Tennis is ranked as the fourth most popular sport in the world. It is estimated to have around a billion fans across the globe. The ATP and WTA tours have attracted excellent attendance. Fans have also found online casinos like Betway provide an avenue to put a stake on their best players.
Compared to football and cricket stadiums, tennis stadiums are smaller. For instance, Arthur Ashe stadium, one of the biggest tennis stadiums, has a capacity of 23,771. If you compare that to the Camp Nou, Barcelona Football Club’s arena, which is a 99,354-seat stadium, it is significantly smaller.
Tennis Turnout Records
The stadiums recognized that tennis events are smaller. However, in some cases, the attendance for the tennis matches has shot up considerably. In such cases, stadiums of other sports have had to be used, albeit with some modification. In line with this, let’s look at five tennis events with a record attendance of all time.
France vs. Belgium, 2017 Davis Cup
This was the Davis Cup final that took place at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, in Lille, France. The cup final was a clash between France and Belgium. The attendance was 27,448 fans. France won the contest to lift its tenth Davis Cup title. In the list of the most attended tennis matches, this is the only official match.
Billie Jean-King vs. Bobby Riggs, 1973 Battle of the Sexes
The “Battle of the Sexes” continues to be one of the most significant exhibitions in the sport to date. The Houston Astrodome hosted the highly expected match. The attendance was a record of 30,492 fans. As if that was not enough, the match attracted an unimaginable 90 million viewers across the world. King took the honors of the win in straight sets 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. The record attendance stood the test of time for 37 years.
Kim Clijsters vs. Serene Williams, 2010 Battle of Belgium
One of the original players for this match, Justine Henin, pulled out due to injury concerns. Serene Williams stepped in for her. The exhibition match was played at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium in front of 35,681 fans. Clijsters won the duel 6-3, 6-2.
Roger Federer vs. Alexander Zverev, 2019 The Greatest Match
In this match, a bull ring in Mexico City, Mexico, Plaza de Toros, was converted into a tennis court for this special event. 42,517 spectators attended the clash between the veteran and the young gun. Roger Federer outwitted Alexander Zverev 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. This would have presented gamblers a more straightforward challenge to place their bets on Betway or any other online casino. Federer was the most likely winner even before the match began.
Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal, 2020 Match in Africa
This can be dubbed the clash of the titans. Federer and Nadal played an exhibition event in South Africa for the match. The match was able to raise 3.5 million USD for the Roger Federer Foundation. A record of 52,954 spectators attended the match.
Federer won the clash 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
