Exploring Tennis Betting Markets

Tennis betting markets are a must know if you’re looking to start placing wagers on tennis.

Key Points

– With several tennis betting markets, bettors have numerous chances to win.

– Live tennis betting is one of the hottest trends in the industry.

Tennis isn’t the typical sport that comes to mind when most bettors think about betting on sports. Betting on the sport isn’t as popular in the U.S., but bettors around the world do enjoy it.

There is always a tennis tournament on the schedule, which means plenty of betting opportunities each and every week. The ATP (men’s) and WTA (women’s) tours travel the globe and play at different times.

That means that the smarter tennis bettor can find action almost every day of the week. Since the sport isn’t as popular as the four major North American sports, the betting markets can be less efficient giving bettors a slight edge.

If you are looking to take advantage of this sport, it starts with exploring tennis betting markets.

Just like other sports, bettors can wager on the moneyline in a tennis match. It’s the easiest bet to understand as you are betting on one player to win the match.

For example, Novak Djokovic is a -125 favorite over Rafael Nadal who is a +105 underdog. If you like the favorite, you’ll win $1 for every $1.25 you wager.

Other sports also offer period or quarter moneylines. Baseball offers the First Five Innings moneyline. Tennis also offers moneyline bets on the First Set, for example. Moneylines are the favorites of many. It’s an easier answer for anyone askin is betting on tennis profitable.

Tennis actually offers two different ways to bet on the point spread. One of the ways is on the game spread. 

In tennis since it’s a one-on-one sport, there is less variance. The results are some big favorites on the moneyline, especially in early-round matches. Take Djokovic as an example. 

In a first-round match against Denis Istomin – ranked No. 453 in the world – Djokovic might be a -1100 moneyline favorite. The point spread, or game spread in this case, evens the playing field. Choosing the best sportsbook has to include having the best betting lines.

The game spread might be set at Djokovic -4.5. If you bet on the favorite, he would need to win five more games than his opponent. In a three-set match if Djokovic wins 6-3, 6-3; then you win the bet. Djokovic won 12 games and Istomin only won 6. If the match ends with Djokovic winning 6-4, 6-4; then bets on Istomin win.

Tennis bettors can also wager on set spreads. Most men’s matches are best-of-five sets and women’s are best-of-three, so the set spreads are lower. For example, in women’s matches the set spread is typically -1.5 for the favorite.

If Simona Halep wins a match 6-4, 6-2 in straight sets, you would win a bet on her to cover the set spread. If her opponent won a set, the bet would lose.

Betting on tennis totals is placing a wager on how many total games will be played in a specific match. If two players are playing in a three-set match, the total number of games might be set at 22.5. If you are betting the Over, you need 23 or more games to be played.

For example if Halep faces Coco Gauff and Halep wins 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, the Over bet is a winner since 25 total games were played. 

One of the most popular tennis bets is a futures bet on an overall tournament winner. Odds will be posted well in advance of a tournament’s start date and bettors can find some serious value if they look hard enough. Tennis majors offer a huge variety of futures and other specials.

It is common to find tennis tournament favorites listed at +500 or higher. In some cases, an overall tournament winner might have a favorite listed at +1000. Those are some nice payouts on a favorite.

Bettors will also find other tennis futures bets such as To Win a Quarter. The odds won’t be as great in this market, but bettors can still find favorable odds. For example, a wager on Nadal at +105 to win his quarter in a tournament pays off if he makes the semifinals. He doesn’t have to win. 

Betting on live tennis is becoming one of the hottest trends in the industry. Odds can change after every point and the sport lends itself to finding some guaranteed wins.

A player is down 3-0 or 4-0 in the fifth and final set. You take that player at +900 to come back and win. He comes back and ties the set at say 4-4. The opponent is now at plus-money. You take it and guarantee a win.

There are some interesting tennis prop bets, but you will not find them offered at all events. Typically, just the major tournaments (Grand Slam events) will offer tennis props. Some of the props include Exact Score and whether there will be a tiebreak or not. 

It may not be a mainstream sport, but tennis offers bettors a lot of opportunities to find wins and pad their bankrolls.