What better way is there to enjoy your favorite sport than by throwing a few dollars on the game you are watching? None, perhaps. But while betting gives us a higher level of satisfaction in watching games, it is a daunting task, especially for novice bettors.
No need to worry, though, if you are one. We’ll be discussing the important factors to consider when placing a bet on the sport of tennis. Unlike team sports where several players determine the outcome of a game, only one person determines the outcome in tennis, and that is the person that you placed your bet on. So how do you determine the right player to bet on?
Read on.
Like in the other sports, health is a very important factor in placing your bet. An athlete is only human like you and me and is subject to the wear and tear of their daily grind. Because of the physical nature of tennis, players are subject to injuries which affect their performance and hence the outcome.
Players are usually healthier at the start of the year, and then some begin to suffer injuries as the season progresses. Some injuries are only minor, and there are players who carry these type of injuries. However, an athlete playing with a minor injury isn’t going to perform at 100% capacity and may end up retiring or withdrawing from a match or even a tournament so as not to further aggravate an injury.
Similarly, a player who is coming off the injured list or who is just a couple of weeks removed from an injury may not be in 100% form yet. So before making a “sure bet” on a top-ranked player, it’s also good to check on the player’s injury history so that you will know if that particular player will be in peak form when you place your bet on him.
An updated injury list can be viewed here, so you’ll know which player is playing hurt and carrying a minor injury going into a match. Also on the link, you can click on a list of returning players so that you will know if the player you are betting on is coming off an injury and how long he has been back from that injury.
Since the same group of players competes in the ATP Tour year after year, the chances are these players have faced each other before, usually more than once. This is called the head-to-head matchup between players.
This statistic is a relevant factor to consider in placing a tennis bet because you can gauge how a player matches up with a specific opponent using the results of their previous encounters. However, when talking of previous encounters, it’s best that you take into account only the recent duels between two players because players tend to improve over time, making results from, say, two or more years ago irrelevant.
You can also use the head-to-head statistics to determine how a certain player deals with a certain style of play. Different tennis players have different styles. Some love to serve and volley, while others like to play along the baseline. There are big servers, and then there are also moon ballers. And so on. So if player X is 0-3 against player Y who is a big server, then the tendency is that player X will also struggle with player Z who also packs a powerful service game.
Head-to-head stats can be found on several online sites. One of them is a site called matchstat.com. If you visit the link, you’ll notice that details like the date of match-up, round, name of the tournament, type of court, scores, and results are displayed.
Aside from human factors, the playing conditions can also affect the outcome of a tennis match. For example, big servers prefer playing on a hard court. Hard courts are usually made of cement or plastic, which means they increase ball speed. Games on hard courts result in short rallies and many aces.
Grass lets the ball slide, so the grass court is also a fast surface. Among Grand Slams, the grass courts of Wimbledon are the fastest. This favors serve-and-volley players who rush to the net after serving to take advantage of his opponent’s slow foot speed after returning the initial return.
Meanwhile, the clay court is the slowest of surfaces because it’s made of natural materials like bricks or shale. The red clay courts of Roland-Garros make the French Open a favorite of baseline players who have consistent strokes.
So before making a bet, know the player’s favorite surface first. You can use the Player section of the ATP Tour site to do so. Once you choose the player, you can view his record on specific surfaces and determine his chances in the match or tournament you are intending to bet on.
Not all tournaments on the ATP tour have equal value, either in terms of prize winnings or in ranking points earned. In the ATP tour, there are four types of main draw tournaments. According to tier, these tournaments are classified as the Grand Slams, Masters 1000 series, the 500 series, and the 250 series.
Let’s talk about ranking points. The higher the tier, the more ranking points a player earns for winning it. For example, winning a Grand Slam gives one 2000 ranking points, while winning a Masters 1000 is worth 1000 ranking points. The 500 and 250 series give their winners 500 and 250 rankings points respectively.
Usually, the top-ranked tennis players play at their best during Grand Slam tournaments where the stakes are higher. They are not as motivated to win the lower-tier tournaments, especially when these come right before or after a major tournament. Also, these top-ranked players get appearance fee money in smaller tournaments, so whether they win the actual competition or not, they go home with a fat wallet.
The schedule of tournaments can be viewed at the ATP site, with the tier of each tournament labeled at the left-most side of each line. So check the schedules before and after the particular tournament of a match you are betting on. Relate that to the player and think of what his motivation would be. A player’s motivation isn’t the same on every tournament.
The women play under the WTA tour, so if you’re going to check on schedule, stats, and head to head, you can just visit their site for the details. As for the list of injured players, you can use the same link we suggested above.
There are a few differences in men’s and women’s tennis. For instance, a big service game may determine the outcome of a match on the men’s side, but not as much on the women’s. Men’s matches are a best-of-five-sets affair, while those of the ladies are just a two-of-three-sets contest. Lastly, the ATP tour has more tournaments scheduled per year. Hence, injuries are more prevalent on the men’s circuit.
Otherwise, making a wager on the women’s tour isn’t that different from placing a bet on the ATP tour. The mechanics are almost just the same. The factors to consider are also almost the same.
We’ve explained to you some of the important factors to consider in placing a bet on the game of tennis. To recap, these include the type of tournament, player injuries, player head-to-head matchups, and playing conditions.
In reality, there is no holy grail in tennis betting or in any kind of betting for that matter. But knowledge is always king. Just remember the factors to consider. If you do your homework, you’ll always have an edge, no matter how big or small. And in gambling, that small edge could spell a big difference for you.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
