Tennis

We live in a golden age for tennis stars with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray dominating the mens game, while Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova are more often than not a safe bet to win in womens competitions.

Tennis is a great spectator sport and even more enjoyable when having a bet, whether it be on the outright winner of a tournament, the match odds or betting in-play on set betting or who will win the next game.

Grand Slam Tennis

The four showpiece events in tennis are known as the Grand Slams. These are the highest-ranking tournaments which the best players strive to win to have their names recorded in the history books and be remembered among the greats of the sport.

The Australian Open marks the first tennis grand slam of the year in January when Novak Djokovic will attempt to defend his mens singles crown on the outdoor hard courts. The Serb beat Andy Murray in last year’s final while in the womens tournament Serena Williams was successful against her long-standing rival Maria Sharapova.

Played on clay, the French Open takes place at Roland Garros in late May running into early June. Stan Wawrinka is the defending champion after beating Novak Djokovic, while reigning women’s champion Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova will be among the leading contenders once again.

The Wimbledon Championships take place just a month later where Andy Murray will hope to emulate his 2013 success. Novak Djokovic is the defending mens champion and as ever will be a tough nut to crack, while womens champion Serena Williams will be aiming to win her seventh title at SW19.

The US Open was a repeat of the Wimbledon final with Novak Djokovic once again edging Roger Federer, while in the womens draw Serena Williams was unable to capture the ‘Grand Slam’ at Flushing Meadows as Flavia Pennetta beat Roberta Vinci in the final.

Most Tennis Grand Slam Wins By Current Players

Top 5 Mens Singles
Roger Federer – 20
Rafael Nadal – 16
Novak Djokovic – 12
Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka – 3

Top 5 Womens Singles
Serena Williams – 23
Venus Williams – 7
Maria Sharapova – 5
Petra Kvitová, Victoria Azarenka – 2
Francesca Schiavone, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanovic, Flavia Pennetta – 1

ATP World Tour

The second highest ranking tennis events after grand slams are the ATP World Tour Masters 1000. This series of nine tennis tournaments sees each winner receive 1000 ranking points with the top eight players going on to compete in the ATP World Tour Finals in November at the end of the tennis year.

These ATP tour events are held annually throughout the year in various destinations around the globe at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Toronto, Cincinatti, Shanghai and Paris.

Novak Djokovic successfully defended his singles title for the second time in after six-time champion Roger Federer withdrew from the 2014 final in London through injury, resulting in the first walkover in a final in the tournament’s 45-year history.

Last 10 ATP World Tour Winners

2007 – Roger Federer
2008 – Novak Djokovic
2009 – Nikolay Davydenko
2010 – Roger Federer
2011 – Roger Federer
2012 – Novak Djokovic
2013 – Novak Djokovic
2014 – Novak Djokovic
2015 – Novak Djokovic
2016 – Andy Murray
2017 – Grigor Dimitrov