Tennis Betting Guide & Tips: How To Bet On Tennis For 2024-25 Tournaments
elow is a guide to betting on professional and amateur tennis. We’ll cover the most common ways to bet on the sport, including moneylines, set betting, match props, player props, and futures. We’ll also include details on how to bet on tennis and where you can find action in the US.
How to bet on tennis matches
Find the tab for tennis at your sportsbook of choice, or search by sport. The sportsbook lobby should populate with upcoming matches and tournaments and a variety of betting options.
Tennis moneyline betting
One of the simplest options at tennis betting sites, the moneyline is a wager on a player to win a head-to-head matchup against an opponent. It doesn’t matter how many sets or games it takes, as long as the player you backed winds up victorious. Books will assign negative odds to the favorite and positive odds to the underdog, which typically correlates with the players’ ranking in the tournament. Positive moneyline odds indicate more potential profit for a winning bet. For instance, a winning $10 bet on a +125 moneyline would pay out $22.50, returning the stake plus 125% profit of the original wager.
Here is an example of tennis odds for a moneyline bet:
| Mattia Bellucci | +125 |
| Alejandro Moro Canas | -165 |
Tennis spread betting
Most tennis tournaments use a best-of-five-sets format for men and a best-of-three-sets format for women. Online sportsbooks will offer a spread on how many sets a player might win, so that the favorite in a women’s match might be listed at -1.5, offering a proposition that she wins 2-0 in “straight sets.” Conversely, the underdog might have a spread of +1.5, offering the proposition that she wins at least one set.
Books also offer spreads on the number of games each player might win, as it requires at least six games to win a set. Such a spread bet will account for the total number of games won over the course of the match, and it will likely be higher than the set spread, at around 4.5 or more games.
Odds will fluctuate based on how the sportsbook regards the likelihood of each proposition. Below is an example of a set spread and a game spread.
| Game spread: Gregoire Barrere (-4.5/+102) vs. Denis Kudla (+4.5/-134) | |
| Set spread: Magda Linette (+1.5/-165) vs. Madison Keys (-1.5/+110) |
Tennis total betting
Total betting in tennis could refer to the total number of sets or the total number of games in a match. Books might also offer the number of games in a specific set, such as the first set of the match.
Taking the over on a prop of 2.5 sets in a women’s match would be successful if it goes to three sets. Taking the under on a prop of 3.5 sets in a men’s match would be successful if one player wins in straight sets. The same applies for the over or under for total games in a match, with the total number likely at 19.5 or higher.
Tennis tiebreak betting
When sets finish tied, 6-6, a tiebreaker to seven points will determine the winner of the set. Books will offer a bet on a match to feature a tiebreaker in any set, with odds available on “yes” and “no.” The “yes” option generally has positive odds, since sets are more likely to end in traditional fashion.
Tennis prop betting
There are markets for betting on the specifics of a player’s performance in a tennis match. Here are some of the most common options, which you can generally find by selecting the player props tab at a given sportsbook.
Aces props
A common prop bet in tennis regards the number of service aces a player will record. Betting on a player to go over 9.5 aces in a match would pay out if that player gets at least 10 aces. Conversely, betting on a player to record under 9.5 aces would pay out if that player records nine or fewer service aces.
Player total games won
Instead of betting on the game spread or the total games in a match, bettors can back a player to go over or under a certain number of total games won. This number can fluctuate depending on how the match unfolds, with a higher number of games in more competitive matches. For example, if a the player you backed needs to win over 14.5 games in a women’s match, that would require at least three sets. Sets with tiebreakers can finish with seven wins.
To win the most games
This might seem like a straight bet on the match winner, but it’s possible for a player to win more games without winning the match. If Player X wins the first two sets with scores of 6-0 and 6-2 and then loses the next three sets, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5, that player will have won more games while losing the match. Books will also offer positive odds on the competitors to tie in terms of the number of games won.
To win at least one set
This market is similar to betting on the set spread, or the same as betting +1.5 on the set spread in a best-of-three format. It’s a proposition for a player to win at least one set, with plus or minus odds on the affirmative depending on the estimated likelihood of that outcome. Usually, players get very short odds to win at least one set, unless they are large underdogs.
Tennis live betting
Once the match begins, you’ll still be able to bet the moneyline, spread, total games won, and the various props listed above. The odds and lines will fluctuate based on results and the action books are receiving on the players.
How to bet on tennis futures
Find the futures tab on your sportsbook’s platform to see a selection of bets for tournament winners and other specials related to a player’s performance beyond one match.
Tournament winners
The futures market for tennis is typically limited to which players will win a given tournament. Ahead of a major tournament (such as the US Open) books will offer a list of the top ranked players in the field, with odds corresponding to their status as favorites.
The top players — Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz — might have odds of +500 or lower to best the field and win a given tournament. Some of the other players in the field might have odds of +3000 or longer.
These odds will change in the days and weeks leading up to the tournament based on player performance, injury status, and other factors. They will also be available during the tournament and on off days.
How do I read tennis lines?
Understanding the “juice” or “vig” for a given bet can help inform your wagers. The vig refers to the odds (for instance, -110 or shorter on both sides of a spread or over/under bet) that the book assigns in an effort to ensure profitability if the outcome is close to an even probability. When oddsmakers juice a line down to -130 or shorter, they are indicating it’s more probable than not.
So betters can theorize that if a favorite, such as Djokovic, is getting -650 odds to win in straight sets, the total number of games might also fall under the implied number.
The odds on how many games a first set will consist of might also inform how competitive the sportsbook expects the match to be, so +700 odds on a set to consist of under 7.5 games indicates that oddsmakers view both players as likely to hold serve and provide a competitive match. Books also might give a player better odds to win the first set than to win the match, indicating that they believe a player might have a disadvantage in terms of rest or fitness.
Tennis betting strategies
Perhaps the biggest differentiating factor in tennis is the court surface. Major tournaments can take place on grass (Wimbledon), hard courts (US Open and Australian Open), and clay (French Open), providing different conditions for players. Grass is a fast surface, but the ball bounces lower and less predictably. Hard courts provide a big bounce, which favors good servers. Clay courts are slower, favoring players who can cover more ground and volley.
Weather is also a big factor in tennis, specifically as it relates to temperature. Matches during summer days can be absolutely brutal in terms of heat, which can favor players who hail from warmer climates or are more fit. Wind speed and the altitude of the tournament can also play a role in outcomes.
Even more than in team sports, betting on tennis can come down to matchups. These athletes are going head to head, so the strength of one player could be far more effective in a matchup against a certain player. For example, a top-notch server might struggle against a player with elite return skills. That player might be able to “break” the opponent’s serve more often, potentially leading to the number of games or sets in the match going over the sportsbook’s line.
It’s also important to analyze the full annual calendar for tennis players. If a top-tier player is in a lower-level tournament just a few weeks before a major tournament, it’s possible that player will save some energy for the bigger draw. While it might not result in a match loss, there could be value on the underdog forcing more games or sets.
How to bet on tennis online
- Choose a sportsbook that is available in your state and use the link in the table above to sign up. Shopping for odds at different legal books can help you find the best value on specific wagers.
- Sign up for an account at the selected sportsbook. Please gamble responsibly.
- Choose a deposit method. Most books accept online banking, credit/debit cards, and PayPal.
- Sign into the platform and click on the tennis tab to see what bets are available.
- Some books may offer daily promos or featured bets that offer an increased payout if successful (aka odds boosts).
Tennis betting FAQ
In 2024, the French Open will run from May 20 to June 9 in Paris. Wimbledon will be from July 1-14 in London, and the US Open will take place from Aug. 26-Sept. 8 in New York. Then, in early 2025, the Australian Open is scheduled to take place from Jan. 12-26 in Melbourne.
In general, there’s not going to be one bet that’s easier to win than others. In tennis, moneyline betting can sometimes tend to be a safer option, since matches can ebb and flow and the backed player is primarily concerned with winning and advancing. Bettors may also be able to find value on other lines based on research and conditions.
Yes, books will accept parlays on tennis matches. A parlay refers to linking multiple bets into one wager, which generates longer odds but provides no payout if any of the linked bets fail to cash. Books will offer specials on a player’s performance that are effectively parlays, including first set winner/moneyline combinations.
Matches can be delayed due to darkness or weather. As long as the match resumes in the following days, bets will remain live. If the match is canceled or postponed to a much later date, books will generally void the bet and return the stake. Note that weather delays could result in a change of venue, which changes the circumstances of a bet, but the wager will remain live.
If players retire, or drop out, of a given match, books will generally pay out moneyline bets on the opponent who advances. However, some books have rules for how many games or sets must be completed to count the action. If a player retires early or the match never starts, the book will generally void and return bets.
Yes, most books will offer a portion of the stake on futures bets if a bettor wants to call it a loss and give up on a backed player. If a player retires or withdraws from a tournament, some books might offer a refund.