NEW YORK — The Wimbledon men's final drew in television viewers as the drama built and the match stretched deep into the afternoon in the United States.

Rafael Nadal's five-set victory over Roger Federer on NBC on Sunday earned the championship's highest overnight rating in eight years, the network said Monday. The coverage from 9 a.m.-4:45 p.m. ET drew a 4.6 rating and a 12 share.

That's up 44 percent from last year's five-set final between the two, a win by Federer that drew a 3.2/9 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

It's the best overnight rating for a final not involving an American since 1991, when Boris Becker-Michael Stich earned a 5.0/17.

Sunday's ratings increased as the match wore on, dipping during the rain delays, before peaking from 4:00-4:30 with a 6.5/15.

The rating is the percentage watching a program among homes with televisions, and the share is the percentage tuned into the broadcast among those households with TVs on at the time. Overnight ratings measure the country's largest markets.