Watching the likes of Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafa Nadal smash a yellow ball over a waist high net might make for some of the most entertaining sporting contests in living memory, but that’s not the end of the story.
Thanks to the growth of online sports betting in recent years, the practice of betting on high profile tennis matches has become big business for both bookmakers and punters. From straight win bets to all manner of accumulators and forecasts, tennis betting is now a thriving enterprise and that means one thing: profit.
Whenever a sport becomes a popular betting proposition, bookmakers put a lot of stock in it. Whether it’s in the form of increasing betting opportunities, enhanced odds or betting bonuses, the ways in which you can make money at an online sportsbook increase dramatically if the sport is popular.
Over the last five years, the increasing media coverage of tennis has made it one of the leading sports in the world and, as such, the bookmakers have juiced up their betting provisions. Today, you’ll find tennis betting bonuses tailored towards specific events and players, as well as cash back deals and accumulators spanning the entire ATP season.
However, with this increased exposure comes increased risk. Not only are there now more ways for you to place bets (and potentially lose money), but the odds makers are more informed than ever before. A greater knowledge of the game means the tennis betting lines you’ll find are now a lot more accurate than they used to be, which means you’ll have to improve your strategy if you want to make a profit.
Although we can’t guarantee you a profit when you make a tennis bet, we can give you some pointers as to how to improve your overall EV.
Tennis Betting Tips: How to Hit a Winner
Because tennis is a complex proposition made up of points, games and sets, there’s a lot more information you can glean from a match if you look at all its parts, rather than just the winner. Considering the flow of each match, how a certain player performs under pressure, how many aces a player serves and how many service breaks they achieve on average, can help your tennis betting prowess.
For example, let’s say you were thinking of backing Roger Federer to beat Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon. Before wagering your money you first need to consider the venue – some players play well on grass, others don’t – then you need to look at past encounters between the two players. Beyond that you should assess where and how each player scores the majority of their points, then compare that with the strengths and weaknesses of their opponent.
Once you’ve considered all the factors in play, you’ll be able to win at a much greater frequency. Indeed, in this instance it’s probably +EV to wager money on Federer to beat Nadal at Wimbledon. However, if we change the venue to Roland Garros and the French Open, then it’s a wiser bet to back Nadal because he’s a much stronger clay court player.
The key to tennis betting is weighing up all your options. While it’s easy to back the player who is seeded higher, it’s much more reliable and profitable to look at all the factors in play. If one player is particularly strong in an area where their opponent is weak, then this is a solid reason to risk your money on them.
If you’re able to combine these handy hints with some tailored tennis bonuses, you should find yourself double faulting less and serving up a slew of aces in the online sports betting arena.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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First off we have sets and games, and a set ends when a player wins 6 games and is declared the winner.
A win is secured if a player wins 4 points, and the point difference is at least 2. Points are given as 15, 30, 40. If two players are matched evenly at 40 points each, the first to win twice in a row wins a game.
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The forehand and backhand are ways to swing the racket. The name indicates whether it is your palm or backhand that leads the swing, e.g. if you hold the racket in your right hand, swinging right-to-left is the forehand, and left-to-right is the backhand swing.
The forehand swing is believed to be more loose and rotational, while the backhand can be used with two hands to swing the racket more like a baseball bat, with all the accompanying velocity.
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There are many excellent tennis events all year round, but the most attention and prestige is of course granted to the 4 Grand Slam tournaments: The US Open, The French Open, The Australian Open, and Wimbledon. Out of these four, Wimbledon is seen as the greatest and most prestigious.
Tennis is of course also an Olympic sport, with Olympic gold pulling in many leading competitors who wish to add it to their list of achievements.
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A volley is a shot made when the tennis ball is hit before it has had a chance to bounce on the field. A half-volley is a shot made when the ball is struck just after it has bounced. Usually the half-volley is a swing from underneath that harnesses the ball’s upward momentum and redirects it to the opponent’s side of the net.
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The serve is the opening shot. Often the player making the serve will try to make the tennis ballgo as low over the net as possible to force their opponent to move up, or potentially miss returning the ball altogether for a quick and easy point. Additionally, it gives the serving player control over the space, rhythm, and positioning of the early game. It can force an opponent out of their comfort zone, or reduce the chance of an aggressive return as the opponents expend their energy to position themselves properly.