Tennis Betting Explained: How to Bet on Tennis Online and Win
Few sports are more popular internationally than tennis. Known originally as “jeu de paume” this racket sport was developed in the monastic cloisters of northern France in the 12th century. Today, it is played by more than one billion people in over 200 countries worldwide. There is no shortage of tennis events and tournaments to watch and bet on, but most fans tend to gravitate to the so-called Grand Slam events. They include the French Open in June, Wimbledon in July, the U.S. Open in August, and the Australian Open in January.
Tennis Basics of Sports Betting
Players are able to bet on tennis in a multitude of ways, making wagering on the sport particularly interesting. The top level sportsbook will offer odds on the ATP, WTA and Challenger series. You can either bet on straightforward futures markets for the outright tournament winner, while also betting on specific matchups.
Like most of the four majors, tennis betting includes a spread, moneyline and a total. The spread is a differential in games won, while the moneyline represents the straight up winner of the match. Totals are determined by how many total games are played.
Betting the Tennis Spread, Moneyline and Total
Standard spreads in tennis range between +/- 1.5 to +/- 3.5 games with relatively even juice on either side of the line. The average TOTAL for tennis odds is 22.5 games. The moneylines usually indicate more clearly how much better a favorite is compared to an underdog.
In matchups where there is a top level player playing against a lower ranked pro, the odds can go as high as -5000 ($5000 to win $100) while the underdog receives odds in the +1200 range ($100 to win $1200). This kind of respect is attributed to the “Big Four” such as Federer, Djokovic, Murray and Nadal. Most everyone else will get much tighter tennis odds.
Tennis Futures and Prop Bets
The futures markets are usually presented for major events, and most of the WTA series. These are wagers based on the outright winner. As usual, you’ll find the Big Four at the top and everyone else below. For reference, women’s tennis futures tend to be somewhat tighter overall because there is much more parity.
In some instances, the oddsmakers will include side bets in the form of propositions such as a player winning in straight sets. Rarely, you can bet on number of aces and things of that nature, but this usually only applies to major tournaments.