As the legal sports betting environment continues to evolve, sports fans are beginning to expand their horizons out of what they consider to be natural comfort zones. Among the sports that are seeing a boom in interest as a result is tennis.
The action on the court already receives a ton of attention as it is, as tennis is a sport with a very loyal and passionate following. That said, it’s poised to grow to even greater heights moving forward, and it’s not tough to draw a parallel to sports betting as being a big catalyst for that.
There’s almost always a tennis tournament going on. Betting on it is lots of fun, potentially profitable and a great complement to other betting markets you may be focused on. There are a number of different ways to wager on tennis, including live betting.
This makes even the average match all the more exciting, as you can drill down and bet on the individual points, games and sets. There’s a learning curve to getting started, but we’ll cover everything you need to know right here in a bit.
For a great way to begin, look at diving into one of the four majors, such as the French Open. These tournaments attract the top players on both the men’s and women’s side, and they garner a ton of attention.
As a result, you’ll have plenty of easily accessible information to dig into. For example, the court at Roland Garros plays differently from other majors, but there’s a solid amount of data and metrics that you can use to your advantage to find the best plays.
Let’s take a closer look at one of the best tournaments on the tennis circuit each year, starting with the way the oddsmakers see things.
While the French Open remains a ways away, you can still get your bets in on the outright winners for both the men’s and women’s draw. That’s thanks to the active tennis futures market. You can find tennis odds to win the major events well in advance of the tournament itself.
There are three clear-cut favorites at the top of the tennis odds board on the men’s side of the draw. That said, the field as a whole is packed with talent and players who could surprise.
Name | DraftKings | William Hill | FanDuel |
---|---|---|---|
Rafael Nadal | -112 | -120 | -125 |
Novak Djokovic | +275 | +300 | +300 |
Dominic Thiem | +350 | +300 | +320 |
Stefanos Tsitsipas | +2000 | +1400 | +1700 |
Alexander Zverev | +2000 | +2000 | +1800 |
Daniil Medvedev | +3300 | +2500 | +2700 |
Stanislas Wawrinka | +4000 | +3300 | +4800 |
Gael Monfils | +5000 | +3300 | +7000 |
Marin Cilic | +1000 | +8000 | +8500 |
Milos Raonic | +1000 | +8000 | +7000 |
It’s a similar story for the ladies at the French Open. There’s a pair of favorites on top, but another group right behind them that could make some waves.
Name | DraftKings | William Hill | FanDuel |
---|---|---|---|
Simona Halep | +450 | +500 | +600 |
Ashleigh Barty | +800 | +900 | +1100 |
Kiki Bertens | +1000 | +1100 | +1400 |
Bianca Andreescu | +1300 | +1100 | +1400 |
Garbine Muguruza | +1400 | +900 | +1400 |
Serena Williams | +1500 | +1200 | +1400 |
Petra Kvitova | +2000 | +2000 | +2400 |
Naomi Osaka | +2000 | +1600 | +1700 |
Karolina Pliskova | +2000 | +2000 | +2300 |
Elina Svitolina | +2000 | +1600 | +1800 |
Betting at a retail sportsbook is a great experience, but tennis tournaments such as the French Open last up to two weeks. To be able to stay fully engaged throughout, you’ll need to have basic betting knowledge and a sports betting app in your back pocket. Here are our three best sports betting app choices.
Creating an account to use each of these three apps is a piece of cake, and they’re available to use in a number of legal and regulated sports betting states to boot.
Simply click through on our exclusive links to begin the sign-up process so that you can take advantage of the awesome bonus offers. Enter a few pieces of information, and your account will be set up instantly.
From there, follow the instructions on the main website to download the app to your iOS or Android device. Afterward, log in on mobile and you’ll be ready to bet whenever and wherever in your state.
One other note: If you’re ready to take the plunge with live betting, then an app is a must. The odds and markets move fast, so you’ll need everything at your fingertips to dive in and get involved.
When you get started with tennis betting, you’ll notice that there are offerings that are in the same ballpark as what you’ll find in other markets. Naturally, there are also some differences that you’ll have to consider.
Let’s take a look at the main different bet types you’ll come across and an example for each.
For each match in the tournament, oddsmakers will set lines on the outright winner. The favorite will have negative odds attached, while the underdog is designated with positive odds.
For tennis betting, the spreads revolve around sets or games, as in what the winning margin will bet. For sets, it’ll look something like this:
The listing for game spreads will be similar.
A totals bet in tennis revolves around the total number of games for a completed match. Oddsmakers set the benchmark, and bettors then decide if they like the over or under on that number.
Prop bets are additional wagers you can place on the matches regarding something that may or may not happen, individual accomplishment or other circumstances. Example: Will a tiebreak be needed?
You can place bets on the outright winners of the tournament. At some operators, you may even see French Open odds on players to reach milestones such as the semifinals. Odds on outrights will be listed for all players in contention, such as:
After you have a good handle on the ins and outs of tennis betting, you can set your sights on live betting. This is a facet of sports betting that continues to grow, and it has also helped to spark rising interest in tennis.
For the 2020 French Open, you’ll find a number of opportunities as the tournament plays out. To fully take advantage, a sports betting app is a must. The markets move quick and opportunities can disappear quickly, so you need to be ready as it happens.
Flash Bet, a feature from DraftKings, is one way in which users are maximizing their live betting experience. Viewers can track their bets in real-time with embedded graphics, and they’ll even receive payouts nearly instantaneously once a successful wager is settled.
Here are a few of the different live betting opportunities you’ll come across.
Remember — these markets move fast, and you will have numerous betting opportunities during the 2020 French Open. As such, be selective and practice good bankroll management along the way as you pick the most appealing spots.
As we look ahead to the 2020 French Open, there’s a pair of favorites on both the men’s and women’s side who look as though they have an excellent shot at doing some celebrating at Roland Garros.
While the favorites mentioned up above look like solid bets, that doesn’t mean they have the tournament on lockdown. We could see plenty of surprises at Roland Garros. Here’s a handful of players who could turn some heads.
When choosing outright winners, there are a number of players you need to think twice about. Here are a few who fall into that category.
Anytime you bet on tennis, you have to consider how players perform on certain surfaces and at certain venues. That’s true whether we’re talking about some random ATP or WTA events or one of the four majors.
When it comes to the French Open, this can’t be stressed enough. One needs to look no further than the dominance of Rafael Nadal at this event to know that the clay court at Roland Garros is an intimidating hill to climb.
For this year’s edition, be sure to take some time to study the draw once it’s released. Each player will have a clear path ahead, but those who are running into landmines in the form of exceptional clay court players may find the sledding tougher than normal.
Here are some other tips to keep in mind as you get set to place your bets on the 2020 French Open.
The field for the men’s and women’s tournaments at the French Open include 128 players. Both sides are set up as single-elimination tournaments. Those who win their first round matchups advance while losers go home, and so on through all seven rounds until a winner is determined.
The tournament is laid out in bracket form, which is helpful to think of as four quadrants. The top four seeds will be the favorite in each quadrant, followed by the next four seeds and all the way through to the final qualifiers.
Speaking of qualifiers, there is a tournament in advance of the French Open for players to move into consideration. Typically, the top 12 finishers will earn spots.
The top 100+ players in the rankings will automatically qualify. Meanwhile, the remaining spots are reserved for wild cards, which could be used for those on the cusp of the rankings, a talented local junior or a player who just missed out on the qualifying round.
Once the field is set, it’s a matter of seeding the players. The current rankings for the ATP and WTA play a big part in that, and care is given to spread out the top pros into different quadrants.
The final draw is released in advance of the tournament. Coverage can be found on the Tennis Channel upon release, and you can also follow along at RolandGarros.com for the latest news on the draw.
The French Open final is always a big highlight of the year, and we’ve seen some epic matches in recent times. Here’s a look at the last five winners, starting on the men’s side.
Year | Winner | Runner-Up | Sets |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Rafael Nadal | Dominic Thiem | 3-1 |
2018 | Rafael Nadal | Dominic Thiem | 3-0 |
2017 | Rafael Nadal | Stan Wawrinka | 3-0 |
2016 | Novak Djokovic | Andy Murray | 3-1 |
2015 | Stan Wawrinka | Novak Djokovic | 3-1 |
While Nadal has been a dominant force at Roland Garros for the men, we’ve seen more variance on the women’s champion side.
Year | Winner | Runner-Up | Sets |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Ashleigh Barty | Marketa Vondrousova | 2-0 |
2018 | Simona Halep | Sloane Stephens | 2-1 |
2017 | Jelena Ostapenko | Simona Halep | 2-1 |
2016 | Garbine Muguruza | Serena Williams | 2-0 |
2015 | Serena Williams | Lucie Safarova | 2-1 |
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2020 edition of the French Open.
The official prize pool for this year’s tournament hasn’t been released as of yet. Last year, both the men’s and women’s winners walked away with a cool $2.7 million. The minimum payout for participants in the singles tournaments was over $50,000, and it scaled up based on how far players were able to advance.
The futures market for the 2020 French Open continues to take shape, but clear favorites are emerging on both the men’s and women’s sides.
As always, the French Open field will be completely loaded with talent. We can safely expect the above eight players to be among the top seeds. The official draw for the 2020 French Open will be released as the tournament approaches.
NBC and the Tennis Channel are handling TV coverage in the states. Both networks can be found on cable, satellite and streaming providers. For other streaming options, check out the website for both networks for specific details on how you can watch on the go. In addition, be sure to check out your sportsbook app for any live coverage options that may be available.
The surface of a tennis court can impact the game in a number of different ways, including the speed and spin of the ball. For clay courts, bounces of the ball are generally higher and slower than what you would come across on other surfaces. Clay courts can also impact the movement of players, and those who excel at defense can have an edge.
Williams is fully expected to play at Roland Garros this year. While she hasn’t made it to a final at the French Open since 2016, she’s among the top choices in the futures market to win the tournament. Williams remains on a quest for her 24th Grand Slam title, which would tie her for the all-time women’s lead with Margaret Court.
The official French Open draw will not be released until shortly before the tournament gets underway. However, two players appear to have the inside track on a top seed: Ashleigh Barty, top-ranked player on the WTA circuit and defending champion, and Simona Halep, 2018 French Open winner and ranked second by the WTA.
Nadal’s dominance at Roland Garros is the stuff of legends. He has won the tournament a staggering 12 times, including the last three in a row. His victories at Roland Garros have come in bunches, as he took it down each year from 2005 through 2008 and once again from 2010 through 2014. Nadal is the all-time leader in men’s French Open wins. Max Decugis is second with eight, followed by Bjorn Borg with six.
While unquestionably one of the best men’s tennis players of all time, Federer has had a tough time cracking Roland Garros. His lone victory at the French Open came back in 2009 when he defeated Robin Soderling in three sets. Federer has made it to the finals four other times, losing to Rafael Nadal each time. He has announced he’s skipping the 2020 French Open as he recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery.
Absolutely. He’s one of the top favorites in this year’s draw. He was a winner at Roland Garros back in 2016, defeating Andy Murray in a four-set final. Djokovic has made it to the finals on three other occasions, losing to Rafael Nadal twice and Stan Wawrinka once. He should be among the top seeds in this year’s draw.
This year’s official prize pool has not been unveiled as of yet. In 2019, winners on both the men’s and women’s side received $2.7 million. Each player in the draw had a minimum payout of over $50,000, which increased based on how far they advanced in the tournament.
This major tournament is often referred to as Roland Garros because that’s the name of the venue at which it takes place. The facility was named after a fighter pilot from World War I. Over in France, the original name of the tournament was Championnats Internationaux de France, which translates to International Championships of France.