Since the spring of 2018, when the US Supreme Court was overturning the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), paving the way for unfettered legal and regulated sports betting across the country, wagering on sports has escalated exponentially. And among the sports that people are flocking to bet on is tennis.
The fact that you’re only dealing with one player on each side of a match leaves much less in the way of variables to assess as compared to a team sport in which the outcome can be influenced by any number of players. With its 50-50 chance of victory in every match and often lopsided mismatches early in tournament draws, there’s a lot of appeal to wagering on tennis.
In fact, you will find that all of the leading online betting sites offer plenty of tennis betting markets. You’ll discover that there’s action on all of the Grand Slam events – the Australian, French and US Opens, as well as Wimbledon – and also on the Davis Cup, Federation Cup and each of the major tours – ATP, WTA, even ITF.
However, just because you’re a tennis aficionado who knows all of the tours inside and out and can instantly name who is the 172nd-ranked player on the men’s tour, that doesn’t necessarily mean you are well-schooled in the ways of betting on tennis.
Not to worry. We’re here to help. Just read along and discover what you need to know as we serve up this comprehensive tennis betting for beginners guide.
Simple Tennis Bets To Make
Just like the game itself, when it comes to betting on tennis, there are some shots that are easy to make, while others are more complicated and will take a little time to learn.
Let’s start with what are known as the staples of betting. The number one method for betting on any event is to play the moneyline.
So what’s a moneyline, you ask? Well, it’s the betting line on who is going to win a match. Let’s suppose Novak Djokovic is playing Carlos Alcaraz. When you see a moneyline for this match, it might show Djokovic at -115 while Alcaraz is set at +105.
These are what is known in the betting industry as American odds, because they are most popular in the USA. The moneyline figures are based around a $100 bet. At -115, Djokovic is the favorite to win the match. In this instance, the line is indicating how much you’d need to wager on Djokovic to realize a $100 profit on that bet. In this case, that amount is $115.
As the underdog, Alcaraz is given positive odds. So if you were to wager $100 on him, at a betting line of +105, you’d realize a profit of $105 should he win the match.
Other Popular Tennis Bets
There are a number of ways for you to bet on tennis (Image by Diego Ortiz from Pixabay).
The spread is also given for every tennis match. Suppose Djokovic is -1.5, while Alcaraz is +1.5. You are wagering on how wide the spread will be in the sets won by the two players during the match.
Bet Djokovic and you are giving away 1.5 sets. That means he’s got to win two more sets during the match than Alcaraz in order for a bet on him to cash. Wager on Alcaraz at +1.5 and you are basically starting the match with a 1.5-0 set lead. Alcaraz would have to lose the match by at least two sets for a bet on him not to cash as a winner.
The total is another prominent bet on tennis matches. A number is set for total games to be played during the match. For the sake of argument, let’s say it’s 23.5 games. You bet on whether the two players will combine to go over or under that number.
Outrights are another popular method for betting on tennis. A wager made prior to the outset of a tournament, you are basically wagering on which player will be the winner of the tournament.
Set betting is a way to go deeper into match betting. You can wager on the exact outcome of a match. You could bet that Coco Gauff will beat Iga Swiatek 2-1, or perhaps that Swiatek will beat Gauff 2-0. A wager such as this will offer better odds, because it is more exact and harder to hit than say a moneyline wager on the match.
You can also opt to assemble a parlay wager, either combining a number of plays in one match, or putting together a package of plays from different matches. These bets will pay out handsomely for wins, but you’ll need every leg of the parlay to come in for you to be a winner.
Live, or in-play wagering is the newest type of tennis betting and it’s becoming quite popular. It is betting on outcomes that will occur during the match. You could bet on who will win the next game, the next set, or even which player will serve the next ace.
Knowledge Of Tennis Will Make You A Better Bettor
Now that you know how to bet on tennis, that in-depth knowledge you possess of the sport is going to come in very handy. You’ll want to bet on the best grass-court players at Wimbledon, while leaning into wagers on the top clay-court performers when they arrive at Roland Garros for the French Open.
Likewise, knowing the head-to-head records of players prior to their meeting in a match is going to give you some insight into how to bet that match.
The experts say you should bet what you know, so if you know tennis, then you are starting out from a position of strength. Most importantly, when placing any bets, never exceed your means and always wager responsibly.
