Ash Barty beat Rafa Nadal in the TV viewing stakes in Australia at the weekend, with Aussies tuning in across the country to watch their local hero win the women’s singles title.
Around 3.6 million tuned in to watch Barty win her first Grand Slam title at the Rod Laver Arena, compared to 2.1 million who watched the men’s final.
Her match was one of the most popular sporting moments in Australia over the last 20 years, attracting more viewers than Cadel Evans’s victory at the Tour de France in 2011 and Peter Bol’s attempt at winning 800m gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The audience peaked at 4.3 million, with an additional 241,000 viewers watching online.
In comparison, 2.1 million Australian viewers watched Rafael Nadal overcome Daniil Medvedev in the men’s final.
