Wimbledon 2013 is truly lacking star power. It's only the third round of the tournament and the finale couldn't come soon enough. Aside from those rooting for Andy Murray and Laura Robson, does anybody care what happens until the finals arrive?
The competition isn't really interesting for those mainstream viewers who sit around their televisions because there is nothing else to watch at 10 a.m. ET. Though there are five more rounds of play still left before the champion is decided, there is no Roger Federer or a Rafael Nadal left in the Men's Singles tournament. Both of these players suffered early defeats at the All English Club. For Nadal, it was early dismissal as he was eliminated in the first round by Steve Darcis. Federer was gone by the next round as Sergiy Stakhovsky bounced the No. 3 seed from contention. Federer was a huge lose to the tournament as many held high expectations for the swiss to capture his unprecedented eighth Wimbledon title. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is one of the more popular tennis players in the world although he's never won a grand slam title. His charisma and emotion attracts crowds to his matches. Tsonga had to unfortunately abandon his run for the title due to a knee injury.
No. 1 seed, Novak Djokovic still remains in the tournament and though he has a huge fanbase, but pales in comparison to that of Nadal or Federer. Murray is the fan favorite to capture the title at the All England Club, but Djokovic has a better chance at winning the tournament based on track record as he has won six more grand slams than Murray.
Over on the Women's side of the tournament, the lack of star power stands out. On the same day Federer and Tsonga were bounced, three former No. 1 player in Women's Singles were also shown the door in the second round. Caroline Wozniacki and Maria Sharapova suffered defeats, while Victoria Azarenka could not play due to a knee injury. For Serena Williams supporters, this almost guarantees she's going to win back-to-back Wimbledon titles for the sixth title in her career at the All England Club this year. For regular viewers hoping to side with an underdog, good luck. It's already clear that Williams is playing dominant tennis; putting her up against Agnieszka Radwanska (4) or Na Li (6) simply just isn't fair.
There are some young female tennis players on the uprise that fans could definitely ride behind. There are America's Sloane Stephens, who is the 17th seed, and the unseeded Robson, who hails from the UK.
Last year in 2012, the Wimbledon averaged a viewer rating of 2.9 in the U.S., meaning close to four million people were watching daily. Obviously, the 2013 ratings have yet to be completed since the tournament is still underway; however, are people truly interested in Wimbledon 2013 now that so many prominent household names are gone? We'll find out after the conclusion of the tourney.
