The main tennis bets are the match moneyline, the set spread, the game handicap and the total games, with futures on each tournament’s winner. The next Grand Slam is the 2027 Australian Open, which its organizers list for January 11 to 31, 2027; before then the tours finish 2026 with the Shanghai and Paris Masters and the ATP and WTA Finals in November.
The tennis bets you can make
Tennis has two outcomes per match and no draws, so the markets are simple. The risk depends on how many things have to go right: a moneyline needs one result, a futures bet on a Grand Slam needs a player to win seven matches in a row.
- Moneyline: who wins the match.
- Set spread: the margin in sets, usually -1.5 or +1.5.
- Game handicap: a head start in games for the underdog, such as +3.5.
- Total games: over or under a line such as 21.5 games in the match.
- Props: a tiebreak in the match, aces, or how far a player gets in the draw.
- Futures: the tournament winner, priced before the first ball.
If you hold a futures ticket as the draw narrows, our hedge bet guide shows how to lock in part of the return.
Moneyline and set spread, worked out
Favorites carry negative odds and underdogs positive. At -275 you risk $275 to win $100; at +220 a $100 bet wins $220. Those two prices imply a 73.3% and a 31.3% chance, and the 4.6 points over 100% is the sportsbook’s margin.
The set spread changes the question. In a best-of-three match, the favorite at -1.5 sets has to win 2-0. The underdog at +1.5 wins the bet by winning the match or by taking one set in a 2-1 loss. In a best-of-five Grand Slam match on the men’s side, -1.5 means winning 3-0 or 3-1. Our guide to set betting in tennis covers the correct-score version of this market.
Game handicaps and totals
A game handicap adds games to one player’s total. Back the underdog at +3.5 games in a 6-4, 6-4 loss: he won 8 games, the handicap makes it 11.5, and the favorite won 12, so the bet loses by half a game. In a 6-4, 7-6 loss he has 10 games, plus 3.5 is 13.5 against 13, and the bet wins.
Totals count every game in the match. Over 21.5 needs 22 or more. A 6-4, 6-4 match has 20 games, so it goes under; 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 has 31 and goes over. Totals reward a read on serve: two big servers on a fast court hold serve more often, and more holds mean more games and more tiebreaks.
Where the value is
Check surface before ranking. Clay is the slowest surface and gives the returner more time; grass is the fastest and rewards the serve; hard courts sit between them. A player’s win rate on the surface in play is a better guide than his overall ranking.
Look at the serve and return numbers underneath the record: first-serve percentage, points won on first and second serve, and break points converted. A strong returner against a weak second serve is one of the most common routes to an upset.
The format matters too. Women’s matches and most men’s tour events are best of three sets; men’s Grand Slam matches are best of five. A shorter match gives the underdog fewer games to be caught, which is one reason best-of-three moneylines on the underdog can pay. Our five tips for betting on tennis go further.
Live betting lets you wait for evidence. If a favorite drops serve early, the in-play price moves, and you can back him at a better number if you still think he wins. Our live tennis betting guide and tennis aces betting guide cover those markets. For picks on the day’s matches, see our tennis picks.
The 2026 Grand Slam champions
| Slam | Men’s singles | Women’s singles |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | Carlos Alcaraz d. Novak Djokovic | Elena Rybakina d. Aryna Sabalenka |
| Roland Garros | Alexander Zverev d. Flavio Cobolli | Mirra Andreeva d. Maja Chwalinska |
| Wimbledon | Jannik Sinner d. Alexander Zverev | Linda Noskova d. Karolina Muchova |
| US Open | Alexander Zverev d. Ben Shelton | Elena Rybakina d. Aryna Sabalenka |
Zverev played three of the four men’s finals and won two. Rybakina beat Sabalenka in both the Australian Open final on January 31 and the US Open final on September 12. Our view: after years like those, Zverev and Rybakina will be short in the 2027 futures, and the value is more likely further down the board. Our Grand Slam wins odds page has the longer-term markets.
What is left in 2026, and the 2027 Grand Slams
The tours spend October in Asia and Europe. On the ATP side, the China Open and the Rolex Shanghai Masters come first, then the Rolex Paris Masters at the start of November and the Nitto ATP Finals in mid-November. The WTA runs the China Open and the Wuhan Open in October, and its season ends with the WTA Finals in November.
| 2027 Grand Slam | Dates on the official site | Surface |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Open, Melbourne | January 11-31 | Hard |
| Roland Garros, Paris | May 17-June 6 | Clay |
| Wimbledon, London | June 28-July 11 | Grass |
Wimbledon’s 2027 edition marks 150 years of The Championships. The US Open in New York closes the Grand Slam year, as it did in 2026 with the men’s final on September 13, and our US Open betting guide with the men’s and women’s odds pages cover it each summer. Tennis is also an Olympic sport, and our Olympics betting guide covers the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.