Tennis is going through something of a golden era right now, with stars such as Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal gracing the courts of the world. With rising interest levels in the game, the range of gambling options increase year on year, with new innovative markets coming along with great regularity. The interest in tennis really peaks four times a year when the Grand Slam events come around, although apart from a small break for December, you’ll find tournaments taking place all year around – making for a sport which is ideal for sports bettors.
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Betting on Individual Tennis Matches and Strategy
The most popular wager on any individual match is simply the match winner market. This is a straightforward bet on which player will be successful and you’ll find the two players at varying odds. An example market might see Andy Murray at odds of -150 playing Stan Wawrinka at odds of +130. Here you’ll win $100 for every $150 wagered on Murray, while you’ll pick up $130 for every $100 wagered on Wawrinka.
As well as the match winner, you’ll also find ‘set betting’ on every tennis match. A three set match will see four different options – 2-0 to either player and 2-1 to either player, while a 5 set match gives six different options – 3-0, 3-1 and 3-2 to either player. This is a good betting option if you want longer odds than on the ‘match winner’ market and you have more of a specific idea on how you think the match will go – for example, you might consider one player will completely dominate, or that the match will be a lot tighter than the general consensus.
For the bigger tennis events you’ll find a range of alternative betting markets, this especially being the case when you get to the latter stages of a Grand Slam. One popular wager is the under/over on the number of games in a match, where having backed ‘over’ you’ll want a close match with a series of tie breaks! You’ll also be able to bet on the winner of the first set, whether or not there will be a tie break in the match, a handicap bet where the favorite will have a number of games deducted and the number of games in the first set.
When analyzing any tennis match there are a large number of factors to consider. Your first step is to take a look at the World Ranking of a player and this can give you an immediate feel for the quality of a player – although you have to be careful, as this will only tell a small part of the story and it can be false at times, especially if a player has suffered a medium or long term injury. Then you should look at the surface and see if either of the players specializes – especially if the match is on grass or clay. Then look at the form of each of the players – this should be from previous weeks and from matches played earlier in the same week. Another important factor is tiredness, so look out for those players who have had a series of grueling matches or for the players who have had an easy week due to straightforward victories or even had a bye (this is an important factor during the Grand Slams).
Having put all of these factors together, you’ll have a very good feel for the match, and be in a good position to spot when you feel the sportsbook has made an error.
For tennis info and stats you should certainly visit both atpworldtour.com and wtatennis.com.
Betting on Tennis Tournaments and Strategy
With the majority of tennis tournaments being just a week long and the Grand Slams lasting a fortnight, tournament betting can be very popular in tennis. The larger events like the Grand Slams, Masters and Premier events will all have markets available both before and during the tournament, while the smaller events might just see this available at event start.
An example of tournament betting might see Novak Djokovic head the market at odds of +120, while you’ll find Roger Federer at +400 and Andy Murray at +450. For each of these selections, you’ll win the listed amount for a wager of $100.
When betting on a tennis tournament, you’ll know the draw before the tournament starts and this can be a great help for your betting, as you’ll know the potential route to the final for any of the players. However, as anybody who has ever filled in a bracket knows, tournaments rarely go to plan, so don’t get too hung up on the draw. Grand Slam events usually follow form more closely, as when you reach the latter stages, you’ll generally find a host of low seeds in the quarter-finals and semi-finals. However, some of regular tour events do offer opportunities in tournament betting. Consider a high seeded, big name player playing in a regular tour event, with a Grand Slam event looming on the horizon. Firstly, the best of 3 sets format offers more opportunity of an upset anyway, but what happens if this player picks up a niggly injury? Does he try 100% to win this regular event, or does he save himself for the Grand Slam? In these types of events I would always shy away from the ‘names’ in tournament betting and go for a player at longer odds who will be trying 100% to win the tournament.
Whether you are gambling on individual matches or indeed tournaments, you should always try and gain the best value for a bet. Shop around a large number of sportsbooks and ensure you are receiving the best odds on your selections. This can be given a further boost by making use of the bonus schemes offered by the sportsbooks, especially those sign up bonuses which offer the biggest and best deals. A combination of line shopping and bonuses can make a huge difference to your bottom line come the end of the year.
Best Sportsbooks for Tennis
For the tennis fan who enjoys all levels of the game, including tours such as the challenger and ITF events alongside the ATP and WTA counterparts you should certainly consider 5Dimes and Betway as your sportsbooks of choice. Both sites offer a huge range of games every day, so you’ll be spoilt for choice. If you’re a fan of betting on the bigger events, BetOnline and Bovada both offer a good range of bets at some very competitive pricing, with a good number of props appearing around the Grand Slams, especially Wimbledon and the US Open.
Gambling Guide to Tennis – Overview
Tennis can certainly be one of the most entertaining sports to gamble on, especially when you consider that the unique scoring system of the game makes for a sport where the match is never over until the final point is won. Study the tournaments and individual matches, and you’ll be in great shape to take advantage when the sportsbooks get it wrong and there is no reason why your tennis betting shouldn’t be a profitable endeavor!