Tennis Betting Tips

Tennis betting can be a very difficult thing to do, especially when you are not familiar with the whole concept. On the flip side of the coin, it can also be very profitable, but only if you are well familiar with the basic rules of engagement. From knowing how the game is played, the popular tennis tournaments and who the hot shots in the game are, knowing this information is crucial towards betting on tennis.

This tennis betting guide takes you through all you need to know to place a successful bet on tennis. We will take an overview of how tennis betting works, have a look at some of the popular tennis tournaments and the best tennis players in the 21st century. Later in the article, we will look at the different types of bets you can place at the bookmakers.

Bookmakers offer tennis bets in many different forms. Any interested bettor can wager on everything from the women’s WTA tour to men’s ATP tour as well the more celebrated Grand Slam tournament and much much more. If you are still new to tennis betting, then it’s useful that you check how different players are ranked. Tennis players are awarded a certain amount of ranking points when they play certain tennis tournaments. Those who win or reach the more advanced stages of bigger tennis tournaments are awarded more points.

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the players, you can then move to other factors which affect how they perform on the court. Look at the court they are playing on, the weather, the form and fitness of the player among other things. Some players tend to play better on grass courts than clay or hard courts. Once you have all these facts right, you can proceed and place your tennis bet at recommended bookmakers.

One of the reasons why tennis betting is very popular is because of its availability. The tennis calendar for both women’s and men’s tours run throughout the year, except for December when the players take a break. This means that you will always have something to watch and bet on. While there are so many competitions to pick from, not all of them attract the attention of stars. Those that bring together some of the most prominent players include the following:

The US Open

This is the most popular and respectable professional hard court tournament in the United States. It was first held in 1881 and went by the name US National Championship. At it’s start, only men were allowed to participate in it. Six years later, the women’s version of the tournament was introduced.

The US Open tennis tournament constitutes of five main events; mixed doubles, men’s and women’s doubles, as well as men’s and women’s singles. It also covers events for wheelchairs, juniors, and seniors. Every other year, the US Open is played in late August and early September. It runs for two weeks and the finals are hosted in Queens, New York.

Wimbledon

Among all the tennis tournaments being played, this is considered as the oldest and most prestigious. The competition was first held in 1877 and its played on outdoor grass courts. As the name suggests, it’s usually played at the All England Club, Wimbledon, London towards the end of June and early July. It lasts for a total of fourteen days and covers seven invitation events, four junior events and five main events. A fun fact is that it adheres to some old age traditions. It is usually an all-white or nearly all-white dressing code. The only thing that breaks the colour are ice cream and strawberries.

Australian Open

The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam of each year. It was first held back in 1905 on clay court. However, since 1988, it has been played on a hard court. It’s usually referred to as the “Grand Slam of Pacific/Asia” and kicks off every fortnight of January at the Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Grand Slam of Pacific/Asia consists of exhibition, legends, and wheel chair events. The main events are however the men’s, women’s and junior’s tournaments. In 2020, the Australian Open broke the record for hosting the highest number of spectators in a tennis tournament.

Other notable tennis tournaments worth mentioning include the French Open, BNP Paribas Open, WTA Finals, ATP Finals, Summer Games Tennis Tournament, among many others.

Below are the top 10 tennis players in the Opera Era, which means since 1968. The list hasn’t included greats such as Bill Tilden, Don Budge, and Fred Perry for this reason, but they would also definitely make it to the list. These men come from all over the globe and have consistently been performers especially in the last two decades or so. All the title wins and Grand Slam victories listed here are only for singles.

Tennis betting is an easy and straightforward practice. Once you have understood the basics, including the rules, the different competitions and the players involved, you can then proceed to placing the actual bet. This involves:

Depending on the country you come from, your default odds format may vary. Bookmakers have, however, made it easier for everyone to pick the most suitable odds format even if one’s region uses a totally different type of odds. Most of the best tennis betting sites will include the three most common betting odds.

Decimal Betting Odds

They are usually displayed in decimal format. A good example of decimal tennis betting odds include 1.50, 2.0, 10.3 etc etc

Fraction Betting Odds

As the name suggests, fraction betting odds are displayed in fraction format. They are the most common types of betting odds in UK and European countries.

American Betting Odds

As the name suggests, American betting odds are commonly used by American punters. They are slightly difficult to understand, especially if you are not accustomed to some of the popular American sports. They are usually indicated with a + or minus sign. The odds for underdogs are accompanied by a + sign, which indicates just how much you’ve won for every £100 staked. The odds for favourites on the other hand are accompanied by a – sign, which indicates the amount you have to stake in order to win £100.

One of the most popular ways to bet on tennis is outright betting. Outright in the sense that you are predicting a specific player will automatically win a certain tournament.

There is also the long form betting, which allows you to bet on a player on a long term basis. For instance, you could bet on Rafael Nadal will win the 2022 Roland Garros tournament. This is an event that is one year in advance, so this type of event would be a long form bet.

Another form of placing a bet on tennis is “match betting”. This is a simple concept where you try to predict which of the players is going to win the match. This is a good thing is that in tennis is that it can never end in a draw, so all you have to do is select the clear winner of the match.

Betting on sets and games is yet another popular way of wagering on tennis. Tennis is a match made of 3-5 sets, with each of the set hosting six games at least.
Betting on under/over on games and sets is another way you can bet on tennis. Over/unders bet covers the number of points to be scored in the match, or the total number of sets.

Live betting on tennis provides better winning odds as compared to bigger team sports since you are analyzing only one to four individuals to predict the outcome of a match or tournament. Sometimes, it becomes almost apparent when one player is disadvantaged due to an injury mid-game. The overall gist is to bet on a match based on your familiarity with the tournament, whether it’s the French Open, US Open, Australian Open, or Wimbledon.

Whether you choose to bet on men’s tennis or women’s tennis is entirely up to you. However, there is a slight difference in the number of sets played, with women’s matches played at best-of-three sets and men’s at best-of-five sets, which significantly skews the odds towards the favorite in the best-of-five sets. The players in the 5-set match have more opportunities to subdue their opponent, whereas in 3-set matches, anything can happen.

This is why we have had the ‘Big Three’, Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic win 57 out of 69 Grand Slams since 2003, leaving only 8 more winners in that time period. On the other hand, 27 women have won the Grand Slams during that time, with Serena Williams walking home with the winning trophy, 23 times, a remarkable exception indeed. Nevertheless, the fact still remains that there is greater parity in women’s tennis than in men’s matches.

Since there are thousands of tennis tournaments around the world on an annual basis, this is a gold mine for punters who would love to bet on it. Settling on a reliable sportsbook will definitely set you apart as you navigate the most prominent global tournaments in search of some great wins.

One such sportsbook is Unibet, which is always live streaming the best tennis matches worldwide, including Australasia, North America, South America, and Asia. Your observation skills will also come in handy in predicting an outcome since you only have two or four players to evaluate. Personal and physical stress can play a part in a player’s performance during the game, enabling you to make more informed bets.

Now that you have a general idea of the strategies you can employ to make some badass moves in placing your wagers. Understanding some basic rules of thumb will set you way above most amateurs who blindly go in thinking it’s a simple game of chance. Of course, there are pros and cons with whatever strategy you settle for, but the bottom line is that tennis is one of the best games you can choose to bet on, simply because the odds are so much easier to predict.