Do you think tennis betting might be profitable, but you are unsure how to get involved? Learning the main and secondary markets in one of the most popular sports worldwide it’s the first step of the trip, so let’s get started. Undoubtedly, it’s not all about the Grand Slams, the Masters, or the Olympics.
There are tournaments all year round from all tiers. If you want to become a sharp bettor and make money, you should find reliable sources for your info, value odds, and use the available data based on athletes’ stats.
Before you start understanding tennis statistics, the year calendar and following individual players, check set and total games tennis betting markets. You can also examine outrights like Grand Slams Winners and specials such as combos on aces and double faults.
Most Profitable Markets For Tennis Betting
Tennis has only two competitors, so the range of choices is limited to team sports where there are players’ and teams’ options. Still, you can find hundreds of bets, from the Match Winner to Set and Totals Games. Αs an aftereffect data availability offers more reliable analysis for main and secondary options. Our tennis betting markets explained section allows you to learn more about how to place bets by introducing even special alternatives like Setcasts and combos such as Match Winners & Over/Under games.
How does tennis betting work
One of your priorities should be comprehending how to use all the basic bet types and improving your knowledge of tennis retirement rules. Bookmakers offer various options on winners, handicaps, and totals. Before introducing them, we note that the vast majority of the in-play betting options, like the game, set, and match-winning markets are also available pre-match. So, let’s delve deeper into how tennis betting work.
Match Winner
⏩ It’s the most straightforward tennis betting market on who will win the head-to-head clash. You can find various options, from heavy favourites to dark horses with decent chances. There’s no draw in tennis, so you must predict who will emerge victorious. Examine the athletes’ form and find those who can hold their serve or poor returners before picking the winners. It’s the first but main step to understanding how to bet on tennis and win.
Set Betting
⏩ If you wonder what is set betting in tennis, it essentially is the correct score of the match. Men’s Grand Slams are best-of-five-set matches, so you must pick the final score (i.e., 3-0, 3-1, 3-2). All women’s tournaments are best-of-three, so the possible options are 2-0 or 2-1. Besides the correct score, you can bet on an athlete not winning a set or on the tie break’s probability. Additionally, there are two more popular options; you can predict the set score, from 6-0 to 7-6 for each athlete, and the correct score after a given number of games for each set (after 4 and 6 games, respectively, are the most common lines).
Total Games
⏩ Here, you should predict if the sum number of games played will overcome or fall below the bookie’s line. Firstly, you must check if you are dealing with a best-of-three or an event of a best-of-five set. In all tennis bookmakers, you can find an extensive range of lines. For instance, in the Djokovic vs. Monfils match, the lowest line is at 16,5 games and the highest at 30,5 for the three-set clash.
If you believe that the favourite will win with a clear 2-0 (6-4, 6-4), you can bet on Under 21,5 games. Following these tennis betting markets, you can find totals for each individually. In that case, the lines are lower with the main one at 8,5 games in common.
Betting on Handicaps
⏩ In several cases, the Match Winner odds offer a low reward-to-risk ratio when a match has a clear favourite. In handicaps, the underdog carries a positive advantage, while the favourite has a negative to cover. For example, in the Novak Djokovic vs. Gael Monfils match for ATP Madrid Masters, the Serbian superstar pays 1.20 (1/5) to win and his opponent 4.40 (17/5). The odds on the favourite mean small earnings, so handicap betting is a decent alternative.
The main games line is +4,5 for Monfils at 1.90 (9/10) odds. If you believe that Djokovic will win with five or more games, you can back him at 1.80 (4/5). There is an extensive range of games’ lines from -8,5 to +5,5 on Djokovic and +8,5 to -5,5 on Monfils. That range allows you to decide which market has the best value.
Besides the games’ handicaps, you can find set handicaps too. If Djokovic wins 2-0, you will get 1.65 (13/20) odds, while every other result (i.e., 2-1, 0-2, 1-2) will pay at 2.15 (23/20).
Outrights
⏩ Anteposts, or outright bets, are highly popular in online tennis betting. They allow you to back athletes to win specific tournaments across various tennis tiers, ranging from Grand Slams to Challengers. If you're interested in betting on a favourite for the French Open men's tournament, you can explore the available outrights. To make the most of your game, consider reputable bookies for Roland Garros betting that offer comprehensive coverage and competitive odds for the tournament.
Rafael Nadal has the highest winning chances at 2.25 (5/4), Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz Grafia follow him at 4.00 (3/1) and 4.50 (7/2) respectively, alongside Stefanos Tsitsipas at 6.50 (11/2). Most advanced tennis bettors used to bet early on the outright betting markets, trying to find value and the highest prices before any odds movement.
Bookmakers with the most tennis betting markets
We have examined all the main tennis betting markets, so it’s time to give you a shortlist of the bookmakers offering the highest odds and the most markets.
Secondary Tennis Betting Markets
It’s not uncommon for a match to be decided on the tiebreak. Additionally, some bettors don’t want to wait until the end and place bets after a specific number of games during the match. Before learning all the secrets, examine the secondary tennis betting markets that will enrich your options.
Individual Tennis Prop Bets
These consist of robust markets within every match. You can find a massive range designated for one particular competitor. Tennis prop bets are presented in an Over/Under and a Yes/No format, referring to the athletes’ performances (e.g., aces, game wins, service breaks, double faults). Let’s see an example of the Andy Murray vs. Denis Shapovalov match for the ATP Madrid Masters.
Total Aces: The odds on Murray’s aces are 1.80 (4/5) for Over 3,5 and 1.95 (19/20) if you back Under 3,5 respectively. The line is higher for Shapovalov, the pair’s favourite, where you can bet on Over 6,5 and Under 6,5 at 1.90 (9/10).
Double Faults: When athletes commit a double fault, they lose the point, so if your analysis shows that they are susceptible to double faults, you can bet on that indicator. Following our example, the odds for two competitors are:
- Murray Over 2,5 double faults at 2.35 (27/20) & Under 2,5 at 1.55 (11/20) odds.
- Shapovalov Over 4,5 double faults at 1.70 (7/10) & Under 4,5 at 2.05 (21/20) odds.
Serve markets
Bettors always look closely at the first serve percentage. A high rate shows that athletes serve well, while a low one is the opposite. That metric doesn’t always indicate the probable winners, so the market isn’t connected with the match result. Several players take more risks on the first serve, and they get fewer of them, but they are effective on the second serve.
In other cases, a low first-serve percentage affects their winning probability badly. In our example, you can find the options below and adjust your tennis betting activity:
- Murray Over 58,5 First Serve In Percentage (%) & Under 58,5 at 1.90.
- Shapovalov Over 60,5 First Serve In Percentage (%) & Under 58,5 at 1.90.
Setcast
You can predict the total number of sets played in a match and each set’s winner in a row in that market. For best-of-three-set matches, you can pick one selection from a total of six. Taking the example above, you have these online tennis betting options:
- Shapovalov to Win Set 1 & Shapovalov to Win Set 2.
- Murray to Win Set 1 & Murray to Win Set 2.
- Shapovalov to Win Set 1 & Murray to Win Set 2 & Shapovalov to Win Set 3.
- Murray to Win Set 1 & Shapovalov to Win Set 2 & Shapovalov to Win Set 3.
- Shapovalov to Win Set 1 & Murray to Win Set 2 & Murray to Win Set 3.
- Murray to Win Set 1 & Shapovalov to Win Set 2 & Murray to Win Set 3.
Break Markets
One of the winning parameters for athletes is to break their opponent’s serve. You can find high odds in tennis betting on break markets, especially if you back an underdog. For the ATP Madrid Masters, Stefanos Tsitsipas is a major favourite to win against Lucas Pouille. There are three alternatives based on breaks.
First Service Break
Who will make the first serve break in the match?
Pouille at 4.90 (39/10) odds or Tsitsipas at 1.15 (3/20)?
Most Service Breaks
Who will make the most serve breaks in the match?
Pouille at 11.00 (10/1) or Tsitsipas at 1.02 (1/50)?
Break Serve - Set 1
Will Pouille make a break serve at Set 1?
Yes at 3.10 (21/10) & No at 1.35 (7/20)
Will Tsitsiplas make a break serve at Set 1?
Yes at 1.10 (1/10) & No at 6.60 (28/5).
Games Range
Suppose you want to place a bet on the total game number in a tennis match that both contenders can reach; there are particular ranges you can back and in most cases, three games ranges exist:
When looking to place a bet on the total game number in a tennis match, there are specific ranges you can consider, which are offered by leading bookmakers and elite tournaments. In most cases, you will find three game ranges to choose from.
3-way: Υou must choose among three options: 0-16 games, 17-23 & 24+.
5-way: It’s an extended option with five possible alternatives: 0-14 games, 15-18, 19-22, 23-26 & 27+.
7-way: That’s one of the most tricky tennis betting markets because the seven probable selections are too tight: 0-14 games, 15-16, 17-18, 19-20, 21-22, 23-24, & 25+.
Other Specials
Besides the most common tennis betting markets, bookies offer several special options. Before you place your bets, it’s important to know what special markets are available for you.
Combos: It’s an excellent alternative to making a profit because you can find higher odds if you do your homework effectively. You can examine stats and the athletes’ shape in order to back a Winner & the Over/Under Games of a match or to bet on each player’s Total Aces & Double Fault sum. Another popular combo is to predict the Double Result of Set 1 and match.
Duration Markets: It’s a bet type where you should pick the Over/Under on minutes from the first service until the end of a match. One typical minute line for matches with a firm favourite is the 88 minutes for best-of-three-set events.
Game Winning Margin: That market refers to deciding the winning difference of the athlete you back among specific game margins you can select. The ranges for both contenders are 1-2 games, 3-4, 5-6 & 7+.
Bookmakers With the Most Tennis Betting Markets
You can discover the leading ATP, WTA, ITF and Wimbledon Bookmakers in the full list below.
Undoubtedly, the options are uncountable when it comes to the Grand Slams. So, you can find numerous markets for the Wimbledon, Australian, French, and US Open. Besides the elite tournaments, there are dozens of options for ATP and WTA Masters and the lower tennis tiers, such as Challengers and ITF events.
This is when athletes win a match due to their opponents’ inability to compete because of injury or illness. In walkover cases, there’s no previous 24 hours notification. Athletes can face an injury during the warm-up. If players can’t finish a match, their opponents win it by default.
All bets are valid as long as one set is completed in most bookmakers. It’s important to check the retirement rules before placing a bet because they vary among bookies. In some cases, wagers are only valid if the entire match or two sets are completed.
If you want to become a smart tennis bettor, you should learn the sport inside out and keep an archive with your results. Multi accounting can also offer you the advantage of comparing odds and checking the rules in your favour. Last but not least, a good piece of advice is to take all the info about the statistical background of matches and the current athletes’ form.
It’s a decent option for outrights when you back athletes to win a tournament. Instead of one bet, you place two; one bet for the player to win, and a second to finish as a runner-up. In that case, you should check your bookie’s each-way terms.
Combos can boost your winning odds. Among others, you can back a match-winner and the total number of games played, athletes’ or matches’ total aces and double faults, and the set 1 and match double result.
Matches’ duration and game winning margin are two of the most common specials. Depending on the bookie, you can find markets to Win from Behind, the total number of Service Breaks for each player, and bet on both athletes to Win at least One or Two Sets.