Every summer, spectators wait with great anticipation for the iconic Wimbledon Championships—the crown jewel of the grand slam tournament series. Played on grass courts at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, this championship embodies tradition, sophistication, and history of the game. Opportunities for betting the Wimbledon tennis odds heighten the excitement for this grand slam, giving spectators the chance to make a wager on the outcome of a match. 

Wimbledon Point Spreads and Lines

This yearly event gives spectators the opportunity to lay down many types of bets on odds for Wimbledon men's and women's matches. When reading betting sheets, many typically indicate odds with a positive or negative indicator ("+" or "-") which denote the potential payout and chances of winning, based on $100 increments. With all bets, when you win the wager, you receive the payout amount plus your initial bet amount.

Negative odds typically have a higher chance of winning than positive odds. Bookmakers calculate the odds to win the Wimbledon tennis championship, and odds indicate implied probability, not in any way guaranteeing a win or a loss on any bet. 

A betting sheet for Wimbledon betting odds will likely look similar to 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

This betting sheet is fictional and does not represent any real competition or real-life players.

Moneylines

Tennis moneylines work similarly to other sports. This betting format bases the payout on $100 stakes. Negative odds indicate the amount required to win $100, while positive odds indicate the payout amount with a $100 bet. The example table shows John Doe requiring a $130 stake to win $100. With Ron Roe, a $100 stake wins you $110.

Spreads

Spread bets in tennis refer to the margin of games won over the course of a match, as opposed to point margins that are typical with other styles of sports betting. When betting on tennis, there are two types of spreads to consider: game spreads and set spreads.

Game spread odds

Tennis game spread odds determine the number of games per set that a player needs to win. To cover the spread in the example table, Doe’s -4.5 odds means he has to win at least five more games than Ron Roe’s in the specified set. If he wins by four games in that set or less, he doesn't cover the spread.

Set spread odds

Set spread odds refer to the probability of winning a match by a certain number of sets. With John Doe at -1.5 in the example above, he has to win by two or more sets in the total match to cover the spread. If he loses the match or he beats Roe by only one set, he doesn't cover the spread and wagers on Roe will win the set spread bets.

Over/under

Tennis over/under bets are based on the number of games in a match. To win a set, a player needs to win six games, and the win margin must be two or greater. If both players make it to six games in the set, they play an additional seven-point tiebreak.

Game over/under

Game over/under odds indicate the expected total number of games in a match. The table above indicates a 35.5 over/under total, meaning bets for the over will pay out if the match goes 36 games or more. If the match results in 35 or fewer games, wagers for the under win the bet.

Set over/under

You're able to bet on how many sets you think a match will go. This is called a set over/under wager.  An over/under bet for a five-game match might be 4.5.  A wager on the under means you're betting the match will only go four sets, while a bet on the over means you think it will go for a full five.

Player props

On some betting sites you can make side bets on major tennis events, called prop bets. These exotic bets let you bet on an array of circumstances, such as the total total number of serves in a match or who will win a specific set.

Parlay bets

Many sites let you combine multiple bets, called legs, into a single payout. For example, you can bet on Doe to win the first set, and Roe to take the next two sets. Wagers such as these typically offer substantial payouts. They're also riskier than standard book bets, since you have to win every leg in order for the parlay to pay out.

History of the Wimbledon Championships

The Wimbledon Championships began in 1877 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, presently called the All England Club. At that time, the tournament was only open for men to play, and only hosted one event, called the Gentlemen's Singles. 

In 1884, the club introduced the men’s doubles competition, and also invited women to join the tournament. Since then, the All England Club has hosted five competitions per year: men's singles, mens' doubles, women's singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles tournaments. The competition has continued since, only pausing from 1915-1918, for World War I, and 1940-1945, due to the second World War. In the 1950s, the Wimbledon tournament moved from its original location on Worple Road in London, to a larger site on Church Road, where the competition is still held today. 

While the US and Australian Opens have moved to hard court surfaces, and the French Open takes place on clay, players still compete on the fast grass courts at Wimbledon, just as they did when it began. 

Wimbledon is an event that values its traditions. Since the competition began, spectators have enjoyed customary strawberries and cream, to the tune of thousands of pounds of berries and cream every year. 

Notable matches

In its century and a half, Wimbledon has hosted some of the most riveting matches and some of the most memorable moments in tennis. 

A momentous Wimbledon match that remains among the greatest today is the victory of Bill Tilden over Brian Norton in 1921. While still recovering from a severe illness, defending champion Tilden made a bet that he could win against Norton even if he gave away the first two sets. After being down by two, Tilden came back and easily swept the next two. In the fifth set, Norton gave him a run for his money as the two traded match points, but Tilden came out on top in the end, at 4-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-0, 7-5.

Venus Williams' victory over Lindsay Davenport in 2005 stands out in recent memory. After top-ranked Davenport won the first set, 14th-seeded Williams came back to edge out a 7-6 win in the second. Davenport led the third set 4-2 when she experienced a back injury that paused the game. After returning, Davenport lost her lead and Willaims' final serve took the match point away from her, winning Williams the match at 4-6, 7-6, 9-7.

Wimbledon continues to host its yearly championship at the All England Club in London, where new moments and tremendous victories await to be written in the archives of tennis history.

Biggest Tennis Rivalries

Tennis is a game of big personalities and strong competitive spirits, that spark rivalries and stir up spectator interest when rivals clash on the court. 

Americans John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors held a fierce rivalry throughout the 1980s. Both being intensely competitive players, many of their meetings resulted in fierce shouting matches over their 14-year rivalry. With 20 wins to Connors' 14, McEnroe won the rivalry on the courts. The 90s bore witness to the electrifying rivalry between another American pairing, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. Their head-to-head results are 20-14, with Sampras having the advantage. 

On the women’s side, the rivalry between American Chris Evert and Czech-born Martina Navratilova headlined the sport throughout the 70s and 80s. After battling through 80 matches (60 of them for a title), the two formed a close friendship that they maintain to this day.

Darlings of the sport, sisters Serena and Venus Williams shared a professional rivalry throughout the first two decades of the 21st century. In 2000, the sisters teamed up to win the title in women's doubles, after facing each other earlier in the Wimbledon women's single championship. Though Serena was the favorite to win, Venus beat the odds, winning the Wimbledon women's title, 6–2, 7–6.

In the modern era, the “Big Three”—Roger Federer of Switzerland, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, and Roger Nadal of Spain—have ruled the men’s courts.

Explore betting advice, for useful overviews and insights on how to bet and read Wimbledon winner odds, as well as other sports. To learn more about other major tennis events, visit our tennis odds page.