Tennis is often regarded as being one of the most popular sports worldwide, with competitions seeing a huge number of viewers and bets placed each year. Tennis is especially followed on the continent of Oceania and in Western Europe; however, it is much beloved all over the globe, with its grasp stretching from North America all the way to SouthEast Asia.
As a result of this, tennis has become one of the sports which sees bets placed on it most frequently, with this only continuing to increase since the shift to online bookmakers. Consequently, newer tennis betting markets have begun to spring up alongside the more traditional ones you may already be familiar with. Due to this, it could potentially be confusing to newcomers and even experienced betters as the number of options related to varying aspects of a tennis game.
Not to worry, as in this piece, we will be breaking down all of the most popular tennis betting markets, as well as some of the more nuanced ones, to ensure you are fully informed in regards to tennis betting as a whole. What’s more, we will even be covering how you could use some of these markets in matched betting, one of the many new side hustles out there, so read on to learn all there is to know surrounding tennis betting markets.
The Rules of Tennis
To understand how tennis betting markets function, we must first delve into how the sport of tennis works in general. Tennis sees two players or two sets of doubles face off against one another with an aim to score points against their opposition. In the simplest of terms, this is achieved by hitting a fluffy green ball over a net with a racket in a way where the other player or players cannot return it before it bounces twice. The ball can bounce once before being hit; however, this must land within the boundaries of the tennis court itself.
Scoring is divided into points, and winning a game plays out as follows:
- The first point scored is called “15”.
- The next point scored is called “30”.
- The third point scored moves up to “40”, and winning the next serve would award the game.
However, there are some more unique rules should a game be tied 40-40, and this is referred to as a deuce. Should this occur, one player must win two consecutive points in order to win the match.
To win the game as a whole, players must win a certain number of sets, with these being 6 wins each. In essence, this is usually how a regular game of tennis plays out, with an umpire accompanying play that essentially makes all of the calls and referees the match.
This brief run down is just one example of the comprehensive sports betting guides we have on site. There is a whole host of alternative ones that range from football all the way to horse racing for you to check out at OddsMonkey.
Different Tennis Betting Markets
Now that you have had a brief rundown of the overall game of tennis, you may wish to place some bets on any of the popular events or individual games being played out. However, like with all other sports, there is a wide array of tennis betting markets, each of which works in its own way and has its set of correlating rules. Below, we will be deciphering each of the tennis betting markets available and discussing how these work.
Outright Winner Bets
One of the most popular tennis betting markets you may be familiar with is outright winner bets. These span across most branches of sports betting, thanks to their straightforward nature and general simplicity. These bets refer to a bettor predicting which player they think will win a matchup, and that is pretty much it. The odds of each of the selections are often determined by a number of factors, including a players form, the type of court they are playing on and any previous matchups they may have had with their opponent, and these are often the most common type of bets that are compiled into a bet slip.
Additionally, these are usually the most used type of betting option in regard to matched betting. If you wish to find out more, you could check out the matched betting blog, which houses so much additional information.
Match Handicaps
The next tennis betting market which is frequently available is match handicaps, with these working in a similar fashion to outright winner bets. Bettors aim to predict which player or coupling will win their respective match; however, the selection will have a virtual handicap placed on them. This is commonly applied to a game which features a heavy favourite against an underdog, and the handicap means that a player must win a game by a certain margin in order to win. This gives the opponent a theoretical advantage meaning that the odds of handicap bets are often higher than that of outright winner bets, despite them relating to the same outcomes. Specifically in relation to tennis, the handicap could relate to either a number of games or sets a selection must win by.
First To Win Bets
Sticking with the most easy-to-understand tennis betting markets, to begin with, first-to-win bets also are very straightforward. As their name denotes, these bets refer to a bettor trying to predict which player will be the first to win either a point, game or set. Depending on who serves first can significantly determine the odds of this, with these often changing depending on current standings in relation to in-play betting.
Over and Under Bets
Like with most other sports, over and under totals are another popular tennis betting market. These can refer to match finishing over or under a certain amount of games, and the same can be applied to sets too. On the other hand, this tennis betting market has begun to see more unique betting options spring up in recent years, with their now being the potential ability to predict whether there will be above or below a certain number of tie breaks or even breaks of serves.
Correct Score Bets
As their name implies, correct score bets are a tennis betting market which allows you to place stakes on the exact outcomes of a match. Instead of purely relating to the overall winner, these require an exact score to be selected. These types of bets relate to different aspects of the game, like predicting the correct score of a specific match and the points scored within it or the correct score of a set and the number of games each player wins within it. Additionally, this can be applied to a match as a whole, with predicting the number of sets per player also being an option. Furthermore, you could potentially place bets on the correct scoreline after a certain number of games instead of the entire match.
Set Winners
Once again, this set-winner tennis betting market does as it says on the tin. Bettors could bet on the winners of individual sets, either before they begin or as they are ongoing. If it is the latter, the odds of these could fluctuate based on current standings, making it a popular option for in-play betting.
Future Bets
Future bets are typically placed in advance of an event, with these most commonly relating to the winners of tournaments. This tennis betting market is applicable to some of the largest tennis tournaments, including Wimbledon, the Australian and Us Open, The Roland Garros and even the Davis Cup, just to name a few. Before each event, each competitor has their own individual odds, with this being determined by current form, the level of competitors and previous outings at a particular event.
However, these bets don’t only allow bettors to predict who will win a tournament; they also present the option to predict the players that reach stages like the quarter or semi-finals. As an event progresses and players are eliminated, odds will consistently change, once again based on current events.
Feel free to check out our dedicated Wimbledon Matched Betting piece for an in-depth guide of how you can profit from the most famous tennis event of the year.
Winning Margin
Similar to the aforementioned correct score bets, this tennis betting market refers to the overall margin a game, set, or match may be won by. The more specific these bets are, the higher the odds tend to be due to it being a difficult aspect to predict.
To Not Win a Set
Although it may seem rather harsh in relation to the game, you can actually bet on a player not to win a set at all during a game. This is a more niche tennis betting market which isn’t as popular as others we have already discussed; however, there could be some elements to take into consideration when placing these bets. If there is a severe underdog in a match or some rumoured lingering injuries revolving around a player, this could potentially indicate some value bets for this specific betting option.
In Play Tennis Betting Markets
Due to the technology now implemented across most online bookmakers, in-play betting has only continued to increase in popularity. As we have already mentioned, tennis betting markets such as outright winners, first-to-win bets, set winners and over/under bets could all be utilised in play. However, as these bets are being placed as a match is ongoing, the odds will adjust and change in real time depending on current standings. For example, if a player is winning by a number of sets or games, their odds could decrease whilst their opponents will increase. You could either select the current favourite or edge on the underdog in hopes they potentially mount a comeback. In-play betting often allows you to watch along at the same time as well, with you being able to keep an eye on how a player or match is going.
Tennis Betting Promotions and Offers
As this is one of the leading sports betting markets, many online casinos and bookmakers will present some promotions and offers that can be applied to the tennis betting markets we have just covered. Best Odds Guaranteed offers are common in terms of tennis betting as these ensure the odds of a selection at a certain bookmaker will be the best out of all the other bookmakers.
Matched Betting with Tennis Betting Markets
One betting strategy which has seen an immense rise in overall popularity in previous years is matched betting. Unlike general sports betting, this isn’t purely determined by luck, as it involves placing bets on all outcomes of a match in order to cover all potential eventualities. Regardless of the outcome, this strategy could be used in order to lock in certain margins of profit.
This is done by using various bookmakers who offer varying odds on the same event. Although this seems time-consuming and difficult, this is where we at OddsMonkey come in. Matched betting involves placing a stake on a certain outcome to occur as well as for it not to occur, with these being referred to as back and lay bets. This can be specifically applied to tennis and its accompanying betting markets, as well as a whole host of other sports.
However, in relation to tennis, this is quite straightforward due to their only being two competitors facing off against each other. By using a matched betting calculator, you could work out what odds are required for each selection and the corresponding stakes that need to be placed in order to capitalise on bookmaker odd discrepancies and secure a certain amount of profit. This means that it doesn’t matter if your selection wins or loses, as a profitable return could be made should you follow the strategy correctly.
Tennis Betting Markets Summary
Taking everything we have discussed into consideration, you should now have a much better understanding of how tennis betting works as a whole and the different tennis betting markets that correspond to it. Whether you are a casual bettor who prefers the more simplistic outright winner bets, a strategic in-play bettor who likes to delve into statistics and match data or even a matched bettor who wishes to make the most out of bookmaker promotions and offers. There is likely a tennis betting market which correlates to your individual preferences.
Should the aforementioned matched betting approach be your preference, we here at OddsMonkey specialise in this method. You can find a whole plethora of different betting calculators and comprehensive betting guides which could help you remain as informed as possible during your possible matched betting endeavours.
