Chances are there’s a pro tennis match being played somewhere on the planet right now. Tennis betting is enjoying a boom. With most of the biggest sports in the US filling evening and weekend slots, tennis largely stands alone as the one you can bet on when you wake, work and wind down.
Almost 3,000 professional tennis players compete on courts worldwide each year. Each pro has to feature in a minimum of 19 competitions annually to maintain their ranking status. That makes for a stacked calendar of tournaments and matches with an almost infinite number of tennis betting options.
With a range of tournaments and competitions throughout the season to wager on, there’s plenty of choice when it comes to betting on tennis. New York’s best sportsbooks all offer their own take on tennis betting, and it’s usually a good idea to check out a few to find your favorite.
Few betting sites in the world can top DraftKings for its market depth and coverage. All of the week’s ATP and WTA tournaments feature prominently along with almost every ITF and Challenger event.
On any given day there are dozens of tennis matches - both singles and doubles - featured prominently at DK. Toggle easily between odds and stats menus with key match facts thrown in for good measure.
All of that is supplemented by DraftKings’ free to enter tennis fantasy competitions. Yup, DraftKings is ace for tennis.
FanDuel has been partnered with the WTA for a few years now, enabling it to enrich its tennis daily fantasy and betting portfolio. It’s tennis parlays that should particularly entice multi-game bettors to FanDuel.
If you’re following a tournament, combining two or more favorites into a parlay enhances the possibility of a higher payout. FanDuel regularly advertises boosted parlay odds to hand you an elevated expected value (EV). EV is a metric used regularly by professional gamblers. It means identifying a wager that has a higher probability of winning than is implied in the odds.
FanDuel is your best option for employing this tennis betting strategy and the range of matches it has on offer on any given day is enormous. The DFS giant also offers tennis live streaming to enhance in-play betting.
Tennis is fairly unique in sports betting because of its rapid pace and speedy scoring. That makes it a great sport for live betting.
On faster surfaces like grass, each point averages around three seconds with even the slower clay courts seeing rallies that max out at about 15 seconds. There aren’t many sports that could deliver a potentially profitable wager that fast.
BetMGM has fantastic live tennis betting with tons of points and props odds that update in the blink of an eye. There’s also comprehensive streaming of tennis matches on the BetMGM media player.
Caesars might not dig into the lower-ranking events to the same extent as BetMGM or DraftKings, but it is an excellent choice for tennis future bets. Markets open way before plenty of the other sportsbooks, and Caesars typically offer the best odds on tournament winner bets.
For example, browsing the future markets for Wimbledon, we found the odds at Caesars were five to ten per cent higher than a range of its competitors.
That could make a big difference for anyone who gets in early and bets big on Grand Slam winners.
Including the Grand Slam events but not limited to them, Fanatics is a fine option for betting on the outcome of tennis tournaments. That includes wagering on the outright winner, finalists, and parlays for combining players to progress through each round.
Odds for tennis competitions are competitive at Fanatics and you’re unlikely to find better. You’ll also likely spot value in some pre-tournament markets and futures at Fanatics. The Fanatics sportsbook also has player trackers for the Grand Slam showpieces where you can personalize your betting experience by selecting players to keep an eye on - both how they progress through the championship and to monitor their odds.
By integrating with ESPN’s live tennis coverage, ESPN BET provides a top-tier betting experience New York tennis fans. Users benefit from real-time match statistics, expert commentary, and unique promotions tied to major tournaments like Wimbledon, the US Open, and the French Open.
This seamless connection to ESPN’s detailed match insights and coverage makes it an ideal platform for bettors looking to stay informed before and during matches, and enhance their tennis betting strategies with help from ESPN's experts.
BetRivers is an interesting proposition for those who stick to moneyline wagers on tennis. The betting offering from gaming company Rush Street is easy to use and very accessible. Across the board, tennis odds at BetRivers are fair and competitive too.
Where BetRivers becomes an attractive option for tennis fans is when it comes to line shopping. BetRivers don’t follow the crowd in posting odds in multiples of five or ten. You might find a favorite at, say, -177 rather than -180 or an underdog at +148 rather than +145.
If you are comparing prices at multiple sportsbooks, you may well find the best odds at BetRivers.
There may be no bells or whistles on the Resorts World Bet platforms but if you’re a casual bettor who makes wagers on your cell phone while out, about, in or out, that means it’s a fine choice.
Resorts World Bet’s mobile site and apps are clean, easy to navigate and logically laid out. With elite men serving at 120 mph-plus and women at over 100 mph, tennis betting opportunities can be gone in a flash. Resorts World Bet’s speedy apps mean you won’t miss out.
Juice can seriously water down the value of your bet. It’s the cut that a sportsbook takes for handling your bet.
BallyBet ranks highly for low juice (or vig) on its tennis betting markets. Bally’s has been busy gobbling up sports betting tech, broadcasting and risk management companies to develop its now fully functioning offering.
So, unlike some others in New York, BallyBet isn’t reliant on paying third parties for its software and data feeds. That reflects in the juice and the operator also boosts tennis odds regularly.
As with any gambling on sports, there are a variety of factors to consider when seeking the best tennis betting app.
Regulated sportsbooks are required to meet exacting standards of fairness and security. That provides assurance that your bets will be handled in an above-board, transparent manner and that personal details are kept safe. It's therefore always wise to ensure you're using a legal sportsbook for tennis when placing your wagers.
Tennis isn’t quite the most popular sport in the US but it is in the top five. Tennis is possibly more popular as a sport to bet on relative to viewing figures than many other sports. It’s also probable that many Americans get into tennis having placed a bet and watched a live stream on a betting app first.
That results in masses of bettors who have gone before you. A lot of them will review betting sites from a user perspective so check them out before you begin.
It’s incredibly difficult to turn a profit in the long term by not betting at the best odds available. Every sportsbook has its own risk management strategy that dictates its approach to setting odds.
Once you’re familiar with tennis betting you’ll soon notice that odds for the same wager differ between bookmakers. Even where pricing variations are minimal, picking the most favorable odds over time can make a significant difference to your bankroll.
If you’re only ever going to place straight bets on who will win a tennis match or tournament then you can’t go wrong with any of the top NY sportsbooks. However, for other bet types such as handicaps, spreads and live betting, some operators offer far more than others.
The same is true for how many sportsbooks have markets available for Challenger and ITF tournaments. Some research will identify the bookies that regularly advertise your preferred markets, and you might be able to find slightly better odds when you shop around.
In such a competitive industry, sportsbooks are keen to get you signed up and lured in with bonuses and promos. Even if you only wager small amounts, it’s always worth making the most of the available offers.
Think about the nature of your opening and ongoing tennis bets and then pick the promotions that will return the most value.
Most of the top tennis sportsbooks regularly run promos and special offers. If you’re a new customer then you’ll usually find some attractive offers available when you sign up.
NY Sportsbook | Bonus / Promo |
Caesars | Whether your first wager (minimum $10) wins or loses, get up to $1,000 in bonus credit. |
| BetMGM | Up to £1,500 returned in Bonus Bets if your first bet loses |
FanDuel | Bet $5, get $150 in Bonus Bets |
DraftKings | Bet $5, get $150 in Bonus Bets |
BetRivers | Up to $100 in bonus bets equal to the value of your first wager if it loses. |
Whether you choose to bet on the four Grand Slams, a smattering of ATP and WTA Tour events, the Davis and FedCup, or even delve into the ITF and Challenger series, there can be enormous value to be found in the tennis betting markets - as long as you know where to look.
The first step to bet on tennis is to register with a sportsbook, deposit funds and make your selection.
That’s the easy bit. Knowing how each tennis market works and how to maximize your chances of making money is trickier - especially if the mass of tennis bet types available is bamboozling.
There are a dozen or more broad categories of tennis bet types. Below those headings, there will be a multitude of individual markets.
It’s not unusual for the biggest sportsbooks for tennis to have sixty-plus wagers to choose from for tour matches, with even more for the Grand Slams.
Understanding the main tennis bet types will have you well on the way to making informed picks.
Match, head-to-head or moneyline betting is the same as it is in most sports. It’s simply a wager on who will win a game. Some of the biggest upsets, and most lucrative bets in tennis history have been on the moneyline.
Take Denis Istomin beating Novak Djokovic at the 2017 Australian Open at odds of +3000 ($3000 won for every $100 staked) or Rafael Nadal’s first-ever loss at the 2009 French Open to Robin Soderling who was priced at +4800.
Not all tennis match bets are as profitable of course. Most are offered at relatively low odds. During the last 20 years, the sport has been dominated by Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams.
Moneyline odds on either of them to win a match have often been so low as to be not worth a bet. The stranglehold that those players had over Grand Slam titles has been waning though, making head-to-head betting appealing to most bettors again.
Futures bets can be placed on upcoming Grand Slams and tour tournaments. For the biggest tennis events, sportsbooks open their futures betting markets months in advance.
For example, the odds for Wimbledon 2023, staged in July, were available from March at the biggest NY sportsbooks. The odds on futures markets then shift continuously to reflect how the season’s performances are shaping up.
Savvy futures bets have made some lucky bettors very rich as the odds can be huge. When Emma Radacanu won the US Open, the young Brit had been 400/1 before the tournament.
It’s not uncommon to see rank outsiders priced at figures in the tens of thousands. Even those with a fair chance can still have odds of +1000 or more.
Tennis handicap betting can make matches much more interesting, especially when a heavy favorite is playing an outsider. Handicap betting involves predicting an individual player’s performance in a match.
Sportsbooks will add or subtract a given number of points in a game or a number of games in a set for each opponent. This theoretically levels the playing field between two mismatched players.
Set handicap markets typically open at +/- 1.5 where the pair aren’t that far apart in form, ability and the book’s perceived chances of each winning. That will vary depending on the disparity between the two. A handicap of -1.5 means the favorite will have to win by two sets or more.
An over/under bet is a wager on set totals and game totals. The bet is based on the length of the match regardless of who wins.
A standard game of tennis is won when a player is victorious in six games unless it is tied at 6-6 when a tiebreaker is played. The tiebreak is usually counted by sportsbooks as one game.
As an example of an over/under bet, ahead of the 2022 US Open final between Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Rudd, the over/under line was set at 39.5. The line of 39.5 proved to be very accurate as ultimately there were a total of 40 games played so the over bet won (just).
Tennis points spread betting relates to either the number of games or sets a player will win by. The favorite will be assigned a negative figure and the underdog a positive.
For example, ahead of the women’s final of the 2023 Australian Open, oddsmakers considered there was little to choose between Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabaleka. The latter was the favorite at -1.5 on the game spread with the former at +1.5.
In the end, Rybakina won 7-6, 6-4 in two straight sets with a total of three games between the pair. A bet on Rybakina at +1.5 won while a wager on Sabalenka at -1.5 flunked.
The best tennis sportsbooks will also offer a variety of prop bets. These are markets on a range of occurrences in a match that aren’t directly related to the final outcome.
Tennis prop bets are often high-reward, high-risk. An example is predicting the exact score in a match, one of the most challenging tennis wagers. Even the most frequent set score (6:4) can return healthy payouts.
When Richard Gasquet beat Chris O’Connell in the Miami Open recently with just that - a 6:4 first-set win - the odds were a tidy +370.
Other examples of tennis prop bets are whether a player will make a certain number of service breaks or if there will be a tiebreak in a set. For big tournaments, sportsbooks with extensive tennis betting menus might set odds for prop bets on the round in which a player will be eliminated in a tournament or even whether individual stars will make each final of the four annual Grand Slams.
Live betting is available for many sports but tennis is one of the best suited to try out in-play wagers. It’s worth developing a reasonable understanding of tennis before you dabble in live betting as changes in a game can impact odds quickly and significantly.
For example, if an elite individual’s serve is broken just once in a set, the sportsbooks will seriously downgrade their live chances of winning as it’s relatively uncommon for top players to lose service games.
That said, if you’re following a match in which the favorite fails to win the first set or two, all is not lost. Comebacks are more common in tennis than in many other sports.
Around one in ten players on the ATP Tour who lost the opening set went on to ultimately win. Betting on a top player recovering to win can result in healthy payouts.
The tennis Grand Slam events comprise the Australian Open, the French Open, the US Open and Wimbledon. The term Grand Slam entered the tennis lexicon in the 1930s having originated in card games and had previously been adopted to describe golf’s major tournaments.
Each of the Slams is unique and so adds to the rich experiences, excitement and prestige of the annual tennis schedule.
The Grand Slams are the most significant in tennis for their history, size, audience, ranking points, prize money and money wagered.
No tennis star can truly be considered to be a great of the sport without winning one, or several Grand Slams.
Played on speedy hard court surfaces, the Australian Open takes place early in the year and ramps up the excitement for the burgeoning tennis season.
Held in Melbourne, often in hot weather, the Australian Open requires high levels of fitness and stamina.
When considering who to bet on at the Australian Open, consider which players finished the previous season strongly and who has tended to be a slow starter to the season.
The warm-up tournaments ahead of the major Aussie event can give you clues as to form and who has already nailed playing on the zippy courts.
Installed in the calendar during late May and early June, the French Open is played on clay courts. The nature of clay as a surface causes plenty of players problems that some never really get to grips with.
Power hitters are naturally suited to clay and top-ranked players with a strong all-round game are the ones to watch at the French Open.
Rafa Nadal has earned the moniker ‘King of Clay’ due to his dominance of the tournament that’s played at Stade Roland Garros in Paris. The Spaniard has won the French Open a record 14 times in 17 years.
Spanish and South American players have historically performed well at Roland Garros and with clay being a slow surface, long rallies ensue that can thwart even strong favorites if their stamina is lacking.
The oldest of the Grand Slams, Wimbledon has a prestige, culture and set of customs all of its own. The grass courts at Wimbledon often prove to be a tough test, even for the very best.
The tennis grass court season is shorter than its clay and hard court counterparts with fewer tournaments played on the lawns than on other surfaces. Grass is seriously fast and Wimbledon often features matches with lots of aces (unreturned serves) and short rallies.
Arm yourself with stats based on those features and prop bets can be the way to go for the best Wimbledon bets.
Roger Federer holds the record for most Wimbledon wins in the men’s game with eight while Martina Navratilova has nine titles - more than any other woman.
Novak Djokovic has reigned supreme in recent years with four consecutive Wimbledon crowns since 2018 while the ladies’ championship has been unpredictable since Serena Willims last won in 2016.
The Grand Slam calendar rounds off with the US Open. The tournament held in Queens is a show-stopping spectacle with the largest crowds in tennis filling the Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows.
The US Open has been hard to call in recent years with seven different men’s winners and eight different ladies’ champions in the last decade.
With the US Open beginning on the last Monday in August and concluding on September’s Labor Day holiday, in theory, it should be clear by this late stage of the season who could perform well.
There are plenty of exceptions to that though - think Emma Radacanu (2021 at pre-tournament odds of +40000), Marin Cilic (2014 at odds of +10000) and Flavia Pennetta (2015 at +10000).
When browsing the US Open betting markets look out for players whose form has begun to falter after a long season.
Both the Association for Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) are worldwide organizations that oversee the premier professional tours in the sport.
The ATP and WTA have several tournament categories. They also manage the end-of-season finales - the ATP Finals and the WTA Finals - where the top eight players in each ranking system compete for the championships. The battle to qualify for both are known as the “Race to…”.
NY Sportsbooks cover most ATP and WTA tour competitions and the biggest betting sites include them all. As well as wagering on the outcomes of tour tournaments, individual matches and player performance, you might also find bookies who offer odds on who will qualify for the ATP and WTA Finals.
As with all gambling, tennis betting odds reflect the probability of an outcome. Most leading tennis sportsbooks mainly display odds in the American format where a positive (+) number reflects how much you’d win for wagering $100 and a negative (-) indicates how much you’d have to stake to win that number in dollars.
Looking at moneyline bets as an example, where the numbers in the odds are relatively close, then a tight matchup is expected, such as in the men’s doubles final at the 2023 Australian Open:
Nys/Zielinski (-130: risk $130 for $100) vs. Kubler/Hijikata (+110: risk $100 for $110)
Where there is a wide margin between the numbers, then a mismatch is expected. That happened when rank outsider Stan Wawrinka defeated Rafa Nadal in the final of the 2014 Australian Open:
Rafael Nadal (-590: risk $590 for $100) vs. Stanislas Wawrinka (+400: risk $100 for $400)
Another way to look at tennis odds and lines is to consider the handicap betting markets. The more games the sportsbook has given to a player, the less likely they are considered to win but the odds on offer for both are evened out.
The following example is from the 2022 French Open when Rafa Nadal played Felix Auger-Aliassime. As background, clued-up tennis bettors already knew that Nadal had not lost a fourth-round match at Roland Garros since 2015.
The total games handicap markets looked like this:
Nadal -7.5 (-110), Auger-Aliassime +7.5 (-110)
The odds for both outcomes were the same. After a five-set match that was closer than expected, Nadal won by three sets to two. The Spaniard clocked up a total of 24 games against 21 for Auger-Aliassime.
The outcome meant that the handicap line was some way off and those who were confident of a Nadal romp saw their bet lose. Those who saw little point backing the Canadian outsider to win at +500 were able to find some value thanks to the handicap.
Despite appearances (not least the scoring system - the origins of which are lost history), tennis is a relatively straightforward sport and so supremely accessible for bettors new to it.
As a single (or double) participant sport, variables in tennis are lower than for team events. Take how many service games the top players win for example. Roger Federer has won nearly 89% of them during his long career. Few sports see participants achieve such consistency.
However, as much as blind punts may seem fun, they're only really a blast if your best guess wager wins.
When it comes to tennis betting, a little education and research are needed to increase your chances of winning wagers. As a minimum, arm yourself with these key assessments…
While the factors that directly impact how a one-versus-one tennis match will play out aren’t as vast as, say, an 11 v 11 football game, there is a very significant one. That’s the surface it's played upon - hard, clay or grass.
Tennis is a very different sport dependent on the court type. Take a look at a player’s historical record on a surface but also note signs of improvement.
The warm-up tournaments ahead of Grand Slams (played on the upcoming Slam surface) and performances throughout the distinct hard/clay/grass seasons are a good indication of whether a player has finally mastered, or continues to excel, on a certain court type.
As a largely solo sport, tennis success or failure is as much about morale and mental state as it is about technical ability. Recent form is one of the best metrics available to you when assessing a player’s chances.
Some tennis stars go through lengthy slumps such as Naomi Osaka, who after winning the last of her four Grand Slams in 2021 struggled for form in a wretched run.
Other players wax and wane in form each year, understandably so given the lengthy season with fatigue affecting almost every star at some point.
Add a player’s ranking to your considerations to provide an extra dimension of insight. ATP and WTA rankings are based on points gained over the preceding 52 weeks to indicate longer-term performance.
Combining recent form with current ranking provides a pretty comprehensive assessment when comparing two tennis opponents.
Like all the biggest sports, tennis generates an enormous amount of data. Rather than get bogged down in the minutiae of information available, dig out intel on these factors considered to be key tennis stats:
% successful first serves - a good first serve that’s ‘in’ gives a player control in the game and makes it more likely they will win the ensuing rally.
% service games won - no elite player wins matches without impressive serving stats.
% break points converted - fundamentally, tennis matches are won and lost by a player losing their service games and their opponent breaking their serve.
Another stat you might consider includes the previous head-to-head record of two players about to face each other. The natural game of some players gives them an advantage in exploiting the weaknesses of their opponent and you may be able to spot such a trend from historical matchups.
Home to the US Open since 1978, the Billie Jean King Tennis Center was the world’s first major sports venue to be named after a female sports star.
The complex at Flushing, across from Citi Field, has 33 DecoTurf (hard) courts and the largest tennis stadium in the 23,200-capacity Arthur Ashe colosseum-like centerpiece.
The US Open is the only ATP and WTA event staged in New York and its raucous crowds sure do make the most of it with a field of more highly ranked players than any other Grand Slam.
Finally, two elite tennis stars who are comparable in ability often go through set after set winning their service games with the score equal until the score reaches 6-6. At this point, a tiebreak game is played.
Some players have a superior record in these sudden-death rounds. Scan tiebreak success stats when you think a match will be very close.
The sheer number of matches that take place through the tennis season means that there’s usually always something to bet on.
If you prefer the experience of in-person betting, New York has some great retail venues to choose from, as well as some notable sports bars to visit to catch the action.
Del Lago Casino Resort
1133 New York 414, Waterloo, NY 13165, United State
+1 315-946-1777
Resorts World Catskills
888 Resorts World Drive, Monticello, NY 12701
+1 833-586-9358
Rivers Casino & Resort
1 Rush St, Schenectady, NY 12305
+1 518-579-8800
Tioga Downs Casino
2384 W River Rd, Nichols, NY 13812, United States
+1 607-414-1129
Point Place Casino
450 452, NY-31, Bridgeport, NY 13030
315-366-9610
Turning Stone Resort & Casino
5218 Patrick Rd, Verona, NY 13478
800-771-7711
Yellow Brick Road Casino
800 W Genesee St, Chittenango, NY 13037
315-366-9400
Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort
873 NY-37, Hogansburg, NY 13655
518-358-2222
Seneca Allegany Casino
777 Seneca Allegany Blvd, Salamanca, NY 14779
888-913-3377
Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino
1 Fulton St, Buffalo, NY 14204
877-873-6322
Seneca Niagara Casino
310 4th St, Niagara Falls, NY 14303
877-873-6322
SPIN New York Flatiron
48 E 23rd St, NY 10010
212-982-8802
A joint venture between a bunch of buddies that includes retired tennis pro Andrew Gordon and movie star Susan Sarandon, SPIN is a ping pong club with a bar and restaurant.
Look out for US Open promotional events at SPIN, just a few minutes walk from Madison Square Park. With a little imagination and a few on-tap Belgian beers or high-end cocktails, you can create your own service and rally glory, albeit on a table.
SPIN is open from 4 pm on weekdays and noon on weekends.
TailGate
86 N 11th St, Brooklyn, NY 11249
646-956-3146
An outdoor bar and grill where you can recreate the buzz of watching the US Open on the jumbo screen installed at Corona Park every year but with beer and bites included.
TailGate beams the biggest tennis matches on its giant TV with a backyard vibe complete with picnic tables and astroturf. Alternatively, book a cabana booth with private TV. TailGate is only open Friday to Sunday from noon ‘till late.
Cobblestones Pub and Biergarten
11718 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, NY 11375
718-263-9754
Less than a 10-minute walk from the Billie Jean King Tennis Center, Cobblestones has over 25 flat screens that show an assortment of sports including tennis.
Join the throng of tennis fans heading to Flushing Meadows on Queens Boulevard and detour into the bar that boasts it serves the best ribs around, washed down with an on-tap craft ale or bottled beer.
Cobblestones stays open ‘till 4 am daily making it the perfect spot to watch the US Open’s famed night matches.
Yes. Sports gambling is legal in New York and the nine licensed bookmakers all offer tennis betting.
Tennis betting works in the same way as other sports but with some unique differences due to match and tournament formats.
The percentage of favorites that win a tennis match varies by tournament category but on average is in the range of 68% to 79%. Favorites win more often in Grand Slam tennis than in other competitions.
Tennis set betting involves predicting the correct match score in sets.
+1.5 in tennis betting either refers to a set or game handicap. In a set handicap, if a player is listed at +1.5 this means a wager will win if they do not lose by two sets or more in a match. In a game handicap, a bet at +1.5 will hit if a player does not lose by two games or more in a set.
If a player retires from a tennis match, how a bet on them will be handled differs between sportsbooks. Some will void a bet and return stakes if the retirement occurs after the first set has been completed. Others will class a wager as valid after the opening ball has been played regardless of whether a player pulls out. Check your sportsbook’s terms and conditions.
A walkover occurs when a player advances in a tournament as a result of their opponent pulling out before a match. As the match never started, bets will be voided.
Tennis matches are suspended relatively often. The most common reason is a weather event such as a rain delay or a lack of light. If a game is suspended, all bets will be considered valid if it is subsequently completed. Any wagers on games that do not restart will be declared void.
