Tennis returns

Courtesy of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the word is out: Tennis lives | Mark Bergin

Who says tennis is dead? ESPN The Magazine columnist Bill Simmons said as much several weeks ago in a harsh diatribe previewing Wimbledon: "When did you last have an argument about something tennis-related that didn't boil down to 'Who do you think is hotter?'" But after 4 hours and 48 minutes of on-court magnificence July 6 courtesy of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the word is out: Tennis lives.

The overnight rating for the Wimbledon men's final drew the largest U.S. viewership in eight years and jumped 44 percent from last year's pairing of the same two competitors. Despite three rain delays, which stretched the contest to an all-day affair, millions tuned in the NBC broadcast to witness what commentator and three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe called "the greatest match I've ever seen."