Simply known as ‘The Championships’, Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of four of the coveted grand slams. Founded in 1877, the tournament has only ever been played at the prestigious All England Club and is the most coveted of the four grand slams. It is the only one still played on tennis’ traditional surface, grass, as the Australian Open converted to hard court way back in 1988.
The tournament runs in late June and early July, but you can bet on it all year round. Most online bookmakers put odds up for the next year, just hours after the completion of the current final – and some even before. It is the most anticipated tournament for players and punters alike and brings in a mountain of money from those keen to make a little coin off the tennis: Here’s our guide to making your wagers on Wimbledon.
Best Aussie bookmakers to bet on Wimbledon with
The Championships event is the cream of the crop of all the tennis tournaments. This means you need a great online bookmaker to ensure you have a wide variety of markets, with the absolute best offer on offer. Get a load of this group of bookies, who, between them, are the best of the best when it comes to tennis markets on Australian shores.
- Crownbet.com.au
- WilliamHill.com.au
- Sportsbet.com.au
- Bet365.com.au
- PalmerBet
Tips for punting on Wimbledon
Safety net: Don’t serve up your hard earned money until you’ve paid the bills and put food on the table. We do harp on this at gamble.com.au, but it is very important. We promote responsible gambling and this is the way you keep it fun, by not letting it get out of control.
Remember, it’s a slam: The seeds rarely, if ever get knocked out in the first couple of rounds. Back the big guns in to make it at least two weeks in. Every now and then you get a dream wildcard or outsider who causes an upset, but that is the exception, not the rule – no high seed wants a first round exit at Wimbledon on his or her resume.
Mind the time difference: Remember, the early rounds kick off at 8.30pm AEST and as it gets deeper into the tournament, the coverage starts at 10pm. Not exactly great timing when you have work in the morning, so, if you’re going to have a punt, remember, it’s on late, so set the IQ to record.
Do research: Really, if you’re going to have a punt, make sure you know your tennis players. How does your player go on the grass surface? What is his or her record like against the opponent. How has their recent form been? Are there any injury concerns? All of this, and more, matters when it comes to a grand slam.
Popular tennis and Wimbledon betting markets
Tournament winner: As we mentioned, bookies offer markets on grand slams almost all year round. Wimbledon is no exception, with the likes of Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic the perennial favourite to take out the tournament for the men and, of course, the ladies superstar Serena Williams is always hard to beat.
Head to head/multi bets: Who will win the match? Pretty standard stuff really. The favourites always tend to be very short early on in the tournament, but they rarely lose, so it is worth packaging them up in a multi to give you odds that are actually worth betting on. Head to head betting gets more interesting in the fourth round and when the finals approach, because the cherries have been sorted from the chaff.
Correct set score: What will the overall result be? The games are fought out over five sets, with a first to three the winner of the match. You need to decide who wins the match and by what score, 3-0, 3-1 or 3-2
Set and game markets: You can bet on who will win each set. And you can also bet on what the score will be in a particular set.
Exotics: How many grand slams will Novak Djokovic win in a given year? What round will Roger Federer lose in at Wimbledon. What colour outfit will Williams wear for the final. You can have some serious fun with the Wimbledon markets.
Greatest Australian triumphs at Wimbledon
Since 1971, Aussie triumphs at Wimbledon have been few and far between. The Aussie men used to win it with great regularity, with Sir Norman Brookes the first to lift the title in 1907 (he did it again in 1914), while the great Rod Laver won it four times in the 1960s and his heir apparent John Newcombe three times from 1967-71.
In fact, the 1960s were a golden age for Aussie tennis at Wimbledon, with Laver, Newcombe, Roy Emerson (twice) and Neale Fraser accounting for eight titles in nine years and if you head to 1971, it makes it 10 in 11 years. Nice Newcombe’s triumph in 1971, though, only two Australian men have stood alone at the end of the tournament.
The wildly popular Pat Cash, headband and all, claimed The Championships in 1987, beating Czechoslovakian legend Ivan Lendl in straight sets, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 7-5. Flash forward 15 years and it was the brash Aussie Lleyton Hewitt winning tournaments for fun. He crushed Argentine David Nalbandian in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3, 6-2, in one of the most lopsided finals of all time. Hewitt’s catch cry “Come oooooh” was never heard more often in a tennis match.
The women’t outlook for the Aussies is rather bleak, with only two Australians ever claiming the Wimbledon title.
But they are a pair of illustrious names, arguably the two best Australian women ever to take the court.
Margaret Court claimed three Wimbledon tournaments from 1963 to 1970, while Yvonne Goolagong Cawley got home in 1980.
Australia still holds the third most singles titles for a nation, with 26 at Wimbledon, behind only England and the USA, so it punches well above its weight, but it has been a tough slog in recent years. The next great hope for the title is another brash youngster in Nick Kyrgios.
