Betting on Tennis Tips Guide

There are several different sports to bet on, unlike some sports where one can just take a glance at the odds and bet without deep knowledge of how the sport works, tennis betting is quite different in that before betting the individual needs a solid insight to the mechanics of the sport. In tennis, there are several tournaments but four major ones – the Australian Open, the French Open, the Wimbledon and the US Open.

Wimbledon is unarguably commands the most prestige of them all while the other three can be arranged interchangeably based on preferences but generally are ranked in order of prestige as US Open, French Open and Australian Open.

These four are the only competitions worth betting on really because smaller tournaments are more bound to upsets and match fixing incidents, this is not to say that some other competitions cannot be bet on but that these four should be the priority.

Upsets also happen in the grand slams but to a much lesser degree because the big stars bring their A-game to the grand slams and the media hype surrounding it makes it as transparent as possible.

Major bookmakers in this field are Bet365, Unibet, BetEasy, Betfair. After finding a suitable betting brand and competition, you can commence betting.

Tennis betting tips

Before placing any bet, the very first thing required is to know the type of bet you want to place. This seems basic but if an individual gets it wrong here, then every other detail becomes irrelevant. Today, there are different and many bets all with varying odds namely:

• head-to-head betting: is the basic bet type and it involves betting on the player you think will win. It is considered the simplest of all tennis bets as it doesn’t require too much research and also because all bookmakers offer it.
• set betting: this is considered as the most favorable match bet as the odds are perfectly balanced. This bet is unique to only tennis. You have the opportunity to predict the number of sets to be played alongside the winner of the match. If Djokovic is playing Murray, for example, you can bet on Murray to win by 3 to 2 sets.
• total games to be played: this is simply predicting how many games will be played in a match. If a player wins 6-3, 6-4; a total of 19 games were played and if you predicted that ‘under 20’ games would be played you would have won. It is especially handy in the earlier stages of the competition when stronger opponents battle way weaker ones.
• total sets to be played: in this bet, the winner of the tie is not your major concern, but the number of sets to be played. Bookmakers rarely offer this except in big events. The odds are relatively favorable.
• handicap betting: pros thrive here, beginners are often advised to steer clear of this match bet because of its relatively complex nature. It is advisable to obtain detailed information on handicap betting before even considering this bet. If mastered, though, it has the tendency to bring a huge payday.

Tips to consider before placing a bet

Before a bet is placed, it is important to take into account head-to-head statistics of the players. Tennis as a game is played mentally as well as physically and if a player has been consistently losing to a particular opponent, that opponent might have a slight mental edge before the game even starts. Current form, though, is still the most reliable indication to what a match will look like aside the seeding.

Injuries will obviously also play a part as it is difficult to pick rhythm after a lengthy layoff even for superstars. Research on the form of the players but take care not to go too far, two months would suffice. Some tennis players thrive better under certain courts, Rafael Nadal – ‘the king of clay’ springs to mind.

So, research on how well a player has thrived on a particular court in the past. You also need to look for the best odds, don’t just jump on the very first reasonable odd you see as there may be other better ones elsewhere.

Advantages

1. Tennis involves only two players and this makes it very easy to analyze information before a match-up. Consider football, for example, where 22 players are involved it becomes a lot more difficult to assess the mental and physical state of all 22 players before a game.
2. Tennis is played throughout all seasons unlike many sports and even during the gap between major tournaments many smaller competitions – as many as nine different competitions could occur in a month.
3. Rarely affected by external factors. Very rarely will a game of football go by without dissatisfaction towards the officiating. This is limited to the barest minimum in tennis.

Disadvantages

1. Deciding the mental condition of the players is tough. While the physical condition may be assessed, mental condition is almost inaccessible to betters.
2. If a player becomes injured, the bet becomes void unlike in other sports like basketball where the injured player can simply be replaced and the bet remains open.
3. Match fixing is common in smaller competitions.