Wimbledon finals ratings best in 10 years

NEW YORK — Roger Federer and Andy Roddick's epic Wimbledon final last Sunday was the most-viewed men's final at the All England Club in 10 years.

NBC said Thursday that an average of 5.71 million people tuned in to watch Federer win his record-setting 15th Grand Slam title. The number was the highest since Pete Sampras beat Andre Agassi in the 1999 final, attracting 5.85 million viewers.

The 3.8 rating and 10 share was the best for a men's final since Sampras defeated Patrick Rafter in 2000, and surpassed last year's classic between Federer and Rafael Nadal by 9 percent.

Federer beat Roddick 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14 in a match that lasted 4 hours, 16 minutes. The fifth set was the longest in major final history.