Tennis betting is one of the most popular types of betting around nowadays. In this article we will be explaining the best betting sites to use and hand-picked tennis tips and stats which will hopefully prove useful to punters looking to bet on one of the many betting markets available in tennis.
Tennis Betting Strategies
When it comes to betting on tennis matches, it is important to have a look at the rankings for the two players competing to get a better understanding of who is expected to win the match. This will come in handy when betting on the match winner.
It will also be good to have a look at the players’ performance on the type of ground they will be playing on, since some perform better on specific courts such as clay, grass and hard surfaces. Rafael Nadal on clay is one of the classic examples – he won a staggering 91.5% of his matches on clay while his average win percentage is 83%
Unlike football, tennis matches cannot end in a draw so betting on two seemingly equally-strong players may be tricky. That’s where match statistics could give you a helping hand! We suggest having a look at Ultimate Tennis Statistics and looking up both players.
In the case of equally matched players, pre-match bets are difficult to place, despite them probably having tempting odds. Here we suggest waiting for the match to start, following both players’ performance and placing an in-play bet instead.
Strong Servers
In tennis betting, the player serving is normally the favourite to win the point, so first odds will be higher on the player on the receiving end of the serve and for good reason. Someone like Novak Djokovic has won more than 2/3 of the points he has served for.
A good opportunity would then arise when someone with a strong service is playing against someone who has a better ranking. In this case, the player serving will have relatively higher odds when serving since they are serving against a higher-ranked player and the opportunity to bet on that underdog to win the game will probably be worth evaluating.
Point Betting
Most betting sites offer the opportunity to bet on specific points to be won by one player or the other, as well as betting on the number of points there will be in a game. We highly suggest looking at the current form during the match when deciding how to place these bets.
There is a trend which shows that when the player playing the better tennis is serving, the number of points in the game tend to be low, especially if that player has a very strong service game. On the other hand, the number of points is likely to be higher when the player on the receiving end is the favourite since they will be able to break the server’s service advantage.
One other important stat to consider is the percentage of aces a particular player manages to hit. This could determine how to place a bet on how many points a game might have.
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#1
Parimatch
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#2
The Pools
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
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#3
BetVictor
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £5 at odds 2.00+ within 7 days of registering, no cashout. Get 3x £10 Free Bets, set events at odds 2.00+. 7 day bonus expiry. Card payments only. T&Cs apply, see below. begambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly |
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#4
BetUK
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
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#5
Sportingbet
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#6
SpreadEX
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#7
 Kwiff
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#8
10bet
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#9
 Coral
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#10
 LeoVegas
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#11
 BoyleSports
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#12
SBK
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#13
Quinnbet
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#14
Matchbook
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#15
 Bwin
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#16
Luckland
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#17
Paddy Power
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
New Customer Offer. Place your FIRST bet on any Sportsbook market and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £10. Only deposits made using cards will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. Full T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org #ad |
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#18
Smarkets
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#19
 bet365
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
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#20
 888sport
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#21
 Ladbrokes
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first 5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x 5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cashout, restrictions + Full T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org #ad |
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Tennis Points Explained
Tennis matches are won in sets. Normally matches will be won by whoever wins the most out of 3 sets – or 5 sets in more important matches such as tournament finals.
But how does one win a set?
Each set is a race to 6 games. Gameplay is split into 4-point games and players will need to win 6 of these in other to win a set. Service stays on the same side as long as the players are competing for the same game.
Point Counting
Points are the starting point for each game. For each point, players have a maximum of one bounce after the ball has arrived at their end of the court to hit it back over the net, and within the court boundaries of the opposing side. Each time a player fails to do so, a point is awarded to the opposing player.
Points carry different values and names as we can see in the list below:
- 0 points = Love
- 1 point = 15
- 2 points = 30
- 3 points = 40
In order to win a game, players must reach 4 points before the opposing team reaches 3 points. If the points stand at 40-40 then the game has arrived at a “deuce“. In this case, the game will continue to be played until one players wins with a two-point advantage. Here, the points system switches to keep note whether one player has an advantage or where the points have arrived at a deuce again.
Let’s take a Player A/B example to explain this:
Once the game is won, players will change sides and service.
Types of Sets
The players’ goal in a set is to win 6 games by two. But what happens if both players win 5 games? That’s where the two different types of sets come in. These are the Advantage Set and the Tiebreak Set.
The rules of an Advantage Set are simple in this regard – the set must continue until a player wins it by 2 games. In the case of the Tiebreak Set, once the set arrives at 5-5 there are two options available:
- One player wins the next two sets and wins the set at 7-5
- The score reaches 6-6 and a tiebreak game is played. The winner of the tiebreak game will win the set 7-6.
What Is a Tiebreak Game?
A tiebreak game is played at the end of a tiebreak set when players have reached a 6-6 score.
The aim of a tiebreak is to reach 7 points with a gap of at least 2 points from the opponent. In this type of game, points will be counted in ascending order from 0 to 7 (not using the 15, 30, 40 system).
If the tiebreak game score is 6-6, the game will continue until one player wins the game by 2 points. Such a game could potentially have a score such as 20-18 depending on how long it takes for one player to achieve the 2-point margin.
In this game, players will switch ends every six points scored (when then score is 3-3, 5-1 or 4-2).
Different Grand Slam Final Set Points
As of 2019, the 4 Grand Slams decided to adopt a unique final set structure as follows:
| Grand Slam | Final Set Type | Tiebreak at | Tiebreak Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | Tiebreak Set | 6-6 | First to 10 points |
| French Open | Advantage Set | N/A | N/A |
| Wimbledon | Tiebreak Set | 12-12 | First to 7 points |
| US Open | Tiebreak Set | 6-6 | First to 7 points |
Tennis Ranking
In the tennis world, players gain points for every match in a tournament and points are weighted depending on the difficulty or importance of the match. In this way, they can be ranked against each other to see who is the best. Below are the tables for the best- ranked male and female players at the moment.*
*Ranking table updated as of end of September 2021.
Top 10 Male ATP Tennis Players
| Rank | Player | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 34 |
| #2 | Daniil Medvedev | Russia | 25 |
| #3 | Stefanos Tsitsipas | Greece | 23 |
| #4 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 24 |
| #5 | Andrey Rublev | Russia | 23 |
| #6 | Rafael Nadal | Spain | 35 |
| #7 | Matteo Berrettini | Italy | 24 |
| #8 | Dominic Thiem | Austria | 28 |
| #9 | Roger Federer | Switzerland | 40 |
| #10 | Casper Ruud | Norway | 22 |
Top 10 Female WTA Tennis Players
| Rank | Player | Country | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Ashleigh Barty | Australia | 25 |
| #2 | Aryna Sabalenka | Belarus | 23 |
| #3 | Karolina Pliskova | Czech Republic | 29 |
| #4 | Elina Svitolina | Ukraine | 27 |
| #5 | Barbora Krejcikova | Czech Republic | 25 |
| #6 | Iga Swiatek | Poland | 20 |
| #7 | Sofia Kenin | USA | 22 |
| #8 | Naomi Osaka | Japan | 23 |
| #9 | Gabrine Muguruza | Spain | 27 |
| #10 | Petra Kvitova | Czech Republic | 31 |
Upcoming Tennis Tournament Info – 2021
Tennis tournaments are constantly on the go and players get to choose the tournaments they take part in. The upcoming tournaments are the following:
Men’s Upcoming Tennis Tournaments for 2021
- Sofia Open in Bulgaria between 27th September and 4th October 2021
- San Diego Open in USA between 27th September and 4th October 2021
- BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, USA between 4th and 18th October 2021
- VTB Kremlin Cup in Moscow, Russia between 18th and 25th October 2021
- European Open in Antwerp, Belgium between 18th and 25th October 2021
- Erste Bank Open in Vienna, Austria between 25th October and 1st November 2021
- St Petersburg Open in Russia between 25th October and 1st November 2021
- Rolex Paris Masters in France between 1st and 8th November 2021
- Stockholm Open in Sweden between 7th and 14th November 2021
- Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, Italy between 14th and 22nd November 2021
Women’s Upcoming Tennis Tournaments for 2021
- Chicago Fall Tennis Classic in USA between 27th September and 4th October 2021
- Astana Open in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan between 27th September and 3rd October 2021
- BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, USA between 4th and 18th October 2021
- Upper Austria Ladies Linz in Austria between 11th and 18th October 2021
- VTB Kremlin Cup in Moscow, Russia between 18th and 25th October 2021
- Tenerife Ladies Open in Spain between 18th and 25th October 2021
- Courmayeur Ladies Open 2021 in Italy between 25th October and 1st November 2021
- Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca, Romania between 25th October and 1st November 2021
- Argentina Open in Buenos Aires, Argentina between 1st and 8th November 2021
- The Dow Tennis Classic in Midland, USA between 1st and 8th November 2021
- WTA Finals in Guadalajara, Mexico between 8th and 15th November 2021
- Montevideo Open in Uruguay between 15th and 22nd November 2021
Tennis Grand Slam Dates for 2022 and Favourites
All of the above tennis tournaments are important ones but none are more prestigious than the Grand Slams. These are the Australian Open, the French Open, the US Open and Wimbledon. Below you can find the dates and bookmakers’ favourites for the 2022 Grand Slams.
Men’s Grand Slam Dates and Favourites
| Grand Slam | Dates | Favourite (Odds)* |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | 17th to 30th January 2022 | Novak Djokovic (5/4) |
| French Open | 22nd May to 5th June 2022 | Rafael Nadal (6/4) |
| Wimbledon | 27th June to 10th July 2022 | Novak Djokovic (11/10) |
| US Open | 30th August to 12th September 2022 | Novak Djokovic (5/4) |
Women’s Grand Slam Dates and Favourites
| Grand Slam | Dates | Favourite (Odds)* |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | 17th to 30th January 2022 | Naomi Osaka (5/1) |
| French Open | 22nd May to 5th June 2022 | Iga Swiatek (9/2) |
| Wimbledon | 27th June to 10th July 2022 | Ashleigh Barty (5/1) |
| US Open | 30th August to 12th September 2022 | Ashleigh Barty, Naomi Osaka (both 5/1) |
*All odds were taken from bet365 on 24th September 2021
Tennis Tips FAQ
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Tennis matches are played in sets. Normally, the match will be a best-of-three or five and the winner of the most sets wins the match.
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A tiebreak game is played at the end of a set when the players have drawn 6-6 on games and they must play a final game which will determine who will win that set. Points are normally counted in ascending order from 0 to 7 and the first one to reach 7 will win the game and hence the set.
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A set point is called out when a player only has one remaining point to win the set.
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The 4 Grand Slams are the most important tournaments in the calendar. Out of those 4, Wimbledon is regarded as the most prestigious.
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Novak Djokovic is currently ranked the best men’s tennis player in the world.
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Ashleigh Barty is currently ranked at the top of the women’s tennis player standings.
ThePuntersPage Final Say
With the amount of tournaments available in a yearly calendar, it should come as no surprise that tennis betting has become so popular. Dramatic rallies, rocket services, cheeky scoops, acrobatic hits and a lot of close calls – there’s so much to love about the sport! In the betting world, the bigger the competition, the larger the variety of betting markets available, so there’s bound to be some very good opportunities around if you know where to look and follow our tennis tips!
David is a sports fanatic with a particular interest in stats and figures. When not writing about sports, you would probably find him playing or watching football, researching stats or sharing the latest news with anyone willing to listen.
