Keep your eye on the ball! In all actuality, that would be the best tip when watching or playing in a tennis match. However, it might not help you when you, as a spectator, have placed a bet on a game.
Without a doubt, the game of tennis looks simple. One player starts by serving the ball, and the competitor hits it back with their racket. This back and forth will continue for the standard six games. It can seem like a match-up between opponents that is left to chance. After all, some competitors will enter a match as the underdog and still prevail as the victor.
Even though tennis might look like a simple game at first, there are a few things you can do before you start betting on tennis games or try to predict match outcomes.
Familiarize Yourself With the Game Players
The number one most obvious tip would be to find out who the players will be and get to know their stats when it comes to prior competitions. Typical vital stats to observe would be:
- How many games they have won.
- In previous match-ups who had the most first serves while competing
- When the player was not the server, how many second serve return points did they receive.
- Which competitor has the best average of breakpoints saved and converted.
Research the Top Management Firms of Tennis Players
It may seem unlikely; however, I have found that management firms can tell you a lot. If you have researched the competitors’ stats, it couldn’t hurt to look up which management firm represents them and make a note of all the pro players that firm represents in the field of tennis. Ask yourself; Where do these players rank in this sport? If they are all top-tier players of the sport, you know this is a leading management firm, and investing your bet to the player represented by them could be a smart move. Usually, the player’s rank in the sport will be listed as well.
A few sports management firms we found are:
- Topnotch Management
- IMG
- Team 8
These management teams represent players such as John Isner, Reilly Opelka, Olympic gold medalist Andre Agassi, and Roger Federer, who helped found the management company Team 8. These three management firms have sports clients from around the globe and could list a player who is a potential opponent in a game you will be predicting.
Study the Basic Rules of Tennis
Although that very first tip is essential, the fact is, without knowing the general rules of the game, you could find yourself lost when looking over a players’ statistics. Therefore, after getting to see the game’s professional players and jotting down their strong points, go over the game’s rules.
Gameplay:
- The ball must stay in bounds. If hit out of bounds, the point is lost.
- Players are not allowed to touch the net at any time during the game.
- It is not permitted to carry a ball. Players should never pick it up and walk with the ball.
- Do not hit a ball twice. If it didn’t go far enough, do not try to reach out and save it by hitting it again.
- No hitting over your side of the net–wait until the ball is completely on your side for a return hit.
- If the ball bounces twice before a return, the player will lose the point.
- If the ball bounces on the boundary line, it is still in play.
- If a player is a receiver, they must allow the ball to bounce once before return.
Scoring:
- Love (0), 15, 30, 40 are points possible.
- Each game will consist of achieving 4 points. A player will win if they have 4 points at the end with a 2 point advantage.
- 6 games are called sets
- If sets are tied, an advantage set will be played. A player must achieve a 2 game lead.
- Matches are played either best of 3 or best of 5 sets.
- Deuce occurs when the score ends up 40-40. One of the players must play for two more points.
NOTE: If a racquet gets thrown, verbal abuse occurs, or an opponent puts their hands on another player, these are all penalties. It would be a good idea when you study your players to be aware of their past aggressions. Doing so could help you to predict an outcome as well.
It Never Hurts to Network
The last tip I will offer for making predictions about a tennis match, or anything, is to network. Compare notes. Someone may have an idea of how to predict the outcome of a tennis match that you could use as well. There might be a person in your networking group that has already taken substantial notes that you could copy. That would save you a lot of research time.
The Bottom Line
There are many suggestions listed on the internet that could help someone predict a tennis match. Even so, it will be the players who need to be considered the most. Researching the competitors is a crucial step to determine the outcome of a tennis match. Start with the stats. How many games have they played and won? Does a high-profile management team represent the player? Take time to read the game rules and observe the players’ performance during the game. You can determine most of these tips before a match begins.
Furthermore, these suggestions will prepare you to watch intently when the match is in play—notice penalties and which player is making the most and have your notes handy to compare them to each player on game day. You will usually make your prediction before a match starts. Therefore, comparing notes as the game goes on will give you an idea if your bet was a good one.
Finally, no matter how much you study the opponents and the game, remember that no outcome can be 100% predicted. It will always be a game of chance when guessing the endgame.
