Whilst betting on tennis is second only to football in terms of worldwide popularity, it has been argued that it is much easier to wager on the senior men’s tour – the ATP Tour – than the equivalent women’s circuit – the WTA Tour.

This is because of the sheer competitiveness of the women’s tour, at least amongst the elite, top-25 or 30 players, illustrated by the fact that, until Naomi Osaka broke the sequence by winning back-to-back titles in Flushing Meadows and Melbourne, the previous seven Grand Slam events had been won by seven different women.

By contrast, in the past 8 years, Grand Slam titles have been shared between just six men, with a small coterie, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal, dominating when it comes to major titles. Arguably they are about to be replaced by an up and coming generation an Anno Domini begins to catch up with them, but, for now at least, they continue to reign.

However, that does not mean that there is not valued to be had by betting on the women’s tour. For one thing, at least, there is not the same strength in depth in the women’s game, which means that the early rounds of a tournament are likely to throw-up fewer surprises. On the ATP Tour, there is every chance, for example, in the first round of a Masters event, that a seed can be beaten by somebody who is ranked way below them. That is not to say that this does not occur on the WTA circuit, but it happens less frequently, which gives more certainty when placing a bet.

At the same time, we are entering a new era in women’s tennis, as Serena Williams, who has dominated the sport for a decade or more, nears retirement. She is set to be replaced by a new generation represented by the likes of Naomi Osaka, Sloane Stephens and Ashleigh Barty, whilst the challenge from Eastern Europe is not to be underestimated, with the likes of Romania’s Simona Halep, Czech Karolina Plišková, and Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina all forces to be reckoned with when it comes to the major prizes. And then there is two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitová, who has made a remarkable comeback to the top of her game, after being seriously injured after an attack during a home invasion.

Given that the top players on the WTA Tour are closely matched, when considering who to bet on, then consider current form and recent results. Who is playing well, and who is out of sorts? The tennis tour can be long and hard, and constant playing, practicing and travelling can take a heavy toll on mind and body. Check who is fresh coming into a tournament, and who might have heavy legs or be carrying an injury.

And don’t just take comparative world rankings into account. One player may be lowly ranked because she has had to take several months out to recover from an injury. However, she may be much better than her current ranking suggests, so look back at her history for any clues as to her true level of performance.

Another tip before placing a bet is to check the head-to-head record between two players. Whilst one may be stronger than the other on paper, or in terms of world rankings, her prospective opponent may have a psychological edge over them which could come into play during the match.

The surface a tournament is played on is also important. Some are natural clay-court specialists who suffer on hard and grass courts, and vice versa.

Finally, the human factor should not be forgotten. Tennis players are not robots but normal people, subject to emotions and ups and downs like anybody else. Osaka, after his latest Grand Slam win, looked like she might be on the verge of a new era of domination in the sport, but then, immediately fired the coach who had helped guide her to those two triumphs, saying that her happiness was more important to her than success. She promptly lost the first match she played without him in straight sets.