Serena Williams was the story of the sports world during the first week of this year’s U.S. Open, making a surprise run to the third round before losing to Australian Ajla Tomljanović in what’s believed to be her final career match. Unsurprisingly, the hype surrounding Williams’s run drew in quite a sizable viewing audience.
A record 4.8 million viewers tuned in for the match, the most for any tennis match in ESPN history. The previous high came during the 2012 Wimbledon men’s final between Roger Federer and Andy Murray, the network announced Tuesday.
Williams, 40, has not explicitly or definitively said that she will never play professional tennis again, but strongly suggested as much throughout her U.S. Open run. Following her third-round defeat, she again didn’t completely rule out ever playing again but acknowledged that this likely was the end.
