Courtesy Media Life

(July 7, 2010) Wimbledon seemed like a bit of an afterthought this year, what with the World Cup drawing so much attention and only one American among the four finalists at the all-England Club.

And the ratings reflected as much.

NBC's coverage of both the men's and women's finals over the weekend slid compared to the previous year, which featured the Williams sisters matched up in one final and the longest final ever on the men's side.

Serena Williams' second-straight Wimbledon win averaged a 1.8 household rating Saturday, according to Nielsen overnights, off a third from last year's 2.7 when Serena defeated older sister Venus.

This year Williams dispatched veteran Russian player Vera Zvonareva in straight sets, giving the final little drama. By contrast, even when Serena beats her sister in straight sets, the added intrigue of sibling rivalry always draws some additional viewers.

The men's final was down even more, which seemed inevitable after last year. In 2009, Roger Federer defeated American Andy Roddick in the longest Wimbledon final ever, which lasted five sets and 77 games. That match averaged a 4.2 rating.

Sunday's match, in which Rafael Nadal earned a three-set victory over Tomas Berdych, had neither the suspense of last year's final nor the presence of an American man to lift ratings. They fell 55 percent, to a 1.9.

To that point, Wimbledon had already been at a disadvantage in terms of buzz.

The World Cup has stolen attention away from virtually every other sport since the tournament began last month, and Wimbledon's lone blip of attention came during the first week of play, when two little-known men engaged in the longest match in Grand Slam history, lasting more than 11 hours over three days.

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