LONDON – The 2015 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals attracted 262,894 fans to The O2 arena as another year of sold-out crowds flocked to the season finale to witness the world’s greatest players battling for the biggest indoor tennis tournament in the world.
The 2015 on-site attendance at The O2 brought the overall attendance on the 2015 ATP World Tour season to an all-time record of 4.5 million fans, rounding off a spectacular season for the ATP World Tour both on and off the court.
ATP World No.1 Novak Djokovic defeated six-time tournament champion Roger Federer in the championship match to capture a record-breaking fourth consecutive season-ending crown (and fifth overall). The victory capped off one of the greatest seasons in the history of the sport for the Serb who captured 11 titles, including three Grand Slams and a record six ATP Masters 1000 titles, to finish the season with an 82-6 win-loss record, and record prize money of $21,592,125.
In doubles, Wimbledon champions Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau captured their first season-ending crown and ensured they finished as the year-end No.1 doubles team for the first time.
Off the court, 59 broadcasters across 198 territories televised the season finale. Global television viewership figures are forecast to exceed 100 million. Live and on demand match streaming on TennisTV, the ATP’s official live streaming site and mobile app, received more than 7.2 million total streams, an increase of 24%, while the ATP’s digital platforms attracted approximately 40 million page views across the eight days.
The ATP’s continued focus on offering fans new and creative ways of engaging with the Tour also saw the successful launch of the Tour’s new social network, MyATP powered by Vixlet, during the season finale.
During an ‘ATP State of Play’ media address on Sunday at The O2, Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman & President, disclosed that it had also been a record year for the ATP from a commercial standpoint. “In 2015 alone we’ve generated in excess of $160 million in new commercial sponsorship revenues to come over the next five years,” said Kermode. “The sport is in the best health it’s ever been in thanks to an incredible generation of players as well as the strength of our global platform of tournaments. We will continue to work hard as we strive to ensure continued growth for the Tour in years ahead.”
The ATP enjoyed a stellar year in commercial sales in 2015, securing new agreements with Maui Jim, Infosys and Peugeot, while further deals were announced during the season finale with Chinese digital media company Le Sports, as well as an enhanced partnership with Emirates that sees the award-winning airline become the Tour’s global Premier Partner through 2020.
The ATP also announced that the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals would remain at The O2 in London through 2018.