As technology in betting has improved, we have seen the number of sports available to bet on increase, covering everything from football to eSports in 2022. One of the most popular sports to bet on however remains to be tennis. Wimbledon is of course the sport’s premier attraction, and every year attracts millions of bettors.
You also have the US and Australian open each year along with plenty of other tournaments such as The Davis Cup and ATP/WTA Finals. With so much action throughout the season there is essentially a match to bet on round the clock, every day of the week. If all of this sounds great to you and you want to get in on the action yourself, here is a guide to betting on tennis.
Before you do anything, you need to find yourself a quality sportsbook. Our go to for tennis betting is 888 Sport. The enhanced-odds specialists have grown in popularity in recent years and for good reason. They offer plenty of promotions to their customers, such as their £5 free bet if you win a 4/1+ bet. This really separates them from the competition and gives punters a reason to bet big. With some of the best odds and expansive sports markets, 888 Sport is a no brainer for tennis fans.
So, what types of bets can you place on tennis? Let’s take a look at some of the most popular amongst punters.
Match Bets
Match bets are the most straightforward to make and is a great starting point if you are new to tennis betting. Think Rafael Nadal is going to win his next Open match? Simply go to the matches tab on 888 Sport’s Tennis page and back him. A favourite will usually pay out on odds less than evens in matches whilst underdogs will pay out over evens, meaning that you may be better off placing match accumulators on a number of players. However, tennis is a sport that sees plenty of upsets so you can get some huge wins on underdog bets if you know your stuff.
Outright Bets
Equally as straightforward as match bets are outright bets. You are betting on players to win tournaments outright rather than singular matches. With so many tournaments throughout the season there are so many possibilities, and you can bet outright before tournaments start or whilst they are being played. The best part is that before the tournament starts, most players you bet on winning the tournament will pay out on odds over evens.
You can of course back multiple players to win the tournament as well if you are struggling to narrow it down to just one runaway winner. Like match betting, there are also the possibilities for huge wins on underdogs. Whilst slightly less likely to see them win outright, it is far from unheard of. It was only last year that Emma Raducanu had one of the biggest upset wins in the history of the sport when she clinched the US Open title. She opened the tournament at an incredible 400/1 before seeing those odds slashed to as low as 4/1 by the time she reached the final.
Handicap bets
Handicap bets are great for tight games or when backing a heavy favourite. A handicap bet essentially means that a sportsbook will give a number of games to underdogs before the match starts, with the winner having to overcome that deficit or the loser having to lose by no less than the number the sportsbook has chosen.
For example, if Djokovic is playing Rublev, Djokovic is likely to be favourite, but Rublev is also likely to give him a competitive match. You can choose whether to back Djokovic to overcome a deficit of 2.5 games (must win by 3 games or more) or Rublev to lose by no more than 2. If the match finishes 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to Djokovic, you can add up the total number of games won (15 Djokovic, 14 Rublev) and determine that Rublev won via his handicap as he lost by just one game, having 1.5 in hand.
Exact score bets
These are probably the most challenging bets of any on the market, however this means they offer gigantic odds. Here you can bet on the exact score of each set, or the exact number of sets won by each opponent. Of course, this is very difficult to do, but is not impossible if you know your stuff. They are good if you want to make a fun bet for a small wager, meaning you rake in huge winnings if it comes in.
These are some of the simplest bets to place but there are plenty more available for bettors who are more advanced. You can use prop bets to back specific events in a match such as ‘Will there be a tie-breaker in the match?’ These make matches a lot of fun to follow to the end. Whichever you decide to back, hopefully this guide has made it a bit easier for you and you will be raking in the winnings in no time!
ATP · Tennis betting · US Open · Wimbledon · WTA
