Tennis is a versatile sport to bet on. From placing a wager on the winner of the next point through to backing the winner of next year’s Grand Slams, tennis has an array of markets for bettors to evaluate.
Tennis futures betting is the focus of this article, as we look at the options available and things to consider. Split into different categories, stay with us for a run through of everything you need to know about tennis futures betting.
Long Term Tennis Betting
This article is being written in 2019 and odds are available for all four 2020 Grand Slams with 888sport. While there and positives and negatives to placing a wager this far in advance (we’ll cover those in a bit), many people will take advantage of the option.
How early odds are available will vary from bookmaker to bookmaker, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye out for. If you’ve benefited from 888sport tennis offers and promotions, you might have collected a few free bets along the way.
This can also play to your benefit. Free bets will often have a set time period on them, and if tennis betting markets are open a long time before the tournament begins, it gives an opportunity to use those bets on a tournament even if the first serve is months away.
Injury Issues: Follow Latest News
The obvious alarm bell with any long-term sports bet. Player fitness is unpredictable from game to game, let alone projecting for a tournament in several months’ time.
Tennis players will clock hours of competitive action between one Grand Slam and the next, and that’s before we even consider the grind they put in during practice.
A messy injury history should put you off a long-term tennis bet. In the same way, a player renowned for their fitness could be a good wager if you expect some of their fellow contenders to suffer with injuries.
Niggling injuries are hard to judge, and they’re always playing on the mind when a wager is placed. Being susceptible to injury-caused absences is a particularly key factor in long-term betting, especially if the event comes towards the end of a busy period.
Tennis Futures Betting: Advantages
The uncertainty of betting with a long period until the tournament starts isn’t always a negative. Sometimes, it can turn out to work in the bettors favour.
Bookmakers have to deal with that same uncertainty, they set their prices without knowing which players will definitely take part and unaware of potential upcoming poor form.
If, for instance, it’s a tournament that you expect one of the big three to sit out, others in the market could suddenly appear to be great value.
Serena Williams deciding to play in one warm up tournament over another opens up the betting drastically. Early signs of a Rafael Nadal injury could suddenly make Dominic Thiem a brilliant pick to win the 2020 French Open.
Were you particularly impressed by a players’ performance at Queen’s in 2019? Could they be an outside bet to win Wimbledon 2020?
Future tournament betting gives that option, it provides a chance to back a player before they become popular. Perhaps the player that caught your eye is the next star and you can put your money behind them before their odds drop.
Tennis Futures Betting: Disadvantages
Like any betting, placing tennis futures bets has a few disadvantages. Weighing these up against the respective advantages for each wager is crucial.
We’ve mentioned injuries, which are the most obvious factor. Tennis is also particularly unpredictable from year-to-year or month-to-month.
Players like Naomi Osaka and Stefanos Tsitsipas have been good examples of this over the last couple of seasons, breaking through from nowhere and suffering from prolonged periods of poor form and underachievement.
Away from Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal and their seemingly never-ending dominance of men’s tennis, the sport is hard to project.
Careers rise quickly and fall just as dramatically. ATP Tour odds are upset, and surprise quarter-finalists at Grand Slams are common. No one is a lock for a place in the semi-finals.
Filling out a Grand Slam bracket is an impossible challenge on the opening day of the tournament. The further you get from that first match, the trickier predictions become. Identifying the value longshot option at the 2020 US Open in November 2019 is hard.
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*Credit for the main photo belongs to Kamil Zihnioglu / AP Photo*
