Types of bets on tennis
Tennis – the world’s most famous racquet sport and a national summer institution for many a nation worldwide.
Tennis’ origins date back to England’s 19th century, where the sport was played exclusively on grass. The game was derived from ‘real tennis’, a sport that is far more complex than the game we know today. The game is one of the most popular sports in the world to play given its non-discriminatory style which can pit all different ages, body types and genders against one another.
Although the rules are typically the same (only difference being the length of matches from tournament to tournament), the unique aspect of tennis is the fact it can be played on a myriad of different surfaces and it can be played either indoors or outdoors without any need to tinker with the rules.
Today, tennis is defined by the four major tournaments (or Grand Slams in tennis vernacular) the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
Think you have what it takes to bet on tennis? If you are apprehensive about placing your cash on the world’s favourite racquet sport then this article should steer you in the right direction.
Interesting Tennis facts:
- Wimbledon is the only tournament in the world where a dress code enforced; the rule dictates that all players must wear almost entirely white attire
- As of May 2016, Roger Federer has won the most ($97.3 million dollars US) tournament prize money in the history of the sport, while Novak Djokovic is the next best ($94.05 million dollars US)
- John McEnroe has won the most combined titles of any male player; winning 155 titles across both the singles and doubles arena
- Martina Navratilova has been by far the most successful female tennis player in the history of the sport, winning an incredible 344 titles across her sparkling 31 year career
- The longest ever match on the professional circuit was played in 2010 at Wimbledon; the match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut lasted 11 hours and five minutes
- The shortest ever match took place way back in 1922 between Suzanne Lenglen and Molla Mallory – the match was over in just 23 minutes
- Australian speedster Sam Groth has the fastest ever recorded serve, blasting a 163.4 mph serve back in 2012
Tennis betting types
- Head-to-head
Head-to-head betting is as simple as selecting which player you believe will win the match. - Set betting
Set betting works in a few different ways. You can place a correct score in the set betting market (Federer to win 3-0), you can bet on a player to win at least one set and you can bet on the amount of sets you think will be played out in the match. - Game betting
Game betting can be placed as a line bet on the amount of games in a match, a correct games betting margin (Djokovic 6-3) or as a handicap bet.
Tips for betting on tennis
- Be wary of the lead up tournaments
We all know about the four major Grand Slams, which are the titles that most players in the world truly covet. Is that to say the other tournaments throughout the year are inconsequential? No, of course not.There is no question though that players sometimes choose to use lead in tournaments to the Grand Slams as a way of trying new techniques, trailing new equipment or nailing down a strategy that they will intend to use on one of the majors. Upsets tend to happen in the tournaments that are extremely close to the Grand Slams, so be careful when taking the short odds on a top-10 player – they may just let you down.
- It is the surface that counts
Tennis’ unique style of having the game played on completely different surfaces can hand players that have grown up playing on a particular court style a specific advantage. Throughout the years we have seen players that have thrived on the clay surface that have struggled on the grass, and vice versa.Always check the records of players on a particular surface; even some of the very best players in the world have struggled to progress deep in tournaments that have a playing surface that does not suit their style of play.
Best sites to bet on the tennis
If you are looking for a multitude of betting options on the tennis, you needn’t look any further than one of Australia’s favourite bookmakers Sportsbet.com.au. Sportsbet have a terrific amount of markets on the tennis on not just the majors, but the lesser tournaments too; making it a go-to destination for all tennis punters.
If you are looking to place futures bets on the tennis, WilliamHill.com.au is your best option. Markets for all the major events are put up a year in advance, putting William Hill at the forefront of future tennis betting.
Looking to keep it simple? BetEasy.com.au may be the place for you. There are quick links to the closest tournament and easy to find markets, BetEasy are a destination for those looking to get in and out of their bets with minimum fuss.