Tennis Grand Slams

Betting on Tennis Grand Slams

australian-open

There are a lot of great professional tennis tournaments throughout the year. However, none draw more interest than the four Grand Slams (a.k.a. Majors) since these events feature tennis' biggest stars. The Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open all draw a considerable amount of TV coverage and betting action.

The latter point should definitely appeal to anybody who's interested in tennis betting. After all, most online sportsbooks offer lots of different lines and prop bets on the four tennis Grand Slams. If you're going to be doing some betting on Majors, here's a quick overview of each one along with some in-depth analysis.

Australian Open

The Australian Open runs in Melbourne every year during January. This is smack dab in the middle of Australia's summer, which means the Melbourne Park hard courts get rather hot. Given the heat, players who stay in shape year round such as Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Serena Williams fare quite well in this tournament.

This is also a good event for picking underdogs because it's the first Grand Slam of the year and many players are still getting in top shape from the short tennis offseason. So look to bet against favorites who use the early part of the year to get back into shape. Also consider backing underdogs on a 1st set prop bet since many favorites will be shaking the rust off.

French Open

french-open

The second Grand Slam of the year doesn't happen until late May/early June, when the French Open runs. This event is played on the clay courts of Roland Garros and is quite famous for featuring a large number of upsets.

The reason why there are so many upsets is solely because of the courts. Clay lends itself to sloppy, messy matches where unpredictable bounces are the norm. Plus the ball moves rather slow on clay courts, which means a less-skilled player with speed and determination can compete with top-ranked players who rely on power.

One more thing to consider with the French Open is that more experienced players tend to do better in this event than younger players. Veterans have had more time on the clay courts and can handle the drastic differences from traditional hard courts. Also look for fast, in-shape players who have a good defensive game like Juan Martin Del Potro and David Ferrer.

Wimbledon

wimbledon

No tennis tournament has as much history or aura as Wimbledon. Held at the All England Club in late June, this tourney is considered by many to be the Mecca of all tennis events.

In regard to tennis betting, you generally want to look for big servers and power players. The reason why is because Wimbledon is played on grass courts, which are very firm and feature extremely fast play. So a powerful player like Roger Soderling is going to hit a lot of aces and other nonreturnable balls.

Keep in mind that Wimbledon always has a lot of early-round upsets by grass specialists. So it's important to identify underdogs with good serves and power since they can give you betting value. But also consider that Wimbledon champions are usually top-ranked players. This being said, shy away from upsets in the later rounds.

U.S. Open

us-open

Played during September in New York City, the US Open is the last Major of the year. Most players are at their peak physical condition by this point and the Arthur Ashe Stadium hard courts don't really provide any particular style with an advantage.

Because US Open matches are played on hard courts, the favorites usually win. So look for players who possess a strong all-around game, rather than big servers or defensive players.

Of course, as with any Major, there'll be first round upsets. Look to bet on underdogs on rainy days since the delays can disrupt a favorite's game and get them out of a rhythm. Also strongly consider American underdogs because they get an emotional boost from the home crowd and generally fare well in opening rounds.