Tennis Betting Tips & Tricks - Expert Advice

How to Gamble on Tennis - All you need to know!

Tennis is a racket sport played on a court that has a length of 78 feet, and if singles is played the single court width is 27 feet but if doubles then the court width is 36 feet. Players use a tennis racket to hit the ball back and forth across the court which has a net across the middle. The object of the game is simply to be the last player to play a valid shot in a rally to win a point. The scoring system is kept from the original variant of tennis (real tennis) that todays game came from (it is slightly odd). Games are scored per winning point at 15, 30, 40, game, and if both players make it to 40 then a deuce is played until one player wins 2 points more than the other.

Matches are played in sets, first to 6 or 7 games if someone is 2 games ahead. If a set goes to 6-6 then a tiebreaker game is played with one point per winning rally first to 7 (if two points ahead, if not keep going until someone is). Mens matches are generally played as best of 5 sets, ladies always to 3 sets

The world tennis tour (ATP mens, WTA ladies) consists of over 500+ professional tennis players who compete in tour events to earn ranking points. It has 60 major ranking events, plus 4 grand slam events. Qualification for different tournaments depends on your ranking at the start of the tournament. There is a smaller challenger tour that allows players ranked outside the top 200 to earn points to qualify for the bigger events and consists of 178 tournaments.

Tennis today is big business with the top players earning big money, in 2024 Wimbledon had a £50m prize pool and both mens and female winners received £2,700,000. The lower ranked players however can struggle to make substantial sums of money playing the game if they can’t break off the challenger tours.

In this article below we tell you all you need to know about betting on tennis whether you are just starting out, or want some general tips on gambling on the game.

The History of Tennis

Tennis began in the 12th century, in France without rackets and the ball being struck by hand, and played outdoors against a wall. Louis X of France* didn’t like playing outdoors and constructed indoor courts which spread to palaces across Europe. Rackets were introduced in the 16th century, and the game became called tennis, from the French tenez which means (hold, receive or take) This game was known as real tennis, and is still played played at amateur level with the same 4 grand slams as the main tennis tour

Lawn Tennis which is the game we know today developed from a mix of real tennis rules and the Spanish game Pelota, but was played outside on a court with no walls. Walter Wingfield ** developed the court still used today and a set of rules in the 1830s (largely unchanged) and the games popularity grew rapidly with an English championships held in 1877 at the croquet club in WImbledon. The game spread to the USA, Australia (and the colonies) as many sports did with the British Empire, but also spread across Europe led by French interest. These 4 countries still hold the 4 main annual tournaments the grand slams.

*He actually died after drinking too much wine after a tennis match!

** Wingfield was a Welshman, but Wales have never yet had a grand slam winner!

Women’s (Ladies) Tennis

Tennis was a game it was deemed acceptable for women to play by Victorian society* and this added to it’s popularity, and unlike some sports separate men and ladies tournaments have co-existed pretty much since it’s inception.

Women have won a number of battles on and off the tennis court, Billy Jean King won the infamous battle of the sexes in 1973 (though they lost the other 2!) and probably more importantly for women's rights earned equal pay with the men’s tour, which is being implemented across all levels by 2033.

The Ladies tour (WTA) today is roughly the same size as the men’s and you will find it listed alongside the men’s events for betting purposes at all grand slams and major tournaments.

*obviously wearing long sleeved shirts and long skirts!

The top Five Tennis Betting Bookies in the UK

How many and what leagues and countries covered, is there live streaming of any? How many betting markets? Can you request a bet? What are the odds like? Any bonuses or promotions - relevant ones like 2up / odds boosts? Can you cash out / partial cash out? What are they good at?

Bet 365

Bet 365 has a tremendous tennis focus on the site, it has coverage of all ATP tour events, a huge range of markets, and great market variety. They offer a decent live streaming package for certain tournaments. In-Play betting is covered right across the site. They have bet builder options and include cash-out.

The best thing about tennis betting at Bet365 is that they offer a retirement guarantee with money back if your player retires for any reason mid match. Which happens fairly frequently in tennis and can effect the top seeds just as much as the wild cards.

Paddy Power

Paddy Power are well established in terms of online betting and have been around in one form or another since 1988 when three Irish bookmakers (Stewart Kenny, David Power, and John Corcoran) teamed up to begin the Paddy Power brand. Things have moved on since then and today they are part of the massive Flutter Entertainment Group. They can offer everything a tennis punter would need such as in-play bets, live streaming, the cashout option, futures bets, and on most major tennis tournaments selected price boosts which can be great value.

Paddy Power have a reputation for offering a huge amount of markets and betting options for the events they cover, but if on the off chance you are looking for a special bet that they have not priced up, you can Tweet them now @whatoddspaddy or use hashtag #WhatOddsPaddy and they will do their best to get you the odds.

Bet Victor

BetVictor is known in the industry as “The Gentlemans Bookmaker”. BetVictor began at the Walthamstow dog racing stadium, and for many years they were known as ”Victor Chandler” but in 2014 they adopted the name “BetVictor”.The company is massive and claims to turn over £1Bn and have customers in over 100 different countries.

As well as the website attention should be given to the Bet Victor mobile app which is simply fantastic. You can easily access extensive stats to support you during the 4 grand slams. It has great odds and a wide range of markets for you to bet on. The main downside is that at the time of writing, there is no live tennis streaming available but it may become available for the major events and we will update you if that is so.

BoyleSports

Founded in the 1980’s in Northern Ireland Boylesports took a while to get online however they now have a well established online offering that is safe and secure to use for your online gambling choice

In terms of tennis, whilst BoyleSports don’t offer the retirement guarantee, or a bet builder option, but they still score as one of the best tennis betting sites in the UK. The in-play offering is exceptional, easy to follow, clear and considered. The odds are up there with the very best in the industry and the live streaming of matches is incredibly reliable (something that other bookmakers can struggle with at times).

Unibet

Unibet were one of the first solely online bookmakers hitting the market in 1997 and alongside their large casino and bingo offerings have a healthy sportsbook and can be trusted to look after you when gambling online.

Unibet doesn’t have the same tennis event coverage, or selection in markets, as the 4 above it in the list. While you may not be able to find absolutely anything and everything in tennis betting or some smaller tournament coverage, the odds will be as good as any and the site is highly user friendy. When the big tournaments come around Unibet will usually make sure they have a good selection of offers available for account holders.

The Best New Tennis Betting Site

How many and what leagues and countries covered, is there live streaming of any? How many betting markets? Can you request a bet? What are the odds like? Any bonuses or promotions - relevant ones like 2up / odds boosts? Can you cash out / partial cash out? What are they good at?

Yeti Bet

Yeti Bet is very new to the market, however it has put together a strong live streaming package. Betting coverage of all the main tournaments and they have plenty of supporting statistics to help you when making a decision on your punt. They don’t have as many markets to bet on as some of the more established sites yet but Tennis is clearly high on their priority list for the site as they grow.

Is Tennis betting in the UK legal

Yes it is, explain 18+, UKGC, anti moneylaundering rules, that sort of thing. Do not go overboard just the basics that the answer is “yes”. Could add it is tax free?

Tennis betting is absolutely legal to do in the UK. All UK bookmakers are regulated by the UKGC who provide the licences and they ensure that all customers are over 18 to register for any account or place any bets and also that they are living in the UK. Of course you must also use your own money to gamble with and the UK differs from some other countries in that Crypto currency can not be used.

Some good news is that not only is gambling legal all winnings are tax free regardless of how much or how often you win.

Popular Tennis Betting Markets

Match Odds (To win)

This is betting on which player will win a specific match. Make sure you know the rules your bookmaker uses for this bet and make sure you are comfortable with them. You will find that some simply void all bets if a match is NOT completed which happens quite frequently if one player retires injured. Others may pay out as a winner just because a player goes through to the next round as long as the match started. There are other variations around either one set completed, or one game, and it is down to each individual bookie to set the rules that they want.

Tournament Winner

This is also sometimes called the Outright winner market and as the name suggests you are simply betting on which player will win the tournament. There is a variation to this bet that can be used which is to bet E/W, and the place terms can vary but are usually paid at 1/2 the odds if your player makes the final.

Set Betting

This is where you bet on in effect what the final “score” will be in terms of Sets won. To win a match in Men’s Tennis it is the first to 3 sets, so possible scores are 3 - 0 or 0 - 3, 3 - 1 or 1 - 3, or finally 3 - 2 or 2 - 3. Somebody has to have 3 so you are basically betting on who will win combined with how many sets the opponent will win before losing. Womens games are only the first to 2 so there are far fewer variables, 0 - 2, 2 - 0 or 1 - 2, 2 - 1.

Set betting can be a good way to get better odds on a heavy favourite and make it a more interesting bet. In the early rounds of tournaments it is not unheard of for the top seeds to be 1/50 and by using the correct Set score 3-0 you can bet on them winning easily but with better odds.

Over / Under Total points

This is betting on whether the total number of games in a match will be over or under a specified value. It can be done with Sets as well but this is very very rare. You generally bet on low points values (or under) when you expect one player to win easily and higher values (or over) when you think that games will be close and there will be many Sets played.

For example if you bet on “Over 32.5” games in a match. If the match ends: 6-2, 6-4, 6-1, that adds up to just 25 so your “over” bet would lose there.

Handicap Betting (Games)

Handicap bets mean you are betting on one player to beat another, with a particular handicap applied.  The bookies' handicap is there to even out the match, so both players can be backed at similar odds around evens. For example:

For example: With normal odds on who will win the match J Sinner vs N Djokovic might see Sinner as 1.4  favourite and Djokovic at 3. The bookmakers might add a handicap and make Sinner -3.5 with odds of 1.8 and N Djokovic would then be +3.5 and odds of say Evens (2).

What has happened is that Sets do not matter it is just how many games each player wins in the match and basically Djokovic has a three game head start. So let’s imagine the game ends and Sinner has won 7-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.

Now he win the match and he also won three Sets to Djokovic’s one Set, but did he win enough games to beat the handicap?

Sinner total games won (7 + 6 + 2 + 6) = 21

Djokovic total games won (6 + 4 + 6 + 3) = 19

Sinner only won two more games more (21-19) so bets on Djokovic +3.5 would win, because the score for that market is Sinner 21 and Djokovic 22.5 (19 + 3.5).

Go to a bookmaker and see what else there is

What are the most popular types of Tennis bets

Brief descriptions of each, 50 words max (each)

Singles

A single bet on a single match outcome

Accas

A bet placed on a series of match results, either over a round in a tournament or over a longer period. For instance you could back Djokvokic to win all 4 grand slams at the start of the year

Bet Builder

Create your own bet based on a series of events to happen over the match

In-Play

A bet placed during a match, for the next game, set or even point to be won

Which bookmakers offer the best in-play tennis betting?

IIt’s great to have a bet on a match, but it’s even better to watch it while it’s ongoing to see how your bet’s doing! To this end a number of sites now offer you live streaming options.

At Which Bookmakers can I Watch Live Streams of the Games and can I Make Bets on Those Matches?

The sites below all offer regular live streaming for the majority of tennis matches on the ATP and WTA tour. We have also listed the criteria that you have to meet in order to watch the game:

What payment methods do they accept?

Below are the main payment methods used across all of the UK online betting websites. The exact ones each bookmaker accept will vary, and details are available either from our reviews or the betting site FAQ page.

• Debit Cards (Visa / Mastercard)
• Pre Paid Cards (Paysafecard)
• E  -Wallets (Paypal, Skrill, Apple Pay, Google Pay)
• Bank Transfers

Tennis Bonuses and Promotions

With the competitive online world Bookmakers inhabit it’s vital to any good website to run promotions to encourage you to use their site over the rest. These take the form of welcome bonuses, money back promotions, free bet promotions and cash out options.

These you can use to your advantage to enhance your particular bets and betting experience across several sites or just by making sure you use the offers to your full advantage on your chosen website and when making a punt

In terms of tennis offers these are no different and it’s worth knowing what’s available so you can maximise your returns and place bets on the appropriate sites.

What are the best Tennis betting existing user bonuses

The Bet365 retirement guarantee seems to be by far the best out there and means your player suffering a unforseen injury from a fall mid match won’t cost you any money.

At grand slams and some tournaments you might get money back if the player you back reaches a certain round. You might also get free bets when you accumulator or betbuilder misses by just one leg or selection - these are worth checking during grand slams and our tournament preview pages

What are the best Tennis betting Welcome Offers

Many bookies won’t have a direct welcome offer relating to tennis unless one of the 4 grand slams is on, this will be the best time to try and find yourself a specific tennis bet welcome offer. Even then it won’t be guaranteed as tennis doesn’t have the same following other sports do

If you want to use a welcome offer to your advantage find one that the terms and conditions allow you to place a qualifying bet on a tennis match, to that end Bet 365 have a bet £10 get £30 in free bets welcome offer currently that tennis will qualify you for and is advertised on their tennis betting section of the site outside of tennis major tournaments.

What are the Best Tennis betting Apps

A betting app on your phone will usually offer the quickest way to access your chosen betting site and place bets while you are out and about. Considering the amount of time you probably spend on your mobile the easiest way to sign up and use most sites.

You will be encouraged to download the app and sometimes there are specific bonuses available only if you have done so.

Online searches seem to list Bet Victor as the standout tennis Betting app, easy to navigate, with quick and responsive in-play bets for when you are on the go and a multitude of statistics to help you re tournament and during the match

What are the major Tennis events or tournaments popular for betting on in the UK

The tennis season has 4 major championships, known as the grand slams, played in the 4 biggest traditional tennis strongholds the UK, USA, Australia and France. These all have the same setup in singles with the top 104 ranked players qualifying automatically, added to with 8 wildcards and 16 qualifiers who earn their place in pre tournament qualifiers

They all include a Mens and ladies singles draw as well as mens, ladies and mixed doubles main tournament draws. More recently wheelchair singles and doubles have been added though these may have less (if any) coverage betting wise.

These 4 slams are listed below (alongside the main Tennis team event the Davis Cup) All these events will draw interest and offers with bookmakers across the board and will be the main focus of offers  Alongside these there are also highly regarded events in the ATP1000 & ATP500 series, and the annual ATP tour finals all annual which should see good coverage on most betting sites. The ATP250 tour should also see some activity, though you may have to hunt for a good tennis betting site for the challenger tournaments,

Team events in tennis have a slightly up and down history in terms of interest. The Davis and Fed Cup are the mens and women’s world cups as such, the ATP cup is played at the start of the season and the Laver Cup is a newer format that may well generate some interest with the bookies.

Wimbledon Championships - English Open

The original and most highly regarded tournament this is the one all players aim to win. Still played on grass with very traditional values with an all white dress code. The surface favours big servers or volley specialist’s and can throw up some shock results

Roland-Garros - French Open

The French tournament is the opposite of Wimbledon, played on red clay it sees long rallies and suits the Western Europeans and South Americans who play on these courts from their youth. The French crowds will love you or hate you and you can wear what you like leading to it being a sports clothing sponsors dream

The US Open

The last Slam of the year the US Open is lesser regarded after Wimbledon and the French but is still a huge draw in the USA and you won’t be short of a promotion or two when this is running Played on hard courts it suits the Eastern Europeans and North Americans.

The Australian Open

The newest of the 4 slams starts off every tennis season, in the past this was skipped by some big names due to it’s timing and the long journey to Australia. However it’s now well established as one to win. It’s on hard courts in high heat so the locals, Americans and eastern europeans traditionally do well. As it’s the first tournament of the season watch out for shock results in early rounds

The Davis Cup

The World cup of tennis sees teams of 5 per nation compete in singles and doubles matches annually to find the best country. This has had a chequered history but is now well established and expect offers to be about when the finals are underway with the final 16 playing from a group stage and then knockouts. The women have a version too the Fed Cup

The Laver Cup

Without a doubt the biggest new Tennis event is the Laver cup. Borrowing heavily from Golf’s Ryder cup it’s a Europe vs the Rest of the World. Popularised by tennis great Rodger Federer it’s becoming a must watch and the prize money at stake means the world’s best will attend. 2025 will see the 3 day showpiece come to Europe and with matches across all 3 days as both teams aim to get to 13 points first it will likely attract a lot of bookies attention

Is Match Rigging in Tennis a major issue?

While the top players on tour earn vast sums of money life at the lower end of the professional tennis circuit can be hard with constant travel and accommodation at tournaments to pay for. This coupled with lack of sponsorship, poor funding from national tennis associations and low prize money in the challenger and smaller tournaments means players struggle to make much profit when they are ranked outside the top 200. With the economic challenges they face making a quick buck can be tempting This has made tennis a target for organised betting rings and match fixing has been a constant issue since the early 2000’s with around 10 players receiving life bans for the offence since 2003.As recently as 2023 a match fixing ring was broken which involved 181 players from the lower reaches of the professional circuit.

This usually involves lower level matches and not players who are household names, though there are rumours that some grand slam single matches have been fixed and some doubles matches where it has been proven.

How bookies pay out if a match is found to be fixed varies. Regardless if you have information prior to a match starting of it being potentially fixed you should report it to the relevant authorities. Betting on or supporting match fixing damages the integrity of the sport and can be supporting organised criminal gangs.

Tennis Betting Strategies

Where can I Find Tennis Betting Tips

Pros and Cons of betting on Tennis

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I start betting on Tennis as a beginner?

The best place to start will be on the well established sites listed in our top sites here as these will have the best customer support and service, the easiest to navigate websites for beginners and  clear explanations of how to place your first bets.

Do the Different surfaces affect play?

Yes, There are 4 main surfaces used, clay, hard court, grass and indoor hard court. All have different qualities and will suit players accordingly. This means it’s not just a case of lumping on the higher ranked player every time. Check what surface the match you are betting on is being played before your top 16 banker is beaten by a lower ranked grass or clay court specialist

What is the most I can win betting on Tennis?

You may find some sites will cap your stake amount for certain bets but not all do. You will find buried in the T&C’s of every site a maximum amount that can be won from one bet on tennis, but there is not usually anything to say you can not win multiple smaller amounts. So the answer really is that there is a limit per bet but no limit on the overall amount in the long run.

What if a player retires during a match?

It’s really important to check before you bet what the individual bookmaker rules are if one player retires injured during a match, This is something that happens quite regularly in tennis as players pick up knocks over long and demanding tournaments and of course can get freak injured slipping or stretching for a return shot. WHat also happens is Player will enter a tournament to ensure their appearance money despite carrying a known injury and will end up retiring mid tournament.

If this happens you may think the fairest thing to do is to declare the player who progresses to the next round as the winner BUT this isn’t always the case. Check the terms and conditions on the website so that a retirement by a player doesn’t leave you out of pocket

Can you make a living betting on Tennis?

Betting should be a fun pastime and no one is suggesting you should base paying your rent or mortgage on your ability to pick a winning bet. Underdogs win and things happen that no one can predict. If your gambling is becoming an issue and losses are unmanageable then you should seek help and take a break, never chase losses. Only ever gamble with what you can afford to lose and money which you do not care about.