How to Bet on Tennis

Despite the lack of an American star on the men’s tennis circuit at the moment, many sports bettors like to bet on tennis in the U.S. However. As well, it’s a much bigger deal internationally, especially in Europe. If you know what you’re doing, there is plenty value in betting tennis.

Tennis is unique in that it’s an individual sport, and tournaments are comprised of matches between players. The majors offer seven rounds of play, which afford plenty of opportunities for placing wagers. There are generally more betting options for the majors than for regular tour events.

BETTING TENNIS TOURNAMENTS AT ONLINE SPORTSBOOKS

Futures odds of winning the tournament are set for each player in the field. If Rafael Nadal, for instance, has odds of +200 to win the French Open, a $100 bet wins $200. For most tournaments, the odds for each player, even the favorite, are much higher than that.

Once the draws are announced, futures bets on each quarter of the draw might also be available. For quarter futures, the player only needs to reach the semifinals for the bet to pay off when you bet on tennis.

There are two primary match bets generally available. The first is the moneyline, where the bettor places a wager on the player they believe will win the match. Sometimes, like other betting lines, tennis moneylines can vary from sportsbook to sportsbook. Check out the best sportsbook to bet on tennis.

Odds are set for each player, and the bet pays off for the winner of the match. There is generally a favorite, whose odds are indicated by a minus sign in front of their odds. The underdog will have a plus sign in front of their odds. 

There are also spread bets for tennis matches. The spread is expressed in sets and pays off if the player wins by more than the spread. This bet is more prevalent in major tournaments, where the men play five sets.

Another spread bet is on the total games won in a match, but this bet is less frequently available. In this bet, the spread is expressed in games, just like points in a football or basketball game. 

In a match where a player has a 5.5-game spread, they need to win six more games than their opponent. A 6-4, 6-4 result would pay off for the underdog because the favorite failed to cover the 5.5-game spread.

This bet is similar to the over/under wager in football, basketball or other sports. The betting line is the total number of games played in the match. The bettor doesn’t have any interest, at least for the wager, of which player wins the match.

A total games over/under bet can make even lopsided matches interesting to watch. It’s hard to believe that Nadal would lose to a qualifier in a clay-court event. More interesting is trying to decide how many games he might lose along the way.

There are as many proposition bets available as the imagination can think of. Who gets the first break of service or how many aces will be served are just a couple.

Sometimes just by reading the most recent tennis news, you can get a leg up on your sportsbook.

These are usually offered only for major tournaments where there is a lot of interest.

Many sportsbooks now offer live betting, where the odds can change literally with each game played. It’s a great way to enhance the viewing as well as the wagering experience.

Almost all online and physical sportsbooks offer wagering on tennis. As more U.S. states legalize and offer sports betting, those options are certain to increase. Take a look around for the best place for you to bet on tennis.