The lack of British names competing for the big titles in tennis could have had impacted the interest in the sport in the UK, but broadcaster Sky Sports have confirmed its commitment by agreeing a new deal to extend its coverage of the US Open through to 2030.
Injuries to Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu have ensured interest in British players has waned at the back end of tournaments, with all of their players out of the US Open by the second round.
Despite that lack of local interest, Sky Sports have decided to reinvest in tennis after renewing their deal with the USTA for their marquee tournament,
Sky took over from Amazon Prime when they walked away from tennis in 2023, with the broadcaster that offers the most-watched sports channels in the UK providing a huge boost to the sport as it took matches to a big audience.
Tennis is regularly on TV screens in bars and pubs as a result of the move to Sky and this new deal to screen the US Open may well be followed by a new deal for the ATP Tour and WTA Tour events.
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Sky Sports launched a dedicated tennis channel when they started their coverage almost three years ago and they offer comprehensive coverage of all the big tournaments outside of the Grand Slams.
Their team is lead by former British No 1s Tim Henman and Laura Robson, with Gigi Salmon hosting their coverage alongside commentator Jonathan Overend.
Sky benefits from a loyal and dedicated subscriber base that justifies their investment, with many signing up for the subscription package just to watch tennis.
They also notice a large female audience watching tennis, which is a demographic all broadcasters are keen to secure.
As part of the partnership with the USTA, Sky Sports will retain exclusive live coverage of all men’s and women’s singles, doubles, mixed doubles, juniors and wheelchair competitions throughout the three-week tournament. The agreement was negotiated by the USTA’s media rights partner, IMG.
Alongside broadcast rights, fans in the UK and Ireland will also be able to catch up on all the action with clips and highlights available across Sky’s digital and social platforms.
This year’s coverage has featured augmented reality graphics, enhanced data integrations, in-depth touchscreen analysis and behind-the-scenes content, bringing fans closer to the action than ever before.
Sky Sports chiefs will hope the imminent return to action of Raducanu will fire some fresh British interest in the WTA Tour in the second half of 2026, with Draper yet to confirm when he will make another attempt to play again after his long-standing arm injury ruled him out of the US Open.
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