It has been somewhat of a double-edged sword betting on tennis for the last decade, particularly on the men’s side. It has been dominated by the “Big Three,” including Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal, who have won a significant proportion of the recent majors.
It should be possible to profit from betting on the sport because of its predictability. To make any serious money, however, you must place large bets on their matches because the money lines are usually very steep. On the women’s side, Serena Williams has been able to dominate despite a much more open field.
She won a calendar Grand Slam from the end of 2014 to the beginning of 2015, holding all four major titles simultaneously. The above scenarios make us wonder: can tennis bettors make any money? Yes, that’s the short answer. It may take some creativity to counter the dominance of the aforementioned players.
Recent Form Matters
Tennis majors attract much more betting than smaller circuit events, which is understandable. There is, however, an advantage for those who conduct research on players’ performances prior to major tournaments.
In tennis, it is important to consider a player’s form when determining their chances of winning. There could have been a player who skipped a lot of smaller tournaments in order to be fresh for the upcoming major.
It raises the inevitable “rest vs. rust” debate that is discussed in many team sports. When older players are not tested recently, they may benefit from the rest, while others will not perform as well as when they have not had a lot of practice.
Are there any recent injuries a player is battling, along with their recent form? Are they feeling uncertain about their abilities because they have not advanced as far as they would like in recent tournaments? It is important to take note of all of these things before placing a bet.
Head-to-Head Record
Whenever one places a bet on a match between two opponents, one should take into account their head-to-head record. There are lots of tools that make it easy to generate a search of prior matches between any two players.
As with anything else, the more matches between players you have, the more likely you are to make accurate predictions. It is important to remember that oddsmakers have access to all of this same data.
In matches between lesser-known players, or those where the opponents haven’t met often, bettors are likely to gain an advantage over oddsmakers. An avid tennis watcher may put in the appropriate time to handicap such a bet, but handicapping would require extensive knowledge of the players.
Pay Attention to Surfaces
There is no secret among tennis fans that Rafael Nadal dominates on clay. Nadal has won 12 of his 19 major titles on clay at the French Open. Since Nadal has often been the overwhelming favorite at the French Open, whereas Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have often been ranked #1.
While Nadal’s talent on clay is well known, there are other less known players whose games are more suitable for certain surfaces. As a result of the fast surface, big servers prefer playing on hard courts in order to make their dominant serve more difficult to return. Serving-and-volleying is more efficient on grass because the surface produces shorter points.
Take special note of the surfaces on which your opponents play when analyzing face-to-face trends. For example, if two opponents have met ten times, but all of the previous matches were played on hard court or grass, the data won’t be very useful for predicting who will win on clay.
In Summary
Although we have attempted to include all of the best tips to consider when betting on tennis, there are many more tips to consider. If we have overlooked some of the basic tips for betting on tennis, please let us know.
