Second only to football, tennis betting is popular worldwide, with billions of dollars bet annually on the sport. However, even though the most common form of tennis betting is on the outcome of a match, the offers on offer for this form of wager can be quite short, especially when a heavy favourite is playing.

In terms of tennis betting tips, then, an attractive alternative is to bet on the number of sets that a player will win, either in a match that involves 3 sets as in the women’s tour and most men’s tournaments, or 5 sets as in the case of the men’s Grand Slams.

Online betting odds are much higher for set betting than match betting, because the outcomes are more variable, especially in the case of 5 set matches. Wagering on the result of a tennis match, there are only two possible outcomes – either Player A or Player B wins. With set betting, there are a range of outcomes possible, with 4 possible results in a 3-set match, and 6 potential results in a 5-set contest. This increases the odds and the risks as well.

This is because whilst a favourite is still likely to prevail against a less favoured player, the standard of top-level tennis is so high that even a lowly ranked player has the ability to take a set off a favourite in any given match. Also, even the top ranked players can be vulnerable in the first or second rounds of a tournament when perhaps they are less focused than their opponents.

Conditions and surface can also play their part. For example, a player with a heavy serve on grass or a hard court may be able to take a set to a tie break and secure a set, even if their overall game is not enough to win a match. Equally, some players are very good on one surface but can struggle on others, as we often see, for example, in Wimbledon, where clay court specialists often struggle to adapt to the much faster grass.

There are a number of different online betting options for set betting. For example, in an unbalanced match-up on paper, a punter can bet a low amount on paper before the game starts. Then if the favourite fails to take an early lead and his odds with the bookmaker start to lengthen, the punter can bet on him recovering to win by two sets to love, at better odds.

Another strategy is to bet on the winner of the first set. Some tennis players are known for playing hard from the outset, whilst others start matches slowly and gradually shift into a higher gear. It is important to research the style and characteristic of different players to understand how they will approach a match.

There are many ways of betting on the outcome of individual sets, and many bookmakers allow you to choose which player will win the first, second or third sets. However, as with all tennis betting, supporting a heavy favourite will not get you good odds.