits too, who yelled in chorus "Roddick, Roddick, Roddick"! He showed great courage and persistence in a wonderful display! From being a boy in the past, he has become an heroic man and gentleman. We should all try to emulate him, and we could then again be patriots for our country! I am sure with his newfound confidence and athleticism that he will be dominant in tennis again and win more major titles. Go Andy!

Robert Bernhard, Jr., M.D. - 7/6/2009 10:55:15 PM EDT

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