If you have never played tennis in all your life, gambling on tennis might be quite the task. A good place to start is online bookmaker reviews and betting strategies. Such articles might expose you to new ways of gambling, strategies and also some hints and tips to get the best out of your wager. Other punters will simply check the odds and go with the flow. The notion of ‘if the odds are good, let’s go with that’ ideology is okay to apply, but in the long run, if you want to make it big, you would need some tennis background knowledge.
Most betting strategies and online bookies also shed light on more things to look at when gambling on tennis. For starters, the tennis ball plays a big role in determining your winning strategy. Other things to take into consideration include the weather conditions that the tennis match is being played at, along with the surface of the tennis court. But the biggest mystery of all has to be the tennis ball impact. Does it really have so much to say on the outcome of the game and your betting options? Worth laying some facts.
How did this debate kick-off?
The ball discussion kicked off in the tennis French Open of 2020 when both tennis players and sports commentators discussed the tennis balls chosen for the tournament. In 2019, the tennis federation signed a multi-million dollar partnership with tennis ball manufacturer Wilson, replacing the old standing Babolat ball. Of course, some renowned tennis players such as Rafel Nadal and Dan Evans showed their disapproval by stating that the new Wilson balls are heavy to play with, and not even pet dogs should play with such toys. Harsh words from pillars that have mastered the game of tennis and earned their spot in the tennis world hall of fame. Tennis players who have been in the game for years, mostly professionally, know a good tennis ball when they see one. A bad one is easily spotted too.
Is the ball really a detriment to the game?
Some say yes, and some say no to the ball being a deciding factor in the game. If we look back at the track record of big opens and tennis tournaments who have shifted ball brands throughout the years, you will find many. As per their own respective penned deals, Grand Slams used the Babolat ball, the US Open used Wilson, and Wimbeldon used Slazanger.
Whilst a light ball might be faster, it will work best with aggressive players looking to cause an upset, as opposed to being a war weapon for the defensive type of player. Truth be told, if a tennis ball is over used, it will never deliver the same bounce and depth that a new tennis ball delivers. This is the reason that many tennis balls change during a tennis match. When the tennis players feel there is not enough spunk and bounce in the ball, it is time to change and hopefully get a fresh start. That is tennis.
Also worth talking about is the tennis court and the way that the ground is composed of. Clay surfaces are used at times, and these could potentially harm the tennis ball more than your traditional tennis court does. From what the tennis gurus are stating, the new Wilson Ball is actually picking up more ground moisture and clay than other tennis balls do. If this is the case, and the data shows the assumptions to be true, then online bookies would also need to start taking into consideration the tennis ball provider, when compiling tennis ball match odds.
How in-depth data should online bookmakers need to compile tennis odds?
Gaining data is already a headache for many online sportsbooks. After all, they do not have the time and the luxury to delve into so much data that will shadow time spent on compiling other sports odds. But let’s say that someone comes up with the idea of only offering tennis gambling, a way that players can enjoy the game solely without interruptions from other sports. Albeit the idea is a bit on the extreme side, it could happen. Moreover, if the bookmaker wants to offer some good quality tennis odds, taking into consideration the make of the tennis ball is a must.
During one particular Grand Slam, data analysis looked at the tennis balls that were being used in the tournament, and compared groups and matches that were using old tennis balls, compared with new tennis balls.
Fascinating enough, data shows that the power of the server, meaning the person serving the ball to the other player, did deteriorate the more the player used the ball. Having a new tennis ball proved to deliver a better service, or what we call in tennis ‘a smash’ A smash is when the serving player uses enough power to serve the tennis ball with the other player failing to make a move in defense.
New tennis ball, new winner?
Other data analyses from the same tennis tournament also shed light on the newness of tennis balls compared to the overall winner of the match. Data depicts that the newer the tennis ball being used, the better chances the winner holds claim to the win. In other words, the server percentage does take a massive hit when an old tennis ball is being used.
The efficiency and coherence of a tennis ball does decline with time. Just like we age and get more active, so does your tennis ball. Any brand and provider, for the matter.
The Wimbledon old Ball Saga
If there is one tournament that grabs everyone’s attention on an annual basis, it has to be Wimbledon. The tennis tournament is for the best of the very best and will always crown winners as champions. When the balls analysis took place at Wimbledon, new tennis balls gave the server an 84.6% winning stake, compared to the 82.6% that old balls gave. When we talk about old tennis balls, we are referring to tennis balls that have been used for 9 games.
This phenomenon was recorded in Wimbledon and also the Australian Tennis open, yet strangely enough, did not have an effect on the French Open. Of course, this is data from 2020, it would be cool to delve into current data, from 2021 that is.
Data also states that tennis ball deterioration will also have quite an impact that could potentially change the game from Win to Love and also Game to Deuce.
The tennis ball does count, ageing ones not so much
A new tennis ball, one that has not been overused in the heats and also the actual match, will perform better. On the other hand, ageing balls will always give a less better performance. Data from tennis Grand Slams reflect the intensity of the ageing tennis ball, and the impact it leaves on both the serve and hold percentage. This data might not be much for punters looking to spend a buck betting on tennis matches. On the other hand, a small % difference in odds will see you lose your wagered money.
How does this impact online tennis odd strategies?
Although online bookmakers adopt many strategies to compile their odds, moving odds depending on ageing balls would be a hard one to track. As we mentioned earlier, many established bookmakers have a variety of other games and odds to compile, and one would need a special dedicated individual to keep track of the ageing tennis ball.
Data so far has been analyzed from 2020 about the impact that the tennis ball has on the outcome of the game. We are still awaiting further information, statts and alaysed data from 2021 to be able to outline and banish the ageing ball from our vocabulary.
One thing is certain, if the ageing tennis ball proves to be a cositing contributing factor to performance, then online betting sites should make note. The ageing ball could be what makes or breaks your next tennis ball bet.
