Tennis is a sport that is played and enjoyed around the world, and the United States has continued to produce champions who have become massive stars across the country. The current crop of American tennis talent includes Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Coco Gauff, and Jessica Pegula, keeping American interest in the sport strong. The US Open is a must-see event every year, and with professional tennis tournaments taking place nearly every week across the globe there is no shortage of opportunities to bet on tennis.

Below we cover the best sportsbooks for tennis bettors, walk through every popular bet type with worked examples, and explain the important retirement rules that can affect how your bets are settled. We’ve also included a beginner’s guide and tips to help you find value in the tennis betting markets.

Best Sportsbooks For Betting On Tennis

The sportsbooks listed above are the top tennis betting sites online because they offer odds on every major tennis tour (ATP, WTA, ITF, Challenger), competitive lines, sign up bonuses, and each sportsbook is highly respected and trusted within the industry.

Tennis Retirement Rules

One thing that makes tennis betting unique is the possibility of a player retiring mid-match due to injury or illness. It’s important to understand how your sportsbook handles retirements before placing tennis bets.

At all three of our recommended sportsbooks (BetOnline, Bovada, and MyBookie), the full match must be completed for bets to have action. If a player retires before the match is finished, all undecided bets – including moneyline, spread, and total wagers – are voided and your stake is returned. The one exception is bets where the outcome has already been determined before the retirement. For example, if you bet on the first set winner and a player retires during the second set, your first set bet would still be settled normally since that outcome was already decided.

Keep in mind that retirements are different from walkovers. A walkover occurs when a player withdraws before the match starts, in which case all bets are automatically voided. Retirement rules can vary between sportsbooks and may change over time, so it’s always a good idea to review the tennis-specific rules at your sportsbook before placing your bets.

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How To Bet On Tennis Online

Getting started betting on tennis online is very easy. Here is a step-by-step guide to get you placing tennis bets today.

1. Open A Betting Account – Sign up at any of the recommended sportsbooks listed above. For the purposes of this guide we recommend BetOnline.ag, which offers a wide variety of tennis betting lines covering every ATP, WTA, and Challenger Tour event. Click the sign up button and fill out the short form to create your account.
2. Deposit – Head over to the sportsbook cashier and select your preferred deposit method. Credit card deposits are the most popular, but each of our recommended sportsbooks also accepts cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin), e-wallets, and bank transfers. Be sure to check for any available promo codes to take advantage of the sign up bonus.
3. Place Your Tennis Bets – Select ‘Sports’ from the top menu, then select ‘Tennis’ and narrow your search by choosing the tour or tournament you want to bet on. Select the odds for the bet you want to make to add it to your Bet Slip, enter your risk amount, and click ‘Place Bet’ to lock in your wager.

Types Of Tennis Bets

There are many tennis betting options available at our recommended sportsbooks. Below we’ll walk through each popular bet type with detailed examples.

Money Line (To Win Match)

The moneyline bet is by far the most common tennis wager. You are simply betting on which player will win the match. The sportsbook sets odds for each player depending on their perceived chance to win. Here’s an example:

• Jannik Sinner -220
• Novak Djokovic +180

In this example Sinner is the favorite to win the match. You would have to risk $220 to win $100 betting on Sinner. Djokovic is the underdog – a $100 bet on Novak would win $180 if he pulled off the upset.

Games Spread

Tennis spread betting (also called the games handicap) involves wagering on the margin of victory measured in total games. The sportsbook sets a spread and you bet on whether a player will win by more or fewer games than that amount across all sets.

Here’s an example:

• Jannik Sinner -2.5 (-110)
• Novak Djokovic +2.5 (-110)

In this example the spread is 2.5 games for the match. Sinner must win 3 or more total games more than Djokovic for the Sinner spread bet to win. On the flip side, Djokovic must either win more total games than Sinner or be within 2 games for the Djokovic spread bet to win.

Here’s where it gets interesting. If Sinner wins the match 6-4, 6-4 then he won 12 games to Djokovic’s 8 – that’s 4 more games, so the Sinner -2.5 spread bet wins. However, if Sinner wins 7-6, 7-6 then the game totals are 14-12, only a 2-game margin, meaning the Djokovic +2.5 spread bet actually wins even though Djokovic lost the match. Similarly, if the match goes to a third set like 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, the game totals are 16-14 – again only 2 more games for Sinner, so Djokovic covers the spread despite losing.

Total Sets

Total sets is a straightforward over/under bet on how many sets will be played in the match. For a best-of-three match:

• Over 2.5 Sets (+140)
• Under 2.5 Sets (-160)

If the match is completed in straight sets (2-0) then the under bet wins. If the match goes to a deciding third set then the over bet wins. The odds in this example show the sportsbook considers a straight-sets result more likely, which is why the under is the favorite at -160. In Grand Slam men’s matches, which are best-of-five sets, the total is typically set at 3.5 sets.

Total Games

You can also bet on the total number of games played across all sets in the match. The sportsbook sets a line and you bet on whether the total games will go over or under that number. For example, a total might be set at 22.5 games. If the match ends 6-4, 6-3 that’s 19 total games (under), while 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 would be 35 total games (over).

Parlays

A parlay combines two or more individual tennis bets into a single wager. All of your selections must win for the parlay to pay out, but the potential payout is significantly higher than placing each bet individually. Tennis is well suited to parlays because there are multiple matches happening simultaneously at any given tournament, giving you plenty of options to combine. For example, you might parlay Sinner to win his match with Alcaraz to win his match and the over 2.5 sets in a third match into one ticket.

Prop Bets

Prop bets are wagers on specific events within a match that aren’t directly tied to who wins. Common tennis props include first set winner, set betting (predicting the exact set score like 2-1 or 2-0), whether the match will go to a tiebreak, total aces in the match, and whether there will be a break of serve in a specific set. Props add an extra layer of excitement to tennis betting and allow you to wager on specific aspects of the match you feel strongly about.

Tournament Winner (Futures)

Futures bets allow you to wager on which player will win an entire tournament before it begins or while it is in progress. These bets pay out more than individual match bets because the player must win several matches to take the title. The most bet on tennis tournaments every year are the four Grand Slam events – the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. You can also bet futures on ATP Masters events, WTA 1000 events, and season-long markets like year-end world number one.

• Bet On Australian Open
• Bet On French Open
• Bet On Wimbledon
• Bet On US Open

Live Betting (In-Play)

A top seed loses the first set and their live moneyline suddenly jumps from -300 to +150. If you’ve been watching the match and can see the better player is just warming up or adjusting to the conditions, that’s a prime live betting opportunity. Tennis offers some of the best in-play value in sports because matches have natural pauses between every point, game, and set that give you time to think. You can bet on adjusted match winner odds, set winners, next game winner, and a variety of in-play props. The key in live tennis betting is watching the match rather than just following the score – body language, serve speed, and movement all tell a story the scoreline doesn’t.

Tennis Betting Odds

The most common odds format for bets on tennis is American. If you plan on betting on tennis online it is vital that you understand the odds so you know what you are betting. Here is a quick example:

Carlos Alcaraz +150
Novak Djokovic -165

In this example Djokovic is the favorite, and you must bet $165 in order to win $100 betting on Novak (payout of $265). Alcaraz is the underdog and a $100 bet on Alcaraz wins $150 (payout of $250). Notice the odds are closer than the Sinner vs Djokovic example above – this tells you the sportsbook views this as a tighter matchup.

Tennis Betting Tips

Tennis is one of the few sports where the playing surface fundamentally changes the game. Keep these tips in mind when placing your wagers.

• Know The Surface – Certain players perform very well on certain surfaces while struggling on others. Clay court specialists like Nadal and Ruud may be overvalued on hard courts, while big servers tend to thrive on grass. The four Grand Slams are played on three different surfaces (hard, clay, grass), so always factor in the playing surface before placing a bet.
• Don’t Rely On Rankings – New tennis bettors often get pulled in by the rankings of players. In reality the rankings shouldn’t be the primary factor in your betting decisions. Rankings are tallied over the course of an entire year, so a player could have earned the majority of their points months ago on a completely different surface.
• Look For Early Round Value – If you are a serious tennis bettor you will usually find the most line value in the early rounds of a tournament. Bookmakers are less familiar with lower-ranked players and because fewer people bet on these matches, the sportsbooks put in less time to research accurate lines.
• Understand The Retirement Rules – As outlined above, if a player retires mid-match your bets will generally be voided unless the outcome was already determined. This is important to keep in mind when betting on players dealing with known injury concerns. Always review your sportsbook’s tennis-specific rules before placing your wagers.
• Manage Your Bankroll – With ATP, WTA, and Challenger events running nearly every week of the year, it helps to think about your bankroll on a tournament-by-tournament basis rather than match-by-match. Decide how much you’re willing to allocate to each tournament and stick to that number.

Tennis Betting FAQ

Is it legal to bet on tennis online in the United States?

Yes. Tennis betting is widely available at both state-regulated sportsbooks and offshore sites. The sportsbooks recommended on this page are licensed outside the US and accept players from every state.

What is the best sportsbook for betting on tennis?

BetOnline.ag is our top rated sportsbook for tennis betting. They offer odds on every ATP, WTA, and Challenger Tour event with a wide variety of bet types including moneylines, spreads, totals, props, and futures.

What is the games spread in tennis betting?

The games spread is a handicap based on the total number of games won by each player across all sets. For example, if a player is -3.5 on the games spread, they must win 4 or more total games than their opponent for the bet to pay out. It’s possible for a player to win the match but lose the spread if the match is close, especially in tiebreak-heavy matches.

What happens to my bet if a player retires mid-match?

At all three of our recommended sportsbooks (BetOnline, Bovada, and MyBookie), the full match must be completed for bets to have action. If a player retires before the match is finished, all undecided bets are voided and your stake is returned. The exception is bets where the outcome was already determined before the retirement – for example, a first set winner bet that was already settled. Retirement rules can vary between sportsbooks and may change over time, so always review the tennis-specific rules at your sportsbook.

Can I bet on tennis matches while they are in progress?

Yes, live betting allows you to place wagers on tennis matches while they are being played. The odds update in real time based on the score, set count, and momentum. Tennis is one of the best sports for live betting because the natural breaks between points, games, and sets give you time to evaluate the action before placing additional wagers.

What is a same game parlay in tennis?

You can stack multiple outcomes from a single tennis match onto one ticket. A natural combination is picking the match winner, the exact set score (like 2-1), and the total games going over a certain number. For example, you might parlay Sinner to win 2-1 with over 24.5 total games in the match. The more specific your predictions, the higher the combined payout, but every leg has to be correct.

What are the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments?

The four Grand Slam tournaments are the Australian Open (January, hard court), the French Open (May-June, clay court), Wimbledon (June-July, grass court), and the US Open (August-September, hard court). The Grand Slams attract the most betting action of any tennis events and sportsbooks offer the widest variety of betting markets for these tournaments.

Does the playing surface matter when betting on tennis?

Absolutely. The playing surface is one of the most important factors in tennis betting. There are three main surfaces – hard court, clay, and grass – and each favors different playing styles. Big servers tend to dominate on fast surfaces like grass, while baseline players with heavy topspin thrive on clay. Always check a player’s surface-specific record before placing a bet, not just their overall ranking or recent form.