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Whether you’re betting on Wimbledon or other Grand Slam events, tennis gives bettors a chance to (hopefully) make good money. This page gives you everything from betting strategies to news and player updates. Our experts also give their two cents (or two rackets) with Odds Shark tennis tips and free picks so you can see which way they’re leaning for the U.S. Open, Australian Open, French Open and more.
WTA and ATP Tennis: Odds Shark Betting Approach
Betting on tennis requires the drive of Andre Agassi, the skills of Steffi Graf, the anger of John McEnroe and the motivation of Chris Evert. We kid! All you need is Odds Shark's tennis content for your handicapping needs.
There are four main bets you can make, whether it’s on Wimbledon or an exhibition match between the top singles in the world: moneyline, total games, point spread and correct score.
Moneyline
The moneyline is a staple in sports betting because it’s one of the easier bets out there. Sometimes referred to as a “straight-up” bet, this wager would involve you picking an outright Sportsbook.
In a singles match, odds would look something like this:
Serena Williams -220
Angelique Kerber +190
In this case, Serena is the favorite and Angelique is the underdog. At the sportsbook, favorites are always represented by the minus sign (-) and underdogs by the plus sign (+). If you were to bet $80 on Williams and she won, you would get a payout of $116.36 – your original $80 comes back with your winnings of $36.36. Conversely, a winning bet on Kerber would give you $232 – you get your $80 back with your winnings of $152.
Total Games
This is similar to an OVER/UNDER wager you’d make on other sports except you’d bet on the complete number of sets instead of goals or touchdowns. Oddsmakers will set the number based on the experience of both players, the type of court they’re playing on and matchup history. If the total is set at 2.5 for a dream match between Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, you would bet on whether you think the match will go three sets (OVER 2.5) or be finished in two (UNDER 2.5).
Tennis Point Spread
Often referred to as the handicap, the point spread for tennis is similar to other sports betting. Because matches can be uneven with elite players sharing the court with up-and-comers, oddsmakers try to create a more even betting field. Handicaps will be placed on each player. The weaker player is given the underdog title (+) and the stronger player will be the favorite (-), just like with a moneyline bet. However, there’s a twist – the underdog has a point advantage. Odds would appear something like this:
Novak Djokovic -3.5
John Isner +3.5
As you can see, Djokovic is the favorite and Isner is the underdog. Isner is given an advantage of 3.5 games added to his score, whereas Djokovic is given the disadvantage of 3.5 games taken away from his score. This means the underdog would need to not lose by more than three games for a winning bet. On the other hand, the favorite would need to win by four games to cover the spread.
Correct Score
For this type of bet, let’s imagine that WTP top players Ashleigh Barty and Naomi Osaka are playing doubles against ATP bests Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. A precise score bet would require you to decide the number of sets each couple wins.
Live Betting
One of the great things about betting online is that you can do it in real time. Live odds are available at most sportsbooks, allowing you to bet on each serve and volley.
Odds Shark Tennis Betting Tips and Terms
You don’t have to be Billie Jean King or Martina Navratilova to understand how to read tennis odds or make smart picks. However, you should have a basic knowledge of how tennis is scored so you can follow the game to keep up with your bets.
Odds Shark Tennis Scoring Terminology
Sets: Matches can consist of two to five sets. In order to win a set, a player must win at least six games. Each winning set is one point.
Match: A player must win two or three sets to win the match, depending on whether it is a best-of-three or best-of-five match. If each contestant wins a set in a best-of-three, then a third must be played to figure out a Sportsbook.
Love: This is a fancy way to say “zero.”
Points: After love, the first point scored is 15, then 30, then 40, followed by game point (this is the winning point). If Player X has 30 and Player Y has zero, the score would be 30-love.
Serving: A coin is flipped or a racket is spun to determine who gets first choice. The Sportsbook can decide if they want to serve or receive first, and which side of the court they wish to start on. Players get two serves each. If their second serve fails, their opponent gets the point. Serving continues until the score gets to game point. After each odd-numbered game, competitors switch sides on the court.
Deuce: If the score is tied at 40, it’s called a deuce (tie). The game continues until one player wins two consecutive points after deuce.
Odds Shark Tennis Strategies for Betting
Odds Shark's tennis strategies all come back to a few key pieces of information: court surface, player ability and injuries.
- Tennis is played on clay, grass, hardcourt and carpet – not the kind you’d find lining the floors of a home, so don’t get discouraged if you can’t emulate Arthur Ashe in your living room. The type of surface will affect the speed and bounce of the ball and how well the player can move.
- Players hold their racket in their right hand (orthodox) or left hand (southpaw). Generally, handedness isn’t as important as style of play. There are big servers who rely on, you guessed it, their serve. There are baseline players who use groundstrokes to keep the game to the back of the court. There are defensive players who take advantage of their opponent’s mishaps. Finally, there are all-rounders who spend their time close to the net.
- Athletes can get sidelined by something as small as a blister, so it’s important to examine the overall health of a player when handicapping your tennis bets. Luckily, Odds Shark tennis coverage will give you insight into how healthy a player is.
Where Can I Find More Tennis Odds Shark Guides?
Odds Shark General Betting Guides
Keep it locked to Odds Shark Tennis for all the big events to get the latest info to handicap your tennis bets. Who knows, you could become the Fred Perry of tennis wagering, or at least win enough to afford to buy out the entire Fred Perry catalogue.