The Basics Of Tennis
Tennis is both a physical and a mental game, requiring opposing players to think quickly and calculate their best next move. Tennis is played with a racquet and ball, requiring each player to hit the ball over the net onto the opposition’s side of the court. Each side of the court is marked with identical lines, within which the ball must land for it to remain in play.
The game starts at ‘love’ or 0-0, increasing to 15 for the first point scored, followed by 30 and 40. If both players earn enough points for the score to be 40-40 (also referred to as a deuce or 40-all), a player must score two points in a row to win the game. Each game makes up a set, which is a minimum of six games. For a player to win a set, they must win at least six games with a margin of two. For example, if the set score was 6-5, the players would continue playing until the score was 7-5 or 8-6. A match is made up of these sets and is essentially a best of three or a best of five.
With so many small parts making up a full tennis tournament, you can begin to see the vast number of betting opportunities that tennis offers.
How To Bet On Tennis
Being a well-known and popular sport, almost all good betting sites will offer betting on tennis. So, the first thing to do is shop around and find the betting site, or sites, you want to use to eventually place your bet. When comparing betting sites, consider the following:
- The markets they offer
- How their odds compare to other betting sites
- If they provide in-play betting
- The welcome offers and promotions available
- How easy it is to use the site
Once you have a few betting sites on standby, the next thing to do is place your bet. When you know the market you would like to bet on and the prediction you would like to make, follow these easy steps:
- Log in or register with your chosen betting site
- Navigate to their tennis section
- Select the match or tournament you would like to bet on and find the specific market you are after
- Check that you are happy with the odds
- Enter your wager and submit your bet
The odds on each betting site will typically vary for each market. Therefore, it is a good idea to compare the odds between your preferred sites and place your bet with the one quoting the best odds. This way you will get the best value for your money should you have a winning bet.
Tennis Betting Markets
As we’ve mentioned, there are a vast number of markets to choose from when betting on tennis. Below, we explain the most common markets you will find on betting sites. However, there are plenty of other prop bets to choose from that allow you to bet on specific niches throughout the tournament.
As the name suggests, and as with other sports, the outright winner market allows you to predict the winner of a tournament. Typically placed before the tournament has started, this is a very popular long-term bet.
Some betting sites may also offer this bet as an in-play bet, giving you the chance to bet after the tournament has started. However, there will be a cutoff point. With this market, you will find that the best odds are available before the tournament has begun. They will then fluctuate based on the player’s performance throughout the tournament.
Rather than betting on the whole tournament, this market allows you to bet on an individual match. The most common match bet is match winner where you have the chance to predict who will win the match. However, you may also find other prop bets for a match such as the number of sets that will be played.
Following the same premise, the set betting market allows you to bet on the sets within a match. The most common set bet is the game’s final score in terms of set and the winning player. For example, this could look like a set score of 2-1 with Player A as the winner.
There are also plenty of prop bets when it comes to sets, such as total tie breaks, most aces, or who will win the second set. Because set betting allows you to narrow down on a smaller, more specific part of the tournament, it is a great place to put your player knowledge and research to use.
The over/under market is applied to any betting type that has a predetermined number set by the betting site where you can then bet under or over. For example, in tennis, this could be applied to things like the total number of sets in a match.
This market works by the betting site setting a predetermined ‘line’. This line is a number that they think, based on their own research, will be the outcome. You then have to predict whether the actual outcome will be higher (over) or lower (under) than this amount.
The handicap market in tennis, as with other sports, provides a disadvantage to the favourite and an advantage to the underdog before a game starts. Betting on a player to win with the handicap means that you are betting on the outcome after this disadvantage or advantage has been applied.
For example, if the favoured player has a handicap of -1.5, they need to win the match by two or more sets. If the underdog has a handicap of +1.5, this means that they either need to win the match or lose by no more than one set.
Strategies For Betting On Tennis
Start with match winner betting
If you are new to betting on tennis, the best place to start is with the match winner bet. It is a straightforward betting type with plenty of information available to help you make an informed decision.
Player analysis
Before placing a bet, it’s a good idea to get to know all aspects of the players, even down to what surface they perform better on. These specific pieces of information can inform your decision on each individual match and put you in the best position for a winning bet.
Compare head-to-head players
While it is important to know the player’s individual past performances, it is also a good idea to look at the data for any previous matches where the two players have faced each other before. In doing so, a pattern may become apparent. For example, if Player B has won against Player A in 7 out of 10 matches previously, you know that there is a good chance of Player B winning their upcoming match.
In-play betting
Consider partaking in in-play betting. In-play betting allows you to make real time decisions based on the player’s performance so far in the match or tournament. You can make quick decisions about what you think is about to happen, such as who is going to win the next set, based on what you are seeing live on screen.
