Tennis Betting Markets Explained

With world no. 1 Jannik Sinner burning his way through the rounds and second place Novak Djokovic out in the third round, US Open fever is abounding and many are looking to get in on the tennis betting action. For those new to the world of tennis or online sports betting, navigating the terminology can be difficult.

But don’t lose hope! We’re here to explain the tennis betting markets so that you know exactly what you’re doing when you’re ready to place that bet.

There are several bet types that can be placed on a tennis match or tournament, it just depends on what sort of odds you’re looking for, who’s playing on the day, and the tennis betting market that best speaks to you. Here’s a look at the options available. 

• Outright betting

If you’re starting out your tennis betting journey, then the best option is to start with the outright betting option. This is basically where you choose which of the tennis players you think is the strongest, and has the best chance of winning – the outright winner. To go with this, you’re going to want to analyse each player, the tournament they’re playing in, any history of injuries … essentially everything that could factor into their performance on the day. The bookmakers will assign odds to each of the players, depending on their chances of winning. You must remember that when you’re betting on a tournament, the player will be coming up against a number of competitors in various matches so do your research ahead of time.

• Player betting

With this tennis betting market, you’re betting on the player to win the tournament or to finish as a runner-up in the tournament. If the player you choose wins the tournament, you win both bets, but if your player loses in the final you win the second bet but not the first. This is one of the betting types that you’ll need to decide on before the action gets underway.

• Match betting, match-winner

Unlike the outright winner which is the winner of the tournament, match betting or match winner allows you to choose the winner of a particular match. It can often be a lot easier choosing a match-winner as you’re considering two players rather than a number of competitors in a tournament. This is another great tennis betting market for the new punter. The top-seeded tennis players are likely to have poorer odds, which is something you will have to factor in when placing your bet. Either place more money on the favourite or take a chance on the underdog.

• Set betting or set winner

Take it up a notch with set betting or winner, which is where you try to predict the right score of the match with the final set. You might bet player A to win 3 sets and player B to win 2 sets, or whatever the case may be. You could also bet on a player to win in the first, second, third, fourth or fifth set. For the men’s Grand Slam games, it’s a best-of-five-set matches while the women’s Grand Slams are the best-of-three matches.

• Total games or over and under betting

The first thing to determine with this is whether it’s a best-of-three or best-of-five set and then you get to predict whether the total number of games will be over or under the bookmaker’s line. As an example, if Rafael Nadal wins 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 – winning 22 games vs 14 – and you bet 30.5 games, then you will win that bet. The over/under tennis betting market is available in individual sets as well as the number of sets during a match. 

• Handicap betting

With this tennis betting market, you get the chance to predict whether the player will perform as expected, or better than expected. If the player performed according to expectations, you’ll win the bet. Remember that players with a higher ranking will be allotted negative points whereas lower-ranked players get positive points in handicap betting. 

• Live betting

This innovative feature allows you to get in on the tennis betting action, even when the match has started. Some of the options to consider with live betting include betting on the winner of the next point or game, in-game scoring, the next break to serve, the total number of games in the set, and more. You can choose whether you want to bet on the individual games and sets while keeping an eye on the ever-changing odds. This form of betting is great entertainment because you’re able to assess the on-day conditions and player performance as it progresses.

Another great thing about the tennis betting markets is that there’s almost always some form of tennis action around the world. Here’s a look at some of the more prominent tennis tournaments to consider betting on.

There are four Grand Slams hosted throughout the year which provide ample tennis betting opportunities. One of the difficulties when betting on these tournaments is the uneven odds early on when higher-ranked players are taking on fairly unknown players. That’s why many choose to bet on specific events within the tournament like the first to break or the winner of the second set.

1. Australian Open

Hosted in January at Melbourne Park, this is the first tournament of the season, starting as far back as 1905 at Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground in Melbourne. It’s renowned for its high attendance featuring just under 80 000 audience members. 

2. French Open

At Paris’s Stade Roland Garros from late May to early June is the French Open. This is a prestigious event and the only competition held on clay courts.

3. Wimbledon

Easily the biggest tennis tournament worldwide, this is hosted in England’s Wimbledon in July and requires a strict, all-white dress code. It’s usually attended by the royal family and other celebrities and is the only tournament played on a grass court. 

4. The US Open

The final Grand Slam tournament of the year is hosted in August and September in Queens, New York. It’s played on a hard court. 

There is also the ATP Tour with finals in November where the top eight singles players and doubles teams compete. The WTA Tour with finals in October and November.

 There are also many more competitions to bet on through Sportingbet. Check out the tennis betting markets and get in on the action!