How to bet on Tennis: go to guide to the best betting strategies

Tennis is one of the biggest individual sports on the planet and has a very large gambling market. With the right information and strategy that this guide will give you, the sport of tennis can be optimised in betting and produce excellent results.

This information is not only for those just starting out: experienced sports bettors in the USA who know the game of tennis will get quite a lot out of this guide and be able to take their betting to the next level. 

You would be surprised at the depth in tennis betting, you can bet many more aspects to a tennis match or tournament than just the winners and losers. With this flexibility comes more to learn, but it gives you a range of options and predictions to bet on, allowing you to attain as much profit as possible. 

Bet Types in Tennis

The first type of tennis bet I would like to introduce you to is the simplest and one of the most effective.

Outright Winner

The outright winner bet, commonly referred to as the ‘to win’ bet. You simply bet on who you think will win the tournament or match.

For example, if you had bet on Rafa Nadal to win the Men’s 2020 Roland-Garros (French Open) then you would have won, because he won the tournament.

It is as simple as that, before the start of each major you will be able to find odds of each competitor and decide whether your pick is worth betting on. 

If you are unsure on who to bet on and don’t know the game of tennis well, here are some of the main men to look out for in tennis: Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, Dominic Thiem and Roger Federer.

These four make up the current top four in the world rankings for men and will be among the favourites for all the majors.

As for women, the players you want to look out for are Ashleigh Barty, Simona Halep, Naomi Osaka and Karolina Pliskova.

Of course, there are more competitors who could win, but for newcomers, the top four in the World Rankings will always make for safer bets, especially if you don’t have time to conduct your own research. 

The favorites for a tournament usually offer a +200 to +400 odd range, meaning if you were to bet $100 you would receive between $200-$400 for a winning bet, which is a great return, if you predict the outcome correctly. 

Underdogs Betting in Tennis

If you bet on an underdog, you can make upwards of $10,000 on a $100 bet, it is highly unlikely for one of these competitors to pull off an upset and win the whole tournament. However, underdogs could win specific matches, which brings us to our next topic.

Match betting

The bet I would like to discuss is match betting, similar to an outright winner bet but only for one particular match, hence the name. You will have the option of picking either player to win. The odds will be adjusted depending on the likelihood of that player winning or losing. The favorite will usually pay out less than even money, while the underdog will usually pay-out better. 

Over/Under Bets

The next is slightly more complicated: over/under betting. An over/under bet in tennis is a bet on how many sets that match will take before a winner is determined. You are not required to choose a winner. You can bet on under or over 2.5 sets. Below 2.5 will see the game finish in two sets, and over 2.5 will be three or more sets to be played before the winner is determined. 

Prop Bets

A final example I would like to share is prop betting in tennis. Prop bets are wagers where the sportsbook proposes a scenario and the bettor decides whether or not they think it will happen. It is a fairly simple and fun way to bet. 

For example, head-to-head matchups on which player will last the longest in a tournament, whether there will be a tie-break in the match and what round a certain player will be eliminated in. These are just a few of the many types of props that some sportsbooks will offer, particularly during the majors.

Pay-out odds will be adjusted based on likelihood of the prop hitting, which is a format that is carried across a lot of sports in the betting world. Make sure you bet on props that take thought and skill to predict, nothing too wild because that is just gambling. 

You can bet on tennis in the several U.S. states with legal online betting. Try sites like William Hill, bet365, Pointsbet and other apps that offer promotions and special odds boost on tennis matches.