Tips for betting on tennis

Introduction to tennis

Tennis is a game that is often associated with genteel folks enjoying a sunny afternoon picnic, twanging a ball to each other with wooden racquets. Indeed, for much of its long history, that image would be quite close to the truth.

Nowadays, however, the game is anything but a romp in the sunshine. It’s a hard-hitting, action-packed contest between athletes at the peak of their strengths and abilities. The serves are like lightning, the rallies are intense, and the matches are about victory alone.

Where to bet on tennis?

It’s a bustling sector of modern online bookies that offer tennis. Most of your favourite bookies will have a few decent markets to bet on. The big guys all have a slice of the tennis action.

There are a whole lot of different markets out there, so there’s something to suit all tastes in tennis betting. Sites offering tips and advice abound online, giving bettors a real leg up in terms of strategy.

Main tennis tournaments

Tennis tournaments and events are popular just about everywhere, so there is a lot to choose from. Here’s a compilation of some of the biggest around.

Tennis facts and history

Originally deriving from a 12th-century game called Jeu de paume (game of the palm), tennis grew into a game played in indoor courts with racquets rather than hands. This particular indoor version is still played today and is distinct from modern tennis.

The modern game is played with ultra-light graphite racquets, with specially tensioned strings woven across a broadhead. The courts are composed of various different materials, although they were all at one point grass-covered.

There are four main types of court in use today. The grass-court is still used, although far less so than it used to be. Wimbledon is the only major tournament on grass. The grass-court allows the ball to slide more as it lands, meaning that it’s quicker and lower.

Clay courts can still be found, too, with the most famous example being at Roland Garros. The effect of clay is twofold on a ball. It clings to the ball, making it heavier and slower through the air. It also grips when the ball lands, increasing the spin and bounce.

The final and most common type of surface is called the hard surface. This surface is considered to be the best option, generally speaking. It offers a compromise between the slow, spinning clay court and the fast, low grass court.

Tennis regulations stipulate that courts must measure 78 feet (23,77 m) in length and are 36 feet (10,97 m) wide, including the tramlines. For singles matches, the tramlines are excluded, thereby making the singles court 27 feet (8,23 m) wide.

The balls used in tennis are composed of a highly pressurized rubber core, covered in a fabric made of a mixture of wool and nylon. They easily soften with use and are thus continually swapped out during full matches.

Points are determined by players keeping the ball in play within the confines of the court. If a player has landed the ball in an opponent’s court, it must be returned to the initial player’s court legally. If not, the first player gains a point.

Each tennis match is determined by sets, which are themselves made up of games. Each game has four scoring points, listed as 15, 30, 40, and game. Zero points are referred to as love. If a player reaches six such games clear of the opponent, they have won the set.

For a player to win the game, they require three out of five sets for the men’s game and two out of three sets for the women’s game. Some of the greatest ever matches have gone to the full five allotted sets and have spanned several hours in duration.

While tennis tournaments such as Wimbledon have been staged since the late 19th century, the game continued as a relatively minor event in world sports until around the late 1960s. At this time, it began to become professionalized.

There were many notable players in the old days, but the really big names only emerged after this professional watershed period from the early 1970s onward. This has led to certain players becoming household names across the globe.

Conclusion

Whether you’re looking for something new or are just a fan of all kinds of sports, tennis is a great option. It combines athletic prowess with tactical nous in all the best ways. It’s a fantastic option for the bettor, too, because the tennis betting sector is bustling.

Another great thing is that there are many smaller tournaments taking place each year, with the major events evenly spaced across the season. This means there’s always something happening in the tennis betting calendar.

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