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Betting on Tennis - A Resource Guide ...

Mandeep tells us how to go about betting on tennis and it's no surprise to discover that preparation is key...

This week I will be taking a look at the preparation I would undertake before placing a bet on a tennis match. What research should you do? What stats are available, and which are most useful? Which sites available on the Web are of particular use? Let us take a look in more detail.

Step 1

The first site to go to is the main ATP website - www.atptennis.com. There is plenty of excellent information available here, but only some of which is useful when evaluating any one particular match. I always like to check the rankings of the players involved. The full ATP rankings will show their consistency over a period of time, and the ATP race will show their form this year. Of particular note when looking at this information is the "Positions Moved" column. This will indicate whether a player is improving or vice-versa. Now you have an overview of the player in mind in relation to his competitors.

Step 2

The next step is to look at how the players play against each other. From the ATP homepage, click on the "Players" link. Typing in the player's names will result in any history between the players, which surfaces any previous encounters were played on, and the stats of those matches. Particular attention should be paid to the surfaces of any encounters.

Step 3

Now that I am more able to form a more informed opinion on the players, I will look into the match in even greater detail. An excellent resource for more information is Tennis Insight (www.tennisinsight.com). Clicking "Match Previews" on the left hand side will bring up many upcoming matches. From there all kinds of stats are available on the match, and the website offers some opinion (which can be hit and miss) onto the various ratings of the players on that surface.

Scrolling down on the homepage leads to a search box on the left hand side. Type a player's name into the box lead to an overview of that player. From this screen, you can get new, recent results, ranking, information on the last few injuries of the player and how long they were out for. There are also some forum postings, where you are able to contribute your opinion on that player.

Under the player profile section is the "activity" section, are listed the last 50 matches played by that player. A drop down menu can filter results by various useful means such as "Vs Left Handers".

Finally, the Stats tab provides plenty of fantastic statistical information such as win/loss and tie break records by surface, tour level and region.

Step 4

Now you should be statistically well equipped to bet on the match. The next step is to form a full opinion on the players. This is done by remembering any points you have noticed whilst watching the players in previous matches. It can be very useful to write notes on players having watched a match, much as many do whilst playing poker. Any patterns or trends you may notice can provide some useful information whilst betting in play.

For example, how likely are they to save a break point? Federer and Djokovic often come up with a big first serve when break point down, giving them optimum chance to save it.

Summary

I am a big advocate of watching as much tennis as possible, whether you choose to bet on it or not. By doing that, the next time you will remember points that can be crucial in either making or saving you money.

Here are some things I have noticed over the last few years:

•If they lose the first set, Safin and Berdych can lose their heads and give up before they should.

•Andy Murray can be totally hot and cold, dropping a set easily, but winning the next easily.

•The market over-reacts to breaks involving Murray, as he gets broken and breaks more than most on tour.

Whatever the match, do your homework to give yourself the best possible chance of success. Of course try and read as many opinions as possible via this website and the Betfair forum. However, in the end, it is up to you to formulate your own opinion, and place your bets accordingly. Good luck.