The Williams sisters’ duel drew the highest preliminary television ratings for a women’s Wimbledon final in three years. Venus Williams’ straight-set victory over younger sister Serena on Saturday earned a 3.4 overnight rating and a 10 share on NBC, the network said Sunday. That’s up 21 percent from the 2.8/8 for last year’s meeting between Venus and Marion Bartoli. It’s the best rating since a 4.0/12 in 2005 for the match between Venus and Lindsay Davenport. Venus Williams has won the Wimbledon championship five times earning the nickname Venus Wimbledon.
The rating is the percentage watching a program among homes with televisions, and the share is the percentage tuned into the broadcast among those households with TVs on at the time. Overnight ratings measure the country’s largest markets.
When Venus won her second match point of the day at Wimbledon, even little sister Serena could celebrate. About 3 1/2 hours after Venus beat Serena to win the women’s singles title, the sisters paired up to win their seventh Grand Slam doubles title, beating Lisa Raymond of the United States and Samantha Stosur of Australia 6-2, 6-2.
The victory improved Venus and Serena to 7-0 in Grand Slam doubles finals, and gave them their third doubles title at All England Club. “We’ve both worked really hard this year, and I think the results showed here, both in the singles and the doubles,” Venus said after winning the Wimbledon singles title for the fifth time.
This was third all-in-the-family Wimbledon singles final.
The sisters last won the doubles title at Wimbledon in 2002, the first of two straight years in which Serena had beaten Venus in the singles final. On Saturday, Venus beat Serena 7-5, 6-4 on Center Court before the pair returned to the same stadium for yet another victorious Grand Slam final.
In the doubles match, Venus and Serena broke their opponents twice in each set, showing little emotion throughout and only whispering tactics to each other with their hands covering their mouths. Venus, with tape near her right knee, served out to win each set. When Venus’ backhand lob sailed high into the darkening sky in the final game, both Stosur and Raymond watched the ball land on the baseline for the final point of the match.
Serena, standing near the net with her racket at the ready, didn’t even know if the ball landed in. Once she realized she, too, claimed a Grand Slam title of the 2008 tournament, she raised her arms in celebration and hugged her older sister.
The Williams sisters have entered 34 tournaments as a team and won 11 titles, including the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Venus first won both singles and doubles titles at Wimbledon in 2000, and Serena matched that in 2002.
Including the prize money awarded to the singles champion and runner-up, along with what they earned for the doubles championship, the Williams family netted more than $2.5 million Saturday.
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