Italian Open 2024: Outraged Tennis Fans Bash American Broadcaster for ‘Dumb’ Coverage of Aryna Sabalenka vs Iga Swiatek Final

Even as top players like Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka are putting on thrilling performances, tennis fans have been let down by the poor broadcasting of the matches lately. In the recent past, there have been major issues concerning this, and fans have vented their frustration on multiple occasions. Recently, another such issue was brought to light at the ongoing Italian Open.

Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka have made it to back-to-back finals, first in Madrid and currently in Rome. As their final match was underway, the broadcast of it took a major hit due to the commercial breaks. This led to fans calling out the broadcaster, Tennis Channel for interrupting the points. One of the fans was tired with the poor coverage of the matches of late and complained, “Can you stop showing commercials when point already started ????? If you are “Tennis Channel” stream tennis ! We are tired.”

As if this issue wasn’t enough, one Twitter user brought to light another problem with the broadcast, saying, “@USTA @WTA the Second Serve format on @TennisChannel is bad. Eats a 1/3 of TV screen to watch people talking. Dumb!”

Meanwhile, another fan highlighted the specific incident when the commercial break interrupted the point. The comment read, “Tennis Channel’s commercial break bled into the first point of the 3-2 game. Why does this stuff keep happening?”

Further, one of the fans seemed to have got tired of the commentary despite enjoying the match, with the comment saying, “@TennisChannel as i watch the swiatek-sabalenka match, i am very thankful for the mute button but nOt the split screen. the cohosts constant chatter needs to stOp.”

Lastly, one Twitter user was left completely annoyed and frustrated with the coverage, so much so that it had become unbearable to watch. The fan said, “T2 Second Serve coverage is UNBEARABLE to watch. This is the most annoying concept. I’d rather watch an infomercial about peripheral neuropathy than sit through this for one more minute. What a shame. Click.”

Not only has the broadcasting been an issue lately but also the voice behind the broadcast. Recently, the commentators received a major flak at the Madrid Open.

Jim Courier becomes the focal point of poor broadcast

Like the Italian Open, the recently-concluded Madrid Open wasn’t short of drama. While there were frequent changes in the broadcast right in the middle of the matches, fans also didn’t like Courier’s commentary. As a result, the American legend faced heat from the fans for the broadcasting mess created.

An example of such an incident was when Caroline Wozniacki was playing against Sara Errani. While the match was underway, the broadcaster switched the courts to show the men’s singles match even before Wozniacki’s match was over. This didn’t go down well with the fans, who complained that Tennis Channel hardly lets the fans see a match from start to finish.

At a time when tennis viewership is dwindling as a whole, it is imperative for the broadcaster to solve such issues and ensure that they don’t crop up in the upcoming tournaments. What do you think about the recent broadcasting controversies? Let us know your views in the comments below.