It will not have escaped many sports enthusiasts’ attention that Wimbledon and the football World Cup have happened simultaneously this year, bringing with them the inevitable television clashes and the potential to wreak havoc on devoted fans’ viewing schedules.
However, it seems that a happy compromise may have been reached: 54% of those asked (who describe themselves as both tennis and football fans) are dividing their time between watching the two sporting events, although 35% do admit to being more selective in choosing matches to watch than usual.
However, those who say they ‘follow some sport casually’ are more likely to just watch the World Cup (17%) than just tennis (8%) and most of them will try to get the best of both worlds by mixing and matching the best of the two events (41%).
Despite this apparent lack of television support, Wimbledon continues to be well-visited, with a sizeable 19% of those describing themselves as tennis fans having bought or hoping to get hold of tickets to see their favourites perform in SW19. A substantial 86% of the tennis fans we asked also said they had entered the ballot or had pitched their tents in an attempt to get tickets.
However, it seems that older tennis watchers are less likely than their younger counterparts to brave the crowds; 99% of tennis fans aged 55 years or older say they are more likely to watch the matches at home than visit in person.
