Betting on tennis is slightly different to placing wagers on team sports like football or rugby, because there are far fewer variables in a match. It’s only ever one person against another, or two vs two. This means tennis is more predictable and bettors can place wagers with more confidence. Of course, this also means the tennis odds aren’t nearly as fruitful as some other sports. However, there are ways to squeeze the most out of your tennis betting experience.
In this guide we’ll take you through the basics of tennis betting, how to navigate the Paddy Power sportsbook, and offer up some helpful tennis tips.
Use this guide to build your knowledge of tennis and understand how to live stream and bet in-play at the same time. We aim to give players as much knowledge as possible on every sport available in the Paddy Power sportsbook – and there’s certainly a lot to learn in tennis!
How to bet on tennis online
Betting on the tennis is pretty simple but it’s worth knowing the full process before you give into Paddy’s sportsbook! First you need to sign up to a Paddy Power account, make a deposit and trigger any welcome bonuses that might be floating about. Once your account is active and charged, head over to the tennis betting section of the sportsbook and look over the current and upcoming tournaments.
You’ll see odds for individual matches as well as outright bets, which are markets that offer players the chance to bet on who will win a tournament, or when a star might crash out of a grand slam.
Click on a match you want to bet on and take a look at the odds. Here’s an example from Wimbledon, a singles match between Alex Bublik and JJ Wolf. If you think Bublik will win, simply click on the match odds and a pop-up bet slip will appear.
Enter your stake in the bet slip and hit ‘Place Bet’ to complete the wager. You can always cash out and check your risk and reward before placing the bet.
Types of tennis bet
As seen above, match betting is the most common form of tennis bet because you’re simply wagering on who you think will win. However, Paddy Power has plenty of different bet options for punters. Here are some that a newcomer to the sportsbook should be aware of:
- Match bet – A wager on which player or doubles pair will win the match.
- Set betting – Bet on which player will win a specific set, or guess the correct score in sets.
- Total games – Bet on how many games will be played in the match. This is a line of, say, 22.5 games where bettors must select above or below the line.
- Game handicap – Back a player to win the most games in a match while carrying a handicap or, for example, -3.5 games.
There are scores of other types of tennis bet, and Paddy Power allows players to select their own wagers using the #WhatsOnPaddy feature.
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Best tennis tournaments to bet on
Tennis is a worldwide sport that doesn’t really have much downtime. Players train over December and then hit the Southern Hemisphere for tournaments ahead of January’s Australian Open, move on to the clay season in Europe and ‘Sunshine Swing’ in America, grind our matches at the French Open and then on grass at Wimbledon, and then move on to the US Open in late-summer. The season ends with WTA and ATP Tour finals on hard courts – oh, and every four years they cram an Olympics into the summer too!
With so many tournaments going on it can be difficult to know what to bet on. Of course, the big focus is on the four grand slams:
- Australian Open
- French Open
- Wimbledon
- US Open
But there are so many more competitions to wager on. This includes Masters 1000, ATP 500 and 250 events in the men’s tour, and WTA 1000, 500 and 250 events on the women’s. Everyone is competing for titles, prize money and ranking points.
Here are some top tennis tournaments to bet on, and why they’re worth your time:
- Auckland Open | January – Seedings make a big difference to the WTA 250 tournament, but not the ATP 250. Women top seeds have won this event most years in the past decade, while it’s the opposite for the men. Auckland acts as a warm-up to the Australian Open and is perfect for outright betting.
- Madrid Open | April – Europeans generally dominate the hard clay of the Madrid Open. This is a precursor tournament for the French Open, and is the a crucial part of the season for many Spanish, French and Central European players. Ignore the Americans here, this is usually Europe’s trophy on both the women’s and men’s side
- Swedish Open | July – The week after Wimbledon is perhaps not the best for high-class tennis but players who crash out early usually look to play in the Swedish Open to regain their form. It therefore becomes a great tournament to wager on high seeds at better odds than usual.
- Japan Open | September/October – The Japan Open comes as players are scrapping for ranking points at the end of the season, and therefore this tournament always delivers high-quality hard-court tennis. High seeds in the men’s draw can often be relied upon to reach the latter stages. There are more upsets in the women’s draw, which is perfect for bettors who relish greater risk.
Wimbledon betting
Of course, there’s always plenty of interest around Wimbledon when the tournament rolls round every summer. But let’s not dwell on the overly expensive strawberries and cream, the slow-motion TV shots of balls being bounced, or the famous-yet-harrowingly-dull queue, and focus on the betting.
Betting on Wimbledon is not to be missed. Paddy Power provides an extensive range of Wimbledon bets which are best enjoyed live. Being able to watch matches on TV and time wagers to the perfect moment can be the difference between a winning and a losing punt.
Be sure to check out Paddy’s Wimbledon odds and tips throughout the tournament.
US Open tennis betting
The US Open tennis odds drop on the Paddy Power sportsbook weeks before the tournament begins. There is always hot interest in the US Open because it’s the final slam of the year and a return to hard-court tennis. This levels out the playing field somewhat, and the odds are far tighter than at Wimbledon or the French Open, for example.
Upsets aren’t as common at the US Open, which tends to lead punters to place accumulators for the early stages of the tournament. Paddy Power also provides special markets on the US Open, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled for those in the coming months!
Tennis bet tips for beginners
Now you know what type of bets and tournaments are best for tennis betting, it’s time to look at a few tips. These are tennis betting tips for beginners and are designed to get players thinking about their bet choices without risking too much per wager.
- Back favourites in early rounds – There are fewer upsets in tennis than sports like football because the ‘better’ player has many chances to correct mistakes against their opponents. This is particularly pertinent for men’s grand slam matches contested over five sets. Upsets are rare and therefore backing favourites in the early rounds, albeit at short odds, will get newcomers into the swing of betting on tennis odds.
- Play the games markets – Dead-cert victories aren’t always the most fun to bet on, which is why bettors look at the total games market. A normal non-slam tour match on the ATP and WTA circuit is contested over three sets. A big favourite can therefore win a match in 12 games. A bet line of around 17.5 total games between a superior and inferior player is worth considering.
- Look at the stats – Big stats such as form and head to head records can help inform your bets. But in tennis, and especially the men’s game, checking out the recent first-serve points won percentage is crucial. If a player is nailing their first serves and winning point after point then they’re likely to outpower their opponent.
- Take your time – It’s never a good idea to rush into a tennis bet. There are loads of stats and updates available in the Paddy Power tennis sportsbook, as well as live streaming options. It’s therefore worth reading up on the match you want to bet on, the players involved, and considering your bet thoroughly.
Live stream tennis
Remember, Paddy Power offers live stream tennis options alongside betting odds from some of the best and biggest tournaments on the planet. You must be logged into your Paddy Power profile to access live streams and bet alongside in the sportsbook, or the Paddy Power app.
Live streaming not only gets you closer to the action but can greatly inform your next bets. If a player look like he’s losing his concentration and playing erratic shots, perhaps it’s time to wager on the other guy to win. Likewise, if an underdog has won three games on the bounce but looks totally out of their depth, it might be wise to stick with the favourite.
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