History of Tennis

It’s widely believed that tennis originated in Northern France in the 12th century, where a ball was struck with the palm of the hand instead of a racket. Louis X was a keen player of “jeu de paume”, which evolved into real tennis and he’s widely credited with the creation of indoor tennis courts in the modern style. Louis didn’t like playing outdoors and instead constructed indoor courts at the end of the 13th century.

Rackets weren’t used in the sport until the 16th century and the arrival of the equipment was met with the first recordings of the name “tennis”. The game became popular in England and France, despite it only being played indoors with the ball being hit off the wall. This game became known as real tennis and although still played today, suffered a dip in popularity in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

The modern game originated between 1859 and 1865, when Harry Gem and Augurio Perera created a game that was a combination of racquets and a Basque ball game known as pelota, which was to be played on a croquet lawn in Birmingham. The game developed and by 1872, they founded the world’s first tennis club in Leamington Spa.

Tennis remained popular in Britain and France; however the game really took off when it became popular in the USA in the 1870s. Tournaments were held in all three countries and these are now known as the Grand Slams; Wimbledon, the US Open, the French Open and the Australian Open. To this day, these four events remain the most prestigious in the world. You can find the best betting odds on all of these matches and events right here on our tennis betting page.

Tennis Markets: What are the big events?

Get all of the best odds right here on NetBet. With so many tournaments and leagues going on, there is nowhere else you need to go for tennis betting. Whether you’re looking to bet on the ATP World Tour, the Australian Open, the French Open, the US Open or the ATP Tour Event, the Mutua Madrid Open, we’ve got your tennis betting odds right here. You can find betting odds for every single ATP and WTA tour event over the course of the season. The WTA oversee the women's version of the sport and you can also find odds for all WTA matches here. We set our tennis betting markets up months in advance for you to enjoy, and the earlier you place your bet on a tournament, the better the odds will be. We have the best odds available and with a whole host of different markets available, you won't want to be betting on tennis anywhere else.

2015 saw Great Britain win the Davis Cup for the first time since 1936, we price this betting market as well for all fans to enjoy betting and odds. We also provide regular offers and promotions via email and under the promotions page on our website so do go and check them out. Tennis betting markets are aplenty here on NetBet and there are multiple match betting markets to choose from. You can bet on an overall match winner, how many games are won in a set, whether there will be a tie break or not as well as predicting total games and exact result of a set. It really is all here on your tennis betting page on NetBet Sport. Make your picks and your tennis bets here.

In the United Kingdom, our best hope lies on the shoulders of Andy Murray. Murray became the first British player since Fred Perry back in 1936 to win at Wimbledon. The Scot won his first title at the All-England Club back in 2013 and won it again in 2016. He also won the US Open in 2012, but is yet to win the Australian Open or Roland Garros. The latter is where Rafael Nadal made his name. If you bet with us at NetBet, then you, just like Murray will leave as a winner. What are the odds that Murray goes on to win more ATP tournaments and a career Grand Slam?

It’s not all about major tournaments though, as tennis has also become an Olympic sport. First played in Athens in 1896, it was a fixture in the competition until 1924. However, it took an Olympic hiatus up until 1988, when it was re-added as a real event where it has remained ever since. Andy Murray is the reigning two time Olympic champion. Will he be able to retain his gold medal come Tokyo in 2020? Bet with NetBet and find out!

A Tennis Betting Guide

Prior to all events, we release a guide on our blog outlining the best betting tips, predictions and betting odds. Using these tips, you’ll be sure to see all of our picks and win big on all events. Furthermore, we have a comprehensive guide to all of the available tennis betting markets on our help centre. You can bet on the winner at the end of the match, the winner of any stated point or the winner of a game. On top of that, you can find betting odds for the total number of points in a game, either going over, under or giving the precise amount played. It’s not just pre-match where you can enjoy betting, as we also offer live betting in matches. You can bet in play on the first, second, third, fourth or fifth set, the exact score and tie breaks. What more could you want when you want to enjoy tennis betting?

It’s not just the results of games, sets or matches that you can bet on either. You can bet on the actions of players. For example, bet on the number of double faults in the game between both players or you can find odds on which player will be the first to serve a double fault in the match. Tennis is renowned for big hitters and big service games, so why not bet on the player who delivers the fastest serve in the game? There has never been so many betting markets before, so hurry and come and check it out.

Did you know this about Tennis?

Tennis was originally played on a court shaped like an hourglass. The rectangular court was created in 1875 specifically for Wimbledon. Wimbledon’s first winner was Spencer Gore back in 1877. He believed that the game was in fact a flop and wouldn’t catch on. Little did Gore know that the sport would go on to become one of the world's most loved sports, as well as betting markets. Prior to 1986, the balls used were not yellow. The colour was added to allow spectators to see the ball better while in play. On average a tennis match lasts for approximately two and a half hours. In those two and a half hours, the ball is in play for just 20 minutes. The longest match was 11 hours and five minutes long and was held over a period of three days. Just imagine how the odds would have changed and how many tennis bets you could have placed over those three days! The only major tournament still played on grass is Wimbledon. The US Open and the Australian Open are both played on hard courts, while the French Open is played on red clay courts. We have odds and betting markets available for all of these events on our online sportsbook.

Tennis’ Best Moments

Who can forget some of tennis’ best moments? From John McEnroe shouting “you cannot be serious!” back in 1981, to Roger Federer’s dominance of the sport. In the women’s game, Martina Navratilova transcended the sport, playing through from 1965 to 2005 and winning 18 Grand Slam singles titles in her career. Serena Williams has taken that dominance to a new level and now boasts a record of 39 major titles, including 23 in singles competition, 14 in women’s doubles and 2 in mixed doubles. Her total of 23 Grand Slam singles titles marks a record for the most Major wins by a player in the Open Era. What are the odds on these events happening in the future?