Wimbledon is unfolding over the next two weeks, and with it comes a load of different betting opportunities for punters. With 254 matches taking place in the men’s and women’s singles–not to mention all the other events–there’s plenty to bet on.
But what are the best betting markets for Wimbledon and for grass court tennis in general? It’s such a unique surface, and with it come some quirks that impact betting as well. Read on as we break down everything you need to know about betting on grass court tennis, including markets that are the most lucrative, and which ones to avoid.
The five best markets for grass court tennis betting
A quick reminder about grass court tennis: it’s the fastest surface in the sport. Grass offers up less grip, meaning balls skid through quickly. This favors those with big serves and flat shots, and players with aggressive games.
In saying that, these are the five best markets to bet on in grass court tennis:
- Match winner
This may not seem like a particularly original betting market, but hear us out.
Grass court tennis is one of the best surfaces to bet on upset victories by backing underdogs. Given how unique it is as a surface, and how short the lead in is to Wimbledon, there are often a lot of upsets in the opening round of the tournament.
Take someone like Casper Ruud, a mainstay in the world’s top 10, for example. The Norwegian hasn’t played a match on grass ahead of this year’s Wimbledon, and is ripe for an upset. His ranking alone will garner his first-round opponent healthy odds for a victory, however.
- Match handicap
Matches are often very tight on grass.
This is because big serves are challenging to return. As a result, if two players who have powerful serves meet, the outcome is likely to be decided by the finest of margins.
Even if a player is typically much more capable than another, this can be muted on grass. Because of the number of tight encounters on grass, backing end results to be close via handicap betting is a great idea.
- Over/under games
Grass court tennis matches can also be particularly long. Not necessarily in time, because points are quite quick, but in number of games, since it’s so challenging to break.
Just ask John Isner and Nicolas Mahut. The pair played an epic five setter that ended up 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68 in favor of Isner. Yes, you read that right–the final set alone was 138 games long!
Particularly when two big servers come up against each other, betting on the over market can be lucrative.
- Total aces
The majority of players will have their highest ace rates on grass. It’s not uncommon for figures of 20 percent or higher in matches.
While bookmakers obviously adjust their ranges to accommodate for the surface, betting on the total number of aces in a match is still a great market. Not only do players regularly exceed it when their serve runs hot, but the potential for matches going longer also makes it easier for this market to pay.
- Number of tiebreaks
Finally, betting on the number of tiebreaks in a match can be a lucrative market on grass. Even the best players will struggle to break a lower ranked player’s serve at times. More often than not, serve is held and matches are decided in tiebreaks.
Just take Novak Djokovic and Hubert Hurkacz’s match in last year’s Wimbledon. Djokovic is clearly a superior player to Hurkacz, and yet the pair played two tiebreaks in their round of 16 match in 2023.
Markets to avoid when betting on grass court tennis
As a general rule of thumb, there are a few betting markets to avoid for grass court tennis too.
These are usually anything to do with breaks of serve or covering large handicaps. Don’t be lured into these bets–they may seem to make sense through the lens of clay or hard courts, but are often not worth making on grass courts.
Likewise, given points are so short on the fast-paced surface, anything to do with the length of time a match will be is usually not advisable.
What are your favorite bets to make on grass court tennis?
