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Tennis is probably the most popular individual sport around the globe. It also attracts the attention of many sports bettors. Some of them are successful which is a good sign that there’s money to be made. Here are our top picks for tennis betting sites in 2024 in the UK:
| Tennis Betting Sites | Rating (2024) | Register Link |
|---|---|---|
| Bet365 | Bet on tennis now > | |
| Ladbrokes | Bet on tennis now > | |
| Paddy Power | Bet on tennis now > |
As every sport, tennis has a lot of unique things that need to be considered when placing a wager. Knowing them and exploiting as much as possible is the key to success. In this article, we will go through the important things you need to know about betting on tennis. On top of that, there will be an overview of the most popular tennis markets.
What is unique in Tennis?
The first thing that needs to be taken into account is that tennis is an individual sport. That makes it vastly different to the majority of the other popular sports. Unlike football or basketball, for example, the whole match depends on two people only, or four if you prefer doubles.
The mental side of the game is different
For a start, this means that psychology in tennis is different. Changes in momentum are more frequent and the overall performance of the players is less consistent. They have their ups and downs within a match, or even within the same set or game.
The schedule matters a lot
Both men and women have many tournaments each year. One could even argue that they have to play too many of them. As a result, the motivation for each event is different. The players can’t be at their best all the time. That’s why they prepare their schedule in a way allowing them to peak for the most important tournaments during the year. Most of the time, this applies to Grand Slams (French Open, Wimbledon, US Open, Australian Open) and big Masters tournaments. You should always consider how important a certain event is to the player you’re willing to back.
The rankings system should be considered
The ATP rankings system in tennis is very interesting. It covers tournaments that were held in two consecutive seasons. Each player has to defend the points gathered by reaching at least the same round as the year before. As a result, players tend to play better at tournaments where a lot of points are at stake.
They are motivated to keep their place in the rankings. It’s crucial for their future performance as well. The higher the position, the bigger tournaments. It also affects the opponents they face and the draw in general. This is why you should always see what was the player’s performance in the same tournament a year ago, it might make the difference.
The surface is critical
There are three types of surfaces in tennis: grass, hard courts and red courts (clay). Each of them is different compared to the others.
For example, clay court is a slower surface and the bounce of the ball is higher. This gives good baseliners a huge advantage. The typical example is Rafael Nadal who was unbeaten on clay for years. Hard courts are much faster, while the bounce of the ball on grass is much lower. This gives players with a good serve and net play the upper hand.
It also should be mentioned that certain games are being played indoors. This also has an impact. Make sure to check if that’s the case and see the players’ records in such events.
Head-To-Head stats will tell you a lot
Previous results matter in each sport, but especially in tennis. Every player has a favourite opponent and someone that he just hates playing against. Sometimes it’s a psychological thing, other times the main reason is the difference in styles.
Either way, the head-to-head records of players that met at least 5-6 times could tell you a lot. Of course, you should always consider age as a factor. If one of the opponents was too young during the first couple of meetings, the stats could be a bit deceiving.
Most popular tennis betting markets: How to bet?
After going through the most important aspects of tennis, it’s time to take a look at the most popular betting markets. They are the ones attracting the attention of most bettors. Also, most winning players usually stick to them.
The classic match winner
This one is pretty obvious and most people prefer it. Going for the winner has some advantages and the biggest one is simplicity. You can focus on the most important aspects of the game and try to evaluate the chances of each player. If you get it right often enough, chances are you will be profitable in the long run.
The Pro’s choice – Handicaps
Handicap lines in most sports have the purpose of making an event closer and eliminating the advantage of the favourite. It’s the same in tennis with the games/sets handicaps available. Most professional players pick them, as they provide a steady price of around the 2.00 mark. The match winners odds can vary greatly if there’s a significant different in the skills of both players. This could be an issue that handicap markets eliminate.
Your analysis on such markets should include the possible difference in the expected breaks between the two players. Even a huge difference in the rankings and abilities of the two players can only result in just a single break per set, especially in men’s tennis.
Live Betting – dynamics that create opportunities
Obviously, live betting itself is not exactly a market. Still, it deserves its special place as tennis is one of the best sports for in-play wagers and trading. The odds vary greatly, there are lots of ups and downs. This creates plenty of opportunities for live bets.
Many of the professional bettors out there focus on watching the games and taking advantage of this volatility, especially when it comes to women’s games. You will often see the favourite lose a couple of games in a row, get high odds and see her win at the end.
This betting style requires experience, quick thinking and lots of time to closely follow each game. However, it can be highly rewarding.
Conclusion
As you can see, betting on tennis is hardly simple. It requires deep knowledge of the game and all of its aspects to become a long-term winner.
The good news is that if you get there, there are countless tournaments all over the globe. There are games available on almost a daily basis. This is a huge advantage over other sports that are played once a week and also have breaks in the summer or in the winter.
We do recommend our Unibet bonus code to start betting on tennis.
last update : December 2024
