The popularity of tennis betting continues to grow in the US.
While tennis betting isn’t quite at the level of NFL betting or NBA betting yet, it’s noticeably building across many sportsbooks. In particular, live betting on tennis is catching on with both casual and more dedicated sports bettors.
Lines for both men’s and women’s tennis are available at all top sportsbooks. The top men’s league is the ATP World Tour; the WTA Tour is the top level of women’s tennis. The biggest tennis tournaments for betting every year are the four majors, aka the “Grand Slam.” Both the men’s and women’s tours feature the same Grand Slam tournament schedule.
The tennis Grand Slam includes:
On this page, you’ll find a full rundown of the US states where you can bet tennis online, all of the different bets you can make and how tennis betting rules differ from other sports.
Top US online sportsbooks for tennis betting
Is tennis betting legal in the US?
| Online Sportsbooks & Apps | Retail Only | Upcoming States |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado Apps | Arkansas | Louisiana |
| Illinois Apps | Delaware | North Carolina |
| Indiana Apps | Mississippi | Maryland |
| Iowa Apps | Montana | |
| Michigan Apps | New Mexico | |
| Nevada Apps | New York | |
| New Hampshire Apps | ||
| New Jersey Apps | ||
| Pennsylvania Apps | ||
| Rhode Island Apps | ||
| Tennessee Apps | ||
| Virginia Apps | ||
| West Virginia Apps |
How to bet on tennis online in US
Betting apps are the preferred choice for most bettors in states with legalized online sports betting. Each of these states has several sports betting apps to choose from; many offer DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook.
Creating a new account is about the same on every sportsbook or app. You’ll need to provide some basic information, including:
- Name
- Date of birth
- Address
- Phone number
- Last 4 digits of Social Security number
Most eligibility rules are the same. To bet on tennis, you need to be within the state borders where it is legal and you must be at least the minimum age to gamble.
To clarify: You don’t have to live in the state with legalized betting but you do need to be physically within the state borders to make a bet. Every online sportsbook and betting app uses geolocation technology to determine your location when trying to make a bet.
Advantages of betting tennis using an online betting app
Every tournament covered: Every top sportsbook in each of these states provides a wide variety of tennis betting markets. All feature odds on each of the Grand Slam tournaments and the majority of events in between.
Depending on the specific tournament, books will include betting lines for every level of professional tennis. While the ATP men’s tour is the most popular, many bettors like to wager on the WTA and the second-tier ATP Challenger Tour.
Interchangeable platforms: Online sportsbooks feature a wide range of betting lines including tournament and players futures odds, individual matchup odds and player and match prop bets.
Most online sportsbooks offer identical markets on their betting apps, so there’s no loss or confusion when switching between the two. Besides using your laptop or desktop computer, you often can also access online sportsbooks through your phone’s web browser.
Live betting: Apps are a great way to bet on tennis events live. You can watch the action play out in real-time right on your app and bet from point-to-point. There’s no lining up at the window to get your ticket or any need to write down a game ID# on your betting slip. Your bets are taken instantly with the tap of your finger.
Betting on tennis futures
Tennis futures odds work just as they do in other sports. Every player in the field should be available to bet on with posted odds, and even the best players have favorable odds.
Since tennis tournaments include several rounds and players, sportsbooks reward you for taking a player’s future prior to a match. Most online sports betting apps will continually post up-to-date futures for the tournament champion as play continues.
Here is an example of futures odds DraftKings released for a few of the players at the French Open:
- Rafael Nadal +105
- Novak Djokovic +220
- Dominic Thiem +300
- Stefanos Tsitsipas +1700
Odds reflect what you would receive on a payout for a $100 bet. The lower the odds, the less you’d get paid on a winning bet.
Futures odds are typically offered on any sanctioned ATP or WTA tournament. Some online sportsbooks will also offer player futures markets including which male or female player will win each tour’s Player of the Year award.
Tennis Grand Slam
The four biggest tennis tournaments every year are the four Grand Slams. These draw the most attention from casual fans and sports bettors across the US.
You should expect to find several betting markets available for these tournaments. Given the ongoing global pandemic, dates for these events may be altered, but here are the scheduled dates for each championship tournament.
Australian Open
- Date: February 8-21, 2021
- Location: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Playing surface: Hard court
- Prize pool: $49.1 million (2020)
- Defending champions: Novak Djokovic, Sofia Kenin
The Australian Open is usually the first Grand Slam event on the tennis calendar. With the difference in weather, players can compete in the warm climate in the middle of January.
The 2020 event was the 108th Aussie Open. Novak Djokovic defended his title and won his eighth total championship down under. On the women’s side, Sofia Kenin was victorious and took home her first Grand Slam title.
French Open
- Date: May 23 – June 6, 2021
- Location: Stade Roland-Garros, Paris, France
- Playing surface: Clay
- Prize pool: $44.6 million (2020)
- Defending champions: Rafael Nadal, Iga Świątek
The second Grand Slam event every year is the French Open, played in Paris. This tournament is the only major tournament played on a clay court.
Nadal is the defending champion on the men’s side. He’s won the event 13 total times, the most in French Open history. Świątek won the 2020 women’s tournament, her first-ever Grand Slam championship.
Wimbledon
- Date: June 28 – July 11, 2021
- Location: All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, London, England
- Playing surface: Grass
- Prize pool: $49.4 million (2019)
- Defending champions: Djokovic, Simona Halep
Unfortunately, the 2020 Wimbledon tournament was canceled due to the pandemic. This marks the first time Wimbledon won’t be held since World War II.
Djokovic is the defending men’s champion at Wimbledon. He’s won the event five separate times. Halep is the defending women’s champ. This was her second Grand Slam title overall and her first at Wimbledon.
US Open Tennis
- Date: August 30 – Sept. 12, 2021
- Location: Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, New York City
- Playing surface: Hard court
- Prize pool: $53.4 million (2020)
- Defending champions: Rafael Nadal, Bianca Andreescu
The US Open is typically the last Grand Slam tournament on the tennis schedule.
This tournament is also played on a hard-court surface and is the only Grand Slam played in the US. Dominic Thiem is the defending champion after winning his first Grand Slam at the US Open last year. For the women, Naomi Osaka won the 2020 event to win her third Grand Slam title.
How do you bet on tennis?
While bettors are accustomed to seeing odds for point spreads and totals, tennis betting is a little more intricate compared to some team sports.
Besides futures wagers, match betting and live tennis betting have become a standard at most sportsbooks. Although the number of markets depends on the match or the tournament, most books provide a wide selection of live options.
Some platforms will let you bet on individual points, games and sets with updated odds on the winner of the match. Expect to find the following types of tennis wagers at the majority of sportsbooks:
Outright Winner
Betting on the outright winner of a tennis tournament is one of the most common ways to bet the sport. Just like a futures bet, you’re putting money down on one player before the match starts. If that player wins the entire event, then you’ll cash your wager.
These bets are so popular because you don’t need to worry about how your player wins, just that they do so. The outright odds are also favorable for bettors. Even if you’re taking one of the tournament’s favorites, you’ll probably have plus odds.
Match Winner
Match wagering is precisely how it sounds. You’re betting on outcomes that result from one individual match within a tournament.
Most sportsbooks provide several different options when it comes to match betting. The standard forms of match betting include moneyline odds, along with spreads or handicaps.
Moneyline bets on tennis
Moneyline bets in tennis work just as they do in basically every other sport. You simply bet on which player you think will win the match and advance in the tournament.
Sportsbooks allow you to bet on a few handicaps to offset a big favorite’s odds. Just like a point spread in team sports, tennis wagering includes two main forms of handicap betting.
Game spread in tennis
Betting on a tennis match’s game spread is the most popular handicap at sportsbooks. Instead of just winning the match, the favorite must also cover the given game spread.
Of course, the larger the favorite, the more games they’ll be giving to the underdog. The favorite must cover the spread throughout the match and win more games than they’re giving to their opponent.
If a player is giving a spread of -4.5, then they have to win by at least five total games to cover. A victory of (6-4, 6-4, 6-4) for the favorite would be the difference of six games, and a win for the favorite.
Set spread in tennis
Tennis set spreads are just like game spreads, except they’re based around the number of sets won. Most matches involve a 1.5-spread line. However, some men’s grand slam events feature set spreads of -2.5.
Like with any other point spread, the favorite must cover the spread line to win the bet. If a top player, like Roger Federer, is a sizable favorite, he might be laying -2.5 on the spread line.
If you bet on Federer, you’ll need him to win his match in straight sets (3-0) to cover and win.
How do you bet over/under in tennis?
Sports bettors are used to seeing over/under lines for every sport. Tennis betting is no different, offering lines on the total number of games played in a match.
While wagering on the over for most sports means you’re rooting for a lot of points, tennis is a bit different. To hit an over, you’re betting that it will be a good match, where both players win plenty of games. A lopsided win will usually result in an under bet paying off.
If the total for a match is set at 24.5 games, then you’ll need 25 total games for the over to cash. In a two-set match, you’ll need a score like 7-5, 7-6 to win with the over.
A result such as 6-1, 6-3 would only total 16 games, thus being a win for under backers.
How do you bet on tennis live?
Now that so many bettors can place a bet on their iPhone or Android phone within seconds, live tennis betting is growing quickly.
You should be able to live bet on most tennis matches. The amount of different live markets available depends on whether it’s a major tournament and which players are involved.
Since points are scored so quickly in tennis, you can’t hesitate when deciding to bet. Odds can change within seconds.
The most common live tennis betting line available is the updated moneyline for each player. Sportsbooks will change the odds as each set, game, and point are won.
There are many other available markets, though. Most platforms offer odds on the individual sets, as well as games and specific points. Of course, the live lines for points move quickly, but you could bet with each serve in a match.
Betting on games and sets is more common. If you decide that the match has shifted in a certain direction, you can bet on a player to win the next game or set. Perhaps the favorite is down two sets, but you don’t think they will go out without a fight. You can bet on them to bounce back and win a set or two, as opposed to the entire match.
Some books may even offer live odds for tennis props. These could include things like the exact score of the set, or how many aces a player could have. You can even bet on if that set will finish in a tiebreak.
Finding the live betting options for tennis matches should be easy through your online sportsbook. Any major matches should be featured right on the mobile app’s homepage.
What are tennis prop bets?
As sportsbooks have live tennis props, you’re also able to wager on props prior to matches. Like with live options, you can bet on which player will win each set before any are played.
A lot of betting apps will include several players and match props, too. These consist of markets like the number of tiebreakers, how many sets will be played, the number of games won by each player or if either player will win in straight sets.
Other player props list over/unders for aces, double faults, unforced errors and many others.
Betting on ATP & WTA tennis tours
The ATP and WTA are extremely popular and feature some of the most admired athletes in the world. Every online sportsbook available in any US market includes betting markets for both tours. They also showcase a wide selection of live betting options.
Grand Slam events include the most betting markets, especially for props.
The most significant difference between the two tours is that some men’s events, like Grand Slams, are determined by winning three sets. Men’s matches can go as long as five total sets, while women’s conclude after only three sets.
Outside of the Grand Slams, both tours include several other notable tournaments. The following are some of the top events for each tour on the 2021 schedule.
ATP Tour
- Miami Open ATP Tour Masters 1000. Miami, Florida. March 24 – April 4. (Hard)
- Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Monte Carlo, Monaco. April 11-18. (Clay)
- Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. Barcelona, Spain. April 19-25. (Clay)
- Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Rome, Italy. May 9-16. (Clay)
- Hamburg European Open. Hamburg, Germany. July 12-18. (Clay)
- Citi Open. Washington, D.C. August 2-8. (Hard)
- Rogers Cup. Toronto, Canada. Aug. 9-15. (Hard)
- ATP Finals. Turin, Italy. Week of Nov. 14. (Hard)
WTA Tour
- Miami Open. Miami, Florida. March 22-29. (Hard)
- Volvo Car Open. Charleston, South Carolina. April 5-11. (Clay)
- Mutua Madrid Open. Madrid, Spain. April 29 – May 8. (Clay)
- Bett1open. Berlin, Germany. June 14-20. (Grass)
- Citi Open. Washington, D.C. July 31 – August 9. (Hard)
- Rogers Cup. Montreal, Canada. August 9-15. (Hard)
- Zhengzhou Open. Zhengzhou, China. September 13-19. (Hard)
- WTA Finals. Shenzhen, China. Week of Nov. 1. (Hard)
Bet on Davis Cup / Fed Cup
Sportsbooks also offer betting odds for other international tennis events. The Davis Cup and Fed Cup are both team tennis competitions held every year.
The top men’s teams from qualifying nations participate in the Davis Cup and the top women’s team play in the Fed Cup, formerly known as the Federation Cup. Similar to the World Cup or Olympics, teams play in group stages and winners advance to the knockout rounds.
The US holds the record for most titles in both tournaments. Americans have won the Davis Cup 32 times, while they’ve taken home the Fed Cup 18 times.
You can bet on team futures as well as individual matches for these competitions. Sportsbooks will list Davis Cup and Fed Cup futures in the weeks leading up to either event.
How do tennis betting rules work?
Tennis betting includes some specific rules that only apply to this sport. These rules tend to vary based on which sportsbook you’re using, so take note of the tennis market policy on your mobile app.
The most important rule you’ll need to take note of is how much of a match needs to be completed for your bet to count still. Players sometimes retire early from matches because of injury and sportsbooks have different qualifications for if your wager is void or not.
There are four main guidelines for player retirements:
- Ball Served: As soon as the first ball is served and the match begins, all bets are action.
- One Set: One set must be completed in full for your bet to count.
- Two Set: The match needs to finish two sets for wagers to be live.
- Match Completed: Some sportsbooks require that the entire match is completed for bets to count.
Sometimes books may differ on tennis rulings is with suspended matches. These sometimes happen because of rain or darkness for events playing outdoors.
Typically, sportsbooks will still count all of these bets, even if they don’t finish playing until the following day. Rules will vary on time spans in which the match needs to be completed by, which can range between 48 hours to an entire week.