Tennis is one of the top sports on most betting sites thanks to its popularity, frequency and gambling versatility.

It’s a sport that’s played nearly all year round in a huge number of countries with tennis betting sites able to modify and improve their service to bettors since the rise of in-play betting and live streaming.

When you think that a match can last over five hours that’s plenty of opportunity for odds to swing both ways and huge shifts in where the money is being placed, so it’s understandable why more online bookmakers are making tennis more of a feature.

But with tennis betting sites varying from one to the next, it can be tough to work out which is best. We’ve broken down our list of the best tennis sites into categories so punters can see which might suit their gambling needs.

Best tennis betting site for free bets: Betway

Betway are one of the few betting sites that actively reward tennis betters, via their tennis free bets club. Each week you can qualify for a £10 free bet by wagering £25 or more on tennis accumulators.

This is one of the best value free bet offers on the market with other betting sites for tennis only offering free bets when double that amount is wagered. It’s also nice to see exactly how much the free bet will be worth, at the time of betting.

It’s not just their free bets that make Betway a favourite, they also provide an excellent selection of markets as well as a hugely valuable in-depth stat pack for most games.

Once the action starts, they also offer in-play betting on the majority of matches. You’ll also find a competitive welcome bonus. The Betway sign up offer presents customers with a £30 matched acca and 100 free spins to use on its casino sites.

Best tennis betting site for offers: QuinnBet

QuinnBet has a growing reputation as one of the best new betting sites for offers for existing customers, which is good to see as so many focus on new customers and forget to reward loyalty.

They offer an excellent selection of tennis betting offers, including 5% back in free bets on any losing in-play tennis bets and tennis accumulators each day.

Bettors can also get money back as a free bet if their selection loses the match in a final set tie-break and if you do land an acca bet, you‘ll receive a free bet on top of your winnings. The free bet amount is calculated as a percentage of your winnings and is capped at a maximum of £50.

When it comes to the Grand Slams; the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, QuinnBet boost the number of markets they have available. Punters will regularly find multiple daily price boosts on ready-made accumulators and singles during the majors.

Best tennis betting site for odds boosts: Ladbrokes

Ladbrokes is one of the most recognised bookmakers thanks to their brick-and-mortar betting shops, and online they offer some of the best tennis betting odds, thanks in part to their regular odds boosts.

There are frequent price boosts during all major tennis tournaments, including Grand Slams and big ATP/WTA events, with the the odds boosted on multiple bets for the majority of matches at a Grand Slam.

If the odds haven’t been improved on a particular bet punters are looking for, Ladbrokes give users the option of using their daily odds boost token to bump up the price.

Finally, the Lucky Dip feature is another option to increase the odds of a tennis bet. Bettors have less control when using the Lucky Dip tool as they are assigned a player at random - albeit with improved odds - to win the match they want to bet on.

Best tennis betting app: Bet365

The Bet365 app is one of the best betting apps on the market, with a rating 4.7/5 in both the App Store and the Google Play Store from more than 450,000 reviews.

It is easy to navigate and simple to find exactly what you want and need. Factor in the seamless integration of live streaming for tennis matches and in-play betting options, and you can see why it’s so popular.

The app live streams more tennis matches than the majority of other UK tennis betting sites, and they offer a tennis retirement guarantee. So rather than voiding a bet should a player retire from a match through injury, Bet365 will pay out on match bets if your selection’s opponent withdraws, with winnings paid in free bets.

New customers can claim the versatile bet £10 get £30 welcome offer from Bet365. Using the Bet365 bonus code ‘INDY2024’, new customers can register, deposit £10 and bet £10 to claim £30 in free bets to use on tennis or any other sport.

Bet365 also allows users to deposit £5 and bet £5 to secure £15 in free bets. Its flexibility makes Bet365 one of the best £5 deposit betting sites on the market, allowing users to claim a welcome bonus without having to put down a mandatory £10 deposit.

Best tennis betting site for early payouts: BoyleSports

We are used to seeing early payouts in sports betting, especially in football, where a lot of the bookmakers pay out when a side takes a two-goal lead, but BoyleSports also offer this service to tennis bettors.

They will pay out if a player goes one set up, even in best of five-set matches, creating a new dynamic in tennis betting for punters.

Perhaps you expect an outsider to make a fast start but aren’t sure he can win the whole match, or you’re looking at a player who might have had a tough previous match and needs a bit of time to get going. How about using the early payout option early in a tournament given some players are historically slow starters?

Because a player only needs to go one set up for the bet to cash, the price in the early payout market does differ from the one you’ll find in the match winner market.

BoyleSports also offers some great accumulator offers for tennis bettors too, including accumulator insurance, profit boosts, and free acca bets.

New customers can claim the BoyleSports sign up offer. This bonus is mobile exclusive, but provides new users £20 in free bets after signing up, depositing and betting £10 on the sportsbook.

Best betting site for tennis in-play betting: 10bet

The stop-start nature of a tennis match and the fact a contest can be played over three days makes in-play betting a great way to bet on tennis.

10bet offer one of the widest range of markets among live betting sites when it comes to tennis. They also cover more tournaments in-play than most tennis betting sites and their real-time updates to live stats and odds are extremely sharp.

Customers who opt into 10bet’s tennis bet club can also earn a free £5 in-play bet each week when they bet £40 or more on tennis in the specified time period.

It’s not just the specific tennis-related offers that are good with 10bet either, all of their general sports betting offers can be used on tennis.

So, new customers get a 100% welcome bonus of up to £50 when they sign up using the code SPORT and the bonus can be used on any sports bet. Users also get a £10 free bet for betting £50 on the app, which can be used on tennis, while there is a 100 per cent boost on winning tennis accas.

Best tennis betting site for money back: Fitzdares

Cashback is not just for online shopping with several betting sites now offering the service, including Fitzdares.

Fitzdares are rewarding bettors with 10 per cent back on all in-play tennis betting losses, covering both singles and doubles, with the cashback credited in the form of free bets.

During Grand Slams, bettors can also get money back on losing accumulators. Just place an acca with four or more selections at odds of 3/1 or greater and should one leg of the acca let you down, then you will get your stake back as a free bet.

Customers can also get a £10 free bet as part of Fitzdares’ loyalty club if they stake £70-plus on the sportsbook.

Popular tennis betting markets

Despite the advent of several new tennis betting markets, you would be hard-pressed to beat the old traditional ones for popularity and it’s largely because they are simple.

The outright winner of a tournament will always be a popular choice and with the likes of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic having either retired or being close to hanging up their racket, the outright markets in both the men’s and women’s game have become competitive betting heats once again.

Here’s a look at some of the most popular ante-post tennis markets:

Tournament winner - As you would expect this is where punters will back who they think can win the tournament. However, you can also opt for an each-way bet, which is likely to appeal more when backing an outsider. That way, if your tip reaches the final, you are due a payout regardless of what happens in the title decider.

Quarter winner - This is who will win their quarter of the draw, so basically, who will reach the semi-final from that part of the draw.

To reach the final - You simply just choose one player to reach the final. Like the each-way bet on the winner, it doesn’t matter what happens on the day because you have already won.

Name the finalists - This bet offers you a whole host of options of who will reach the final, and is a great option because it takes into account the draws so will only offer players who can both reach the final. Given the difficulty of trying to predict which two players will reach the final, the odds in this market tend to be the highest found on tennis betting sites.

How we rank and review tennis betting sites

We take the rating and recommendation of tennis betting sites very seriously and have stringent criteria we expect the best online bookmakers to meet even to be considered for our list. Here are some of the factors that went into our thinking:

Regulation: This is a non-negotiable before we recommend any UK bookmaker. They have to be regulated by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) for us to contemplate rating the. Users can rest assured they can use these safe betting sites, knowing tha their personal and financial data are secure.

Welcome offers: Every journey with a tennis betting site starts with a welcome offer. Many betting sites restrict how you can use your sign-up bonus, so we’ve given preference to those bookmakers who allow bettors to wager some or all of their bonus on tennis. Common welcome bonuses include bet £10 get £30 and bet £10 and get £40 offers for signing up online.

Promotions & offers: A tennis betting site wouldn’t be a very good tennis betting site without some specific offers and promotions punters can use to wager on the sport. Some of our recommended sites run tennis offers all year round, others during the Grand Slams, while most have a generic promo that can be applied to wagering on tennis.

Betting app: The majority of bets are now placed using a betting app, and all our recommended sites have an app punters can use. But having an app is the bare minimum our team of experts expect. The app needs to offer the same features as the desktop site and be user-friendly, among other traits, before it helps a betting site make the list.

Payment options: Punters have more choice than ever before when it comes to completing financial transactions and we’ve taken a look at the payment options accepted by tennis betting sites as part of our review. Debit card and bank transfers are staples, but users are turning to alternatives such as e-wallets for deposits and withdrawals. PayPal betting sites are on the rise due to the ease and security PayPal offers customers online. Other methods such as Apple Pay betting and Google Pay betting are proving equally popular.

Responsible gambling: Similarly to regulation, how committed a bookmaker is to responsible gambling is extremely important. Have they taken genuine steps to ensure their actions towards their customers are morally sound? We considered their approaches to vital responsible gambling tools such as deposit limits, loss limits, reality checks and self-exclusion.

Customer experience: The quality of the experience online bookies provide to their customers was also taken into account when choosing the best tennis betting sites – across desktop, mobile and app. If the site design is smart and well laid out, the useability is logical and straightforward, then that all makes for a better customer experience. Similarly, how easy it is to interact with support staff and solve any potential issues is also a factor.

Special features: Tennis betting sites should also offer the latest special features for customers online. Live streaming is essential for all online betting sites and coverage of ATP Tour and WTA Tour events should be offered throughout the year. Streaming of Grand Slam should be offered when possible. Cash out betting sites provide users with the chance to withdraw funds from bets before they settle. This is a must for all tennis betting sites to ensure that users can reap the rewards of successful wagers.

Responsible gambling

Responsible gambling isn’t just a slogan, but a mantra every punter could stand to operate by. Betting should only ever be considered a form of entertainment – it has not, and will never be, a surefire way to make money, no matter how much you think you know about tennis.

When betting on tennis, always assume you’ll lose and therefore, only bet what you can afford. Tennis betting can also be addictive, so please take steps to remain in control of your time and budget.

Make sure you use the safer gambling tools offered by betting companies such as deposit limits, reality checks, loss limits, time-outs and self-exclusion.

The same tools should be available whether you’re using betting sites, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, or any other regulated gambling medium.

It’s particularly important not to get carried away by free bet offers or casino offers, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution.

If you have gambling-related concerns, then seek independent help. There are several UK charities and institutions that offer support, advice and information, with a few listed below:

• Gamblers Anonymous

• NHS

• GamCare

• GambleAware

Best tennis betting sites summary

While we can recommend what we think are the best tennis betting sites, the truth is that every tennis punter is looking for something different from their bookmaker. What’s ‘best’ for one person will be different to what’s ‘best’ for another. The important thing is to decide what is important for you and know how you like to bet.

Whatever your requirements, hopefully, this information can help you make an informed decision about where to place your tennis bets. Remember, each of our recommended tennis betting sites are fully licensed and regulated by the UKGC, ensuring that your personal and financial data is secure.

Every site listed here is safe and legal but it’s important that you only pick a site that resonates with how you intend to bet.

Best tennis betting sites FAQ

Can you bet on tennis?

You can bet on tennis at any licensed and regulated betting site in the UK. It’s just a case of picking the tennis betting site that best suits your needs. Most online bookmakers will offer a host of markets, in-play betting and live streaming, but some do those things better than others so be sure to check out our reviews before wagering on tennis.

Does a walkover count as a win in tennis betting

It’s important to understand the difference between a retirement and a walkover. A retirement occurs mid-match, while a walkover would be a player withdrawing from a match before it’s started. In the case of a walkover, all bets on that match would be void.

How does tennis handicap betting work

Handicap betting relates to giving one player, usually the favourite, a virtual disadvantage and the other player an advantage. In tennis betting, these advantages can games or sets. If you back the favourite on the handicap, they’ll need to win by more than the number of games or sets specified on the handicap. For an underdog, they either need to win the match outright, or lose by less than their handicap.