Tennis is one of the fastest-growing sports around the world and is quickly becoming a favorite for sports bettors. It is fast-paced and exciting, and the format works well for wagering. It lends itself to live betting, and its year-round nature means that there is always a new tournament to bet on.
While Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer have dominated the men’s side of the sport for a long time, there is a new generation that is emerging and contending for tournaments. This means the sport is in a transition area that is ripe for wagering.
There are two main tours in tennis, the ATP and the WTA, for men and women respectively. They both offer a variety of wagers. This guide will introduce you to betting on tennis in Arizona.
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Basics of tennis betting
You will find tennis odds in a format similar to that of many other sports, though the wagers will of course differ. In Arizona, sportsbooks odds use the American odds format for their tennis bets. Each odds listing will be a number that is either positive or negative. A negative number suggests that that side is favored, while a positive number indicates the opposite.
A negative number represents how much money you would need to wager to win $100 on a correct bet. For example, if Djokovic had odds of -215, you would need to bet $215 to win $100, receiving a total of $315 for a winning bet.
A positive number represents how much money you would stand to win from a $100 wager. For example, if Federer is a +150 underdog, you could bet $100 to win $150, returning a total of $250 if your bet is correct.
When it comes to betting on tennis, you also need to know the various available bets. Since it’s an individual sport that uses a distinct set of rules, the bets in tennis differ slightly from the major North American team sports.
Despite the differences between sports, some bets show up in tennis just as they would for any other sport. The moneyline is a bet on a specific player to win a match. No matter what else happens, moneyline bets on the victor will count as wins.
Tennis also uses a spread during most matches. The spread is an equalizer to facilitate betting on two opponents of unequal strength. In tennis, it can apply to either the sets or games in a tennis match. For example, a set spread would mean that a player would need to win or finish within a certain number of sets. Similarly, a game spread would mean that a player would need to win or finish within a certain number of games.
Similar to how the spread can apply to both the sets and the games, so can the total. You can bet on if the number of sets will go over or under the posted total, and the same for the total number of games.
If you’re looking to bet on items not related to the outcome of the match, prop bets are the choice for you. These include wagers on the smaller events within the match and cover a variety of options. Everything from how many aces a certain player will have to the number of unforced errors in the match qualify as proposition bets.
Last but not least, if you’re not looking to bet on a single match and instead want to wager on something else, futures fit the bill. These are wagers on longer-term outcomes. For example, betting on next year’s Wimbledon champion would be a futures bet.
What are the best beginner tennis bets?
If you’re new to tennis betting and looking for some good wagers, consider sticking to the basic bets. Thus, sticking to the moneyline, spreads and totals is generally a good idea. These are all simple to understand and do not have a very big learning curve.
For those who want to take the next step, futures bets are a good entry point. Look at the next major tournament, and you will find lots of futures options. These go beyond just betting on the champion of the tournament, as most sportsbooks will have a more robust offering.
Live betting during tennis matches
If you’re watching tennis, live betting can offer an interesting approach to wagering. This means you place wagers on a match while it’s occurring. Odds for live betting will update frequently to reflect new circumstances in the match.
For example, if a player is losing early, you may find longer live odds, offering larger rewards if you back the losing player than you would have received for a bet before the start of the match.
Because the game moves so fast and the odds move along with it, live betting requires a sportsbook website or app. It’s the only method that updates quickly enough for you to catch the odds before they change.
As far as available wagers, most sportsbooks will offer very similar bets during the game as they did before the game. As live betting becomes an increasingly significant betting avenue, expect the in-game offerings to only increase. Besides the standard bets that you might see before the game, live betting also offers some distinct wagers. These can involve betting on things like the result of the next point.
The advantage of in-play tennis betting is that you get the opportunity to watch the match and get a feel for how it’s unfolding before placing your bet. This way you have more information, hopefully resulting in more profit at the end of the day.
Betting on tennis Grand Slams
Tennis’ Grand Slams, which consists of the Australian Open, Wimbledon, the US Open, and the French Open, are the most important part of the tennis schedule. Not only do these tournaments mean more for players’ legacies and their ranking points, but they also get more viewership and dollars in wagers.
The Australian Open takes place in January of every year and is the first Grand Slam of the year. It’s the one with the largest audience and is a destination for tennis fans from around the world. The tournament takes place on a hard court.
Djokovic has been one of the best hard-court players in the world for many years now and is always a threat to win the men’s side of the bracket. On the women’s side, Naomi Osaka has been the most successful player in recent years. The prize pool is over $70 million Australian each year.
The French Open is distinct because it takes place on a clay court. It’s the only major for which that’s true, and the surface adds extra spin to the ball. The tourney, also known as Roland-Garros, takes place in Paris with a prize pool of 38 million euros.
Nadal is the king of the clay courts, and whenever he plays the French Open, he’s going to be one of the favorites. For the women, Serena Williams was dominant for a long time, but in recent years a new wave has arrived, led by the likes of Ashleigh Barty.
Wimbledon is perhaps the most prestigious of all the major tournaments. It takes place in London and has a prize pool of around 35 million English pounds. It draws tons of fans and attention from around the world.
It takes place on a grass surface. Federer has been the best men’s player at Wimbledon and has established a large part of his legacy at the tournament. For the women, the Williams sisters are always a threat to win the tournament.
The US Open is the only US major, taking place every year in New York. It takes place on a hard surface and has a prize pool of around $50 million. The tournament happens in late summer, and the heat can often play a factor.
Contenders for the men often include Nadal as he has performed some magic on the court. For the women, Osaka has won before and is one of the game’s brightest young stars.
Tips for betting on Grand Slams
Considering that Grand Slams are often a great entry point for novice bettors, these tournaments see increased betting activity. Each has distinct features that separate it from the rest, which can sometimes end up costing newcomers. Here are some tips for betting on Grand Slams to help you avoid that fate.
- Pay attention to the surface: Newcomers to the sport may not realize the impact that the surface has, but it cannot be understated. Just take a look at how dominant Nadal is on clay to get an idea of how it can help a player.
- Place a variety of bets: Using some single-game bets mixed with a few futures bets is one way to help limit your liability. Beyond that, betting on a player to reach a specific round (such as the semi-finals) is a futures bet that can be a less risky version of the classic bet on a player to win the tournament.
- Compare play styles: When you’re looking at a matchup between two players, go beyond the base rankings and stats. It’s also important to take into consideration the distinct play styles of each competitor and how they match up in that aspect. Perhaps a player with a strong serve is facing another player who is adept at returning serves. These are important things to consider.
Year-round tennis betting
One of the best parts about betting on tennis is the fact that the tournaments go all year round. This means that you never have an offseason where there is a long break in betting activity. Instead, nearly every week there is a new tournament for either the ATP or WTA.
These tournaments take place in different cities around the world. Each court has its distinct blend of features that can affect the game, so learning about them will help your betting.
There are not many sports that offer such a robust schedule. Most North American-focused sports work on a cyclical system, but tennis is different and for bettors who haven’t been exposed to a sport like it, it’s often a welcome feature.
Betting on the Davis Cup and King Cup
While most tennis tournaments focus on individuals, there are a few international tournaments that use a team system, with the players divided by country.
The Davis Cup is the premier international tournament for men, and the Billie Jean King Cup (formerly the Fed Cup) is the premier tournament for women. For casual fans, these are some of the most-watched tournaments. This is not to say it’s not a popular format with veteran fans, just that it’s an easy entry point for newer viewers.
Because of their different format, international tournaments like the Davis Cup and Fed Cup offer different betting options than traditional tennis tournaments. You have more options for bets as you can place wagers on both a team and individual level. For example, you could bet on Federer in his match or you could place bets on team Switzerland for the larger tournament.
Betting on Olympic tennis
The Olympics plays host to five tennis competitions, two for both the men and the women, and one more mixed event. Most often, the matches take place on hard courts, though there have been events where that has changed.
If a player can win the Olympic gold medal, as well as all four Grand Slam events in a single year, that player wins the “Golden Slam.” The only player to ever do this is Steffi Graf, one of the best female players of all time.
The format for the Olympic tournaments is usually a single-elimination bracket. This is similar to most of the major tournaments. Qualification for the Olympics depends on points acquired on the WTA and ATP tours.
How to bet on tennis online in Arizona
It’s pretty simple to start tennis betting online in the state of Arizona. The first step is to create an account at one of the many regulated sportsbooks in the state.
To help you make your decision on what sportsbook you should choose, one thing to consider is the potential bonuses and promotions each one has available. Especially as a new bettor, there may be a variety of ways to start with a bit of an edge.
From there, you will finish completing your account. Make sure to configure both the website and the app. Once you have finished creating your account, you can go ahead and make your first deposit. Legal sportsbooks in Arizona will offer a variety of options for depositing, so you should be able to find something that fits.
From there, take a look at all the options available to you, pick one you like and place a bet. You’re now on your way to betting on tennis.
Tennis betting rules
There are a few rules that are specific to tennis betting that are important to know. These mostly have to do with how much tennis needs to take place before a match is official. Because matches have to be suspended partway through because of injury, weather, or other factors, knowing when a match has gone on long enough for bets to count is important.
Before you place your first bet, you should check to see what rules your sportsbook uses. These will be presented in the regulation or rules section. Ball served means that the match is official after the very first point. If one player pulls out after that point, bets on the other player will win. First or second set means that either one or two sets need to finish before any bets are official. Match completed means that no bets will be official until the entire match is done.
If a tennis match goes to a tiebreaker, most sportsbooks will count the tiebreaker as one game. This can come into play for spread and totals wagers.