Every year, tennis fans everywhere await each of the grand slam championships with great anticipation. The US Open is one of the most anticipated in this series of four tournaments. This excitement is heightened by the intense rivalries and betting opportunities that come with the US Open. 

The US Open provides opportunities to make a number of bets, in a variety of formats to let bettors choose how they wish to lay down wagers. Odds specify how much you can win per $100 wager, with a "+" or "-" indicating a positive or negative wager, the potential payout, and the likelihood of winning. 

Bets with a negative bet typically have a higher chance of paying out and positive wagers, a lower chance. The odds to win the US Open tennis championship are determined by skilled bookmakers, indicating implied probability, and in no way assures a win or a loss. 

When considering US Open tennis betting odds, a betting sheet usually looks like this:

Team	Moneyline	Game Spread	Set Spread	Over/Under Totals
John Doe	-130	-4.5 / -110	-1.5 / -110	35.5 O / -110
Ronald Roe	+110	+4.5 / -110	+1.5 / -110	35.5 U / -110

Moneylines

As with most sports betting, moneylines are a straightforward win/lose bet, based on $100 stakes. Negative odds show the size of the stake you need to put down in order to win $100. Positive odds indicate how much you win with a $100 bet. In the example above, a bet of $130 pays $100 if John Doe wins. A $100 wager on Ronald Roe pays out $110. In each case, your initial stake is also returned to you, along with your winnings. 

Spreads

Unlike other styles of sports betting, spread bets in tennis don't indicate a point margin. Rather, a spread in tennis depicts a margin of games won over the course of a match. Tennis spreads are broken down into two types: game spread and set spread odds.

Game spreads

This style of betting indicates the number of games in a set a player needs to win in order to cover the spread. In the example, John Doe has a spread of -4.5. This means that he needs to win five more games than Ronald Roe to cover the spread. If Doe wins by four or fewer games—or if Roe wins the match—he doesn't cover the spread.

Set spreads

Set spread odds indicate the player with the highest probability of winning the match by sets. The example above shows John Doe at -1.5, indicating he needs to win by two or more sets to cover the spread. If you bet on Ronald Roe, at +1.5, Roe covers the spread if Doe loses or only wins the match by one set.

Over/under

Over/under wagers in tennis, base the odds on the number of games in a match, rather than by point totals. One player needs to win six games by a margin of two to end the set. If each player wins six games in the set, they play a tie-breaker to determine the set winner. The final outcome of a match has the potential for a wide range of points, the over/under odds for the US Open in tennis have a wide range they can fall into.

Game over/under

In the table above, the over/under is 35.5. If you bet the over, the match needs to last at least 36 games. If a match results in 6-4, 5-7, 6-7, it would put the total number of games at 35, and bets on the under win.

Set over/under

The total over/under for a three-set game is usually 2.5. Betting on the over means you're wagering that the match will go to a total of three sets. The under indicates a wager that the match will only reach two sets. In a five-set match, the over/under will likely be 3.5.

Player props

Some betting platforms offer side bets, called prop bets. These are exotic wagers that aren't tied to the score or final match results. Prop bets might include wagers on the exact score at the end of the match or who will win each set. Prop bets are typically only available for major tournaments and championships. 

Parlay bets

Parlays combine two or more bets into a single payout. Each bet in the parlay is called a leg, and you have to win every leg of the parlay in order to win a payout. Parlays typically have higher payouts than other book bets, and each leg added always increases the total potential payout.

Visit the DraftKings tennis sport page, to learn more about US Open odds and other major tennis tournaments. 

History of the US Open

The US Open has a long and storied history in the annals of sports. The competition now known as the US Open began in 1881 as the US National Championship, in Newport, Rhode Island.  Originally a national men’s singles and doubles competition, the tournament grew in the years between 1887 to 1892 to include women's singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. 

In the early days, the various US Open championships took place at different venues throughout the country. In 1968, the competition moved to the West Side Tennis Club in New York City and was renamed the US Open. In 1978, the tournament moved three miles away, to Flushing Meadows, where the championship resides to this day. 

During its run as the US National Championship and as the US Open, players played on a variety of surfaces, including grass and hard clay. When it moved to Flushing Meadows in 1978, a hard acrylic court was installed, and is the surface that the US Open is still played on today.

Notable US Open Matched

Through the years, the US Open has hosted the game’s greatest players in a number of memorable matches. 

In 2001, Americans Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi held a combined 21 Grand Slam singles titles between them. In the US Open quarterfinals of that year they played a close contest throughout the match. In the first set, Agassi came back from trailing 6-3 to win the set 9-7. Sampras won two consecutive tie-breaker sets in the second and third. Sampras won a tight third set 7-5, giving him the match.

One of the longest competitions in US Open history was the 1992 semifinal match between Stefan Edberg of Sweden and American Michael Chang. After five hours and 28 minutes of intense play, Edberg won the match 6-7, 7-5, 7-6, 6-4. 

When looking into the odds to win the US Open tennis championship, DraftKings provides helpful overviews and useful how-to bet information—whatever style of betting you prefer.

Biggest Rivalries in Tennis

When big personalities clash out on the court, excitement for the game intensifies, and fans become more invested in the outcome.

The legendary rivalry between Americans John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors took place on the hard courts throughout the 1980s. Both fiercely competitive players, their energy influenced every match they played—and sometimes resulted in intense shouting matches. In their 14-year rivalry, McEnroe won out in the end, with 20 wins to Connors' 14.

The modern era has witnessed the greatness of Roger Federer (Switzerland), Novak Djokovic (Serbia), and Roger Nadal (Spain), known as the “Big Three.” The legends of the game have dominated the men’s field for two decades, trading grand slam titles and top ranking on the ATP tour.