Whether it’s the ATP or WTA, betting on tennis tournaments online is easy, convenient and a great way to add a little extra excitement to a game you already love to watch.
Our handy tennis betting guide tells you everything you need to know about wagering on the much-loved sport, from tennis betting odds explained to rules and strategies. If you're ready to try out tennis betting online, we've found the top 10 betting sites that welcome United Statess.
Whether you’re a fanatic, occasional spectator, or simply want to enter the thrilling world of online sports betting, tennis is a great sport to bet on, offering up lots of great wagering opportunities for bettors.
Here are a few of the biggest reasons United Statess love betting on tennis:
Hit the 'Tennis' tab on your United States online sportsbook and you'll find a full list of tours and Slams to wager on. In most cases, certainly with Grand Slams, you can bet on the outright winner months in advance. The odds change over time as favourites rack up wins or get injured.
Individual matches usually have around 15-20 markets on them, from the winner of the match to the set score (e.g. 2-0, 3-1 etc) and the winner of the first set. Some sites offer in-running betting where you can place bets on the winner of the next point. Odds change in real time and canny bettors can take a profit as the market switches.
Unsure of how tennis betting odds work? Don’t sweat it. To give you a clearer picture, we’ve put together an example using the men’s tennis odds for the US Open 2021 final:
World no.1 Djokovic was the favourite to win, highlighted by the fact that his odds were negative, while his opponent, Daniil Medvedev, was the betting underdog. To win C$100 in profit, you would have needed to bet C$250 if backing Djokovic and C$210 if backing Medvedev.
The payout odds are always greater when you bet on the underdog, but of course there’s more risk involved. In the case of this match, Medvedev ended up winning the Grand Slam Final, and so United States bettors who wagered C$210 would have won C$100.80 in profit.
We’re using American moneyline style odds in this example, but betting odds can also be expressed as decimals or fractions. Check out our odds calculator below to see how the different odds and prices compare:
There are many different ways to bet on tennis. Some of the best tennis bets today include wagering on the moneyline, the game or set spread, or the over/under. We’ll take you through how some of the most popular bets work below:
One of the most popular sports bets on the market, a moneyline bet is simply betting on which player will win the match. In the case of the above example, we know Djokovic is the favourite as he is represented with a minus sign, while Medvedev is the underdog (shown with a plus sign).
You’ll find tennis handicap betting is very similar to spread betting in other sports. It aims to level the playing field when you have a situation whereby a champion is going up against a much less talented or experienced player. As there’s such a clear favourite, bookmakers will offer a spread, so you can instead bet on how a player will win by a number of games or sets, rather the final result of the match.
This is a wager on the total number of games or sets played in a match. So, if you consider women’s tennis odds, the over/under for total games for the recent 2021 US Open Final between Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez was set at 21.5. As young British talent Raducanu ended up winning the match in two sets (6-4, 6-3), those who bet under would have won as the match only went to 19 games.
Prop bets, or proposition bets, are great for those of you looking to spice up your online betting experience. Tennis prop bets are pretty wide-ranging, covering everything from which player will win the first set, how many sets a player will win by, whether or not there will be a tiebreak, etc. Of course, be aware that these types of bets come with much greater risk and are generally only offered during major tournaments.
When it comes to live or in-play betting, it doesn’t get much for exciting than tennis. Odds can fluctuate rapidly as the match unfolds, with sportsbooks adjusting the prices to reflect the sudden shifts in play, so you need to be on your A game to ensure you don’t miss out on a decent profit.
With in-play tennis betting tips, we recommend paying attention to the markets throughout the match as quite often in tennis the underdog will re-enter the game after being two sets down and in some cases go on to win. We also strongly suggest doing your research when it comes to things like stats and players prior to the match to inform your tennis in-play betting strategy.
You don't need to worry about missing any of the online sports betting action anymore. Tennis fans in USA can easily place bets on their mobile or tablet no matter where they are, so long as there’s a stable internet connection.
The majority of top sportsbooks today have downloadable apps for both iPhone and Android. Of course, some of you may simply prefer to visit the site and place bets through your mobile browser rather than downloading software. The choice is yours.
Make sure to take note of these key dates in the tennis calendar, so you don’t miss out on any of the betting action:
The next major tennis event is scheduled for January 17, 2022, and is the Australian Open, the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year.
There are many different ways to bet on tennis, but some of the most popular include the moneyline, the game or set spread, and over/under betting.
Tennis fans can wager on just about any men's or women's tennis tournament. The Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open are the most popular, but you can also bet on team events like the Davis Cup. The Rogers Cup and United States Open are also widely popular in USA.
Like all forms of betting, it helps to be knowledgeable about the game or at least particular players and matches to stand the best chance of winning. Research should be a key part of your tennis betting strategy. Tennis info and analysis is available on ESPN, TSN, Sportsnet and other CA or international websites. You can also make use of various tipsters who offer tennis betting picks and predictions.
In tennis handicap betting, the weaker player is given a positive (+) handicap, which is subsequently added to their final score to give them an advantage. Meanwhile, the stronger player is given a negative (-) handicap, which is deducted from their total games score to level the playing field between the two players.
If you've ever enjoyed online gambling, tennis betting lines work just like the odds and payouts in other sports.
These lines are expressed in American odds, but you may also encounter British odds, which use fractions and decimals.
Tennis odds are in many ways similar to other sports betting odds. To put it simply, If a tennis player or team has a minus sign (-) in front of their odds, they are typically the favourite. If they have a plus sign (+), they are the underdog.
The three main types of betting odds are fractional (British) odds, decimal (European and United States) odds and American (moneyline) odds. Check out our handy odds calculator above to find out more.
This very much depends on the sportsbook you’re using and the type of bet being placed. Some will use the ‘Ball Served’ rule, which means that if the player you’re backing retires after one serve of the ball, you’ll lose your bet. Others may go with the ‘One Set Completed or ‘Two Set Completed’ rule, so if a player retires before one full set or two full sets, your bet is void and you’ll get your money back.
There’s also the ‘Match Completed’ rule, which means that if your player retires at any point before the match is completed, the bet will be graded as void and your money returned to you.
