Are tennis fans watching differently now?

(Getty/Matthias Hangst)

For decades, the formula for following professional tennis was simple. Fans tuned into live broadcasts, read newspaper reports the following morning and perhaps caught a highlights package on television. The biggest tournaments dominated the conversation, while everything in between largely passed by unnoticed.

Today, that model has been turned on its head.

A growing number of fans are discovering the sport through YouTube creators, podcasts, social media clips and behind-the-scenes documentaries rather than four-hour television broadcasts. The question is no longer whether people are watching tennis — it is how they are choosing to watch it.

It's a shift that mirrors broader changes across the sporting landscape. Formula One famously transformed its popularity through Netflix's Drive to Survive, attracting younger audiences by focusing less on the racing itself and more on the personalities, rivalries and human stories behind the sport. 

Tennis has attempted something similar with Netflix's Break Point, but while the series generated interest, it failed to produce the same impact as its Formula One counterpart.

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Part of the reason may be that tennis has become increasingly fragmented.

Unlike Formula One, where every fan follows the same championship each weekend, tennis is spread across 11 months, multiple tours and tournaments played across every continent. Casual fans can find it difficult to keep pace, creating opportunities for new forms of media to fill the gaps between tournaments.

Podcasts have become an increasingly important part of the way many committed fans consume the sport. 

Shows like The Tennis Podcast have built loyal audiences by doing something traditional broadcasters often struggle to achieve: providing context. Rather than simply analysing who won and lost, they explain why tactics worked, how personalities shape rivalries and what developments matter beyond the scoreboard. 

Since launching in 2012, The Tennis Podcast has evolved from a niche production into one of the sport's most influential independent voices, expanding to daily episodes during the Grand Slams and attracting interviews with players, coaches and leading figures across the game.

The appetite for longer conversations is striking. 

While social media rewards 30-second highlights, podcasts reward nuance. Fans who may only watch snippets of matches increasingly spend an hour listening to discussions about strategy, coaching decisions or the politics of the sport during their commute.

At the same time, YouTube has become one of tennis' fastest-growing storytelling platforms.

Instructional videos, racquet reviews, tactical breakdowns and player documentaries regularly attract hundreds of thousands (even millions) of views. Creators are no longer simply complementing traditional coverage; in many cases, they are becoming destinations in their own right.

Even former world No.1 and three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray has recognised the shift.

Rather than moving directly into conventional television commentary following his retirement, Murray chose a different path, launching a YouTube channel with his brother Jamie called The Set. The project promises everything from masterclasses and behind-the-scenes access to challenges with celebrity guests and historical explorations of racquet technology.

The Scot's reasoning is revealing, offering a surprisingly candid view of the tennis media landscape.

"Tennis media is quite... safe in comparison to other sports that I like following where there's a lot more debate and opinion," Murray told Town & Country magazine in June. "You can do and say whatever you like" on your own platform, he said, adding that traditional broadcasters are trying to adapt but are "maybe not going quick enough" as viewing habits change.

Murray isn't alone in recognising the changing media landscape. Broadcaster Gill Gross has built one of tennis' largest independent audiences through YouTube and his Monday Match Analysis podcast, producing long-form tactical breakdowns that regularly attract viewers well beyond tournament week. 

Speaking on the Tennisnerd Podcast, Gross described live commentary as recognising that "the match is a story"— a philosophy that helps explain why so many fans now seek deeper analysis and storytelling alongside traditional broadcasts.

Even the ATP Media and the ATP Tour have expanded their digital output across short-form video, player features and social media content alongside traditional match coverage. Official content now sits alongside a growing ecosystem of independent creators, analysts and former players, giving fans more ways than ever to engage with the sport.

Broadcasters have also begun responding.

Networks such as Sky Sports have invested heavily in dedicated tennis coverage, launching Sky Sports Tennis in 2024 to provide year-round access to ATP and WTA events, while broadcasters continue to expand digital clips, streaming options and on-demand highlights alongside live coverage.

Yet perhaps the biggest lesson tennis can learn comes from Formula One.

Drive to Survive succeeded because it convinced people to care about drivers they had never heard of. The races mattered because viewers first became invested in the people.

Tennis has no shortage of compelling personalities. Carlos Alcaraz's infectious enthusiasm, Jannik Sinner's understated professionalism, Coco Gauff's maturity beyond her years and Novak Djokovic's relentless pursuit of history all offer rich storytelling opportunities. 

But unlike Formula One, those narratives are often confined to tournament weeks before disappearing for several days (or even weeks) until the next event.

Independent creators have increasingly filled the gaps between tournaments with analysis, interviews and behind-the-scenes content. 

Whether it's tactical breakdowns on YouTube, hour-long podcast discussions or behind-the-scenes access through player-produced content, fans are increasingly following tennis as an ongoing conversation rather than a series of isolated tournaments.

That doesn't mean traditional television is disappearing. Grand Slam finals will always draw huge audiences, and nothing replaces the drama of watching a classic match unfold live.

Many fans now supplement live broadcasts with YouTube, podcasts and social media throughout the week.

They consume a five-minute tactical analysis on YouTube over breakfast, listen to a podcast on the drive to work, watch social media clips during lunch and tune into live coverage later that evening.

In other words, tennis is no longer just a television product: it has become an always-on digital conversation.

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