How to Bet on Wimbledon: Bet Types, Odds, and Strategies for Anyone Who Wants to Bet on Tennis

Jennifer Piacenti | Jun 27, 2024

Jul 16, 2023; London, United Kingdom; Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) and Novak Djokovic (SRB) pose with their trophies after the men s singles final on day 14 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports / Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

Like any other sport, tennis offers a variety of fun and easy ways to get in on the action. With Wimbledon beginning next week, now is a great time to check out these options. 

When wagering on tennis, not only can you choose to bet on any individual match,  but you can also place a bet on who will win it all. That bet is a futures bet and a popular option at the sportsbook. 

There are also markets for proposition bets on things such as exact score, number of aces, and who will win the first game. These bets are also referred to as prop bets, and the markets will be released shortly before each match. 

Let’s get into some of the details. 

How to Bet on Wimbledon

Betting on an individual match

When betting on an individual match, you have a couple of options: picking the moneyline or an over/under.

Moneyline

A moneyline (ML) bet is a bet on who will win a match. You wager on the winner and will receive the listed payout if that player wins. 

For example, if Carlos Alcaraz (-120) is playing Alexander Zverev (+210) and you pick Alcaraz to win, your payout will be at the rate of -120, as listed next to his name on the menu.  

The minus indicates a player is the favorite; therefore, your profit will be slightly less than what you invested. If you bet $100, your total payout if Alcaraz wins this match would be $183.33 ($100 investment plus your $83.33 profit). Conversely, if underdog Zverev wins, your $100 bet would make $210 for a $310 payout. 

Over/Under

You can also bet on over/unders in tennis; however, unlike other sports that let you bet on the total score, you bet on how many games will be played in tennis.

Remember, a player must win at least six games to capture a set (game, set, match). One has to win by at least two games, so if a set is tied at 6-6, then a tiebreaker is played. Also, remember, a match only goes for a max of three sets in women’s tennis and five sets in men’s tennis.

So, if you think a match will be close, you may want to take the over for number of games played. You probably want to lean toward the under if the match seems lopsided with a heavy favorite. 

Keep in mind, the fewest possible games played for a completed women’s match would be 12 (6-0, 6-0), and the most, with no tiebreakers, would be 36 (7-5, 5-7, 7-5). On the men’s side, the fewest games would be 18 (6-0, 6-0, 6-0), and the most (no tiebreaks) would be 60 (7-5, 5-7, 7-5, 5-7, 7-5).   

Spread 

As in other sports, you can bet on the spread in tennis. Like the above over/under example, the spread is based on games. For example, if a spread for the match is set at 4.5, the favorite must win by a margin of five games in the match. That could look like a win in three straight sets, a win in one set 6-1, or some other combination that clears 4.5 games for the match.

You can also bet on individual sets with a point spread of -1.5, much like in baseball. In either event, the favorite will always be indicated with a minus sign, and the underdog will be listed with a plus sign, and your payout will be the same as explained in the moneyline example above. 

Futures Bets 

You can bet on a future outcome, such as who will win Wimbledon or make it to the quarterfinals, semifinals, or finals. These futures bets often present the best value. For example, if Jack Draper is +2000 to win Wimbledon today, but along the way, the favorite Alcaraz (+175) gets upset, Draper’s odds will suddenly improve, and you will not have the same chance to grab value as you will today. Futures bets are all about timing and have the appeal of big payouts.

(Note: Jack Draper ended Carlos Alcaraz’s 13-match winning streak on grass in the second round of the Cinch Championships last Thursday afternoon.) 

Prop Bets

These bets can be a lot of fun. Will Coco Gauff have more or less than three aces in a given match? Will Jannik Sinner win the first game vs. Alexander Zverev? They are simple propositions that can be either on a player or a game.

Finally, here are a few things to bear in mind when betting on tennis:

Surface

How has the player performed on the surface used in this tournament? 

The surface at Wimbledon is grass, which favors players with good serve and volley skills. Returning champion Carlos Alcaraz has exactly the type of game that plays well on a fast surface. Look for Alcaraz to play aggressively and take the net often. 

In addition to players who have had success at past Wimbledon tournaments (Alcaraz, Djokovic, Berretini on the men’s side, Rybakina, Vondrousova

Jabeur for the women), look for players that have had recent success on any grass surface.    

Jannik Sinner just won the first grass tournament of his career this week at the Halle Open. Jack Draper is another player with an excellent grass record.  Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula have also had success on the surface for the women’s side.  

There is no better example of why this is important than Rafael Nadal’s dominance at the French Open, played on clay. At Wimbledon, which is played on grass, Nadal has won twice. He has won at the French Open a record 14 times. 

Individual matchups matter

Like a pitcher vs. a hitter in baseball, individual matchups matter in tennis. Play style is more important than the record. As mentioned above, since Wimbledon favors players with serve and volley acumen, players with big serves and baseline games could be at a disadvantage despite their better seeding or records. Check into head-to-head records when available. 

Check the draw and schedule

When placing futures bets, remember to check the draw, which typically is released a few days before the start of the tournament. This year’s draw takes place on Friday, June 28. 

If one side of the bracket has a lot of future favorites while the other doesn’t, consider the value for players on the light side. Also, remember that those who come through the qualifying round will be more warmed up than those who had an automatic bid, and as the tournament progresses, make sure you are aware of those who have played a lot of longer matches and could experience fatigue. Remember, it’s all about one-on-one matchups in tennis.  

Wimbledon Odds according to DraftKings:

Men’s

Carlos Alcaraz (+175)

Jannik Sinner (+175)

Novak Djokovic (+400)

Alexander Zverev (+1400)

Hubert Hurcacz (+1600)

Jack Draper (+2000)

Daniil Medvedev (+2000)

Matteo Berrettini (+2200)

Women’s

Aryna Sabalenka (+320)

Iga Swiatek (+350)

Elena Rybakina (+500)

Coco Gauff (+650)

Naomi Osaka (+1300)

Ons Jabeur (+1600)

Emma Radacanu (+2500)

Jessica Pegula (+2000)

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.