THESE days professional tennis is pretty much a 12-month-a-year sport where with the exception of December, there are big tournaments taking place pretty much every week. But then again, some are bigger than others in terms of prestige, prize money and ranking points. Here are the best tournaments, with the best tennis betting opportunities, to look forward to every year.
The Australian Open – January
The first Slam of the year, The Australian Open, can sometimes catch even the best players off-guard if they didn’t get into their stride at the start of the season. And if that doesn’t get you, maybe the heat will. Temperatures in Melbourne can reach dangerous levels at this time of year meaning stamina and the ability to deal with extreme heat are a must if you want to go far.
But that’s not something that has bothered Novak Djokovic, who has won the men’s singles 10 times here, including winning four of the last five, which could have been all five if he hadn’t missed the 2022 edition due to being unvaccinated against Covid. Djokovic will surely be the Unibet favourite again going into the 2024 edition.
French Open – May
A very different skillset is required at Roland Garros where patience, resolute defence and an imaginative game are needed to go far on the red clay.
Service is not so much of a factor here as on other surfaces which is why Rafael Nadal, far from being a big server, managed to triumph here on an incredible 14 occasions, including winning five in a row between 2010 and 2014. But the great Nadal is somewhat unlikely to win here again due to persistent injuries so in 2023 it was left to Djokovic to win here, too.
Over in the women’s game, Iga Swiatek has really made a mark in Paris, winning three of the last four editions.
Beware the Parisian crowd who can turn on players and make life very uncomfortable for you on court if you’re on the wrong side of them.
Wimbledon – June-July
Players have to wear white, there’s lots of strawberries and cream, Pimms and champagne consumed by the crowd and a big serve is an absolute must on the manicured courts of SW19.
The oldest tennis tournament in the world is also arguably the most prestigious and the one they all want to win.
Three giants of the game fill the Top 3 for most wins in the men’s game with Roger Federer having won it on eight occasions, while Pete Sampras and Novak Djokovic (him again) have each won it seven times.
On the women’s side, Martina Navratilova won it nine times while Serena Williams with seven was the most recent Queen of Wimbledon and almost impossible to beat on her day.
Aside from the tennis itself, the Wimbledon crowd can sometimes be a ‘who’s who’ of celebrities from every field and walk in life, just as desperate to see the best strut their stuff on the perfect Wimbledon lawns, as the rest of us.
US Open – August-September
Rowdy spectators, uber-late finishes to matches and in some cases, high temperatures, are some of the challenges players have to face at Flushing Meadows in the last Slam of the year.
In the men’s game, it tends to be the Slam of the four that produces the most different winners, an example of which is that the last five editions have been won by five different men. Djokovic beat Daniil Medvedev in the 2023 edition, but it was his first win in New York since 2018, while Medvedev had won it himself two years previously.
It’s been a similar story in the women’s open, with each of the last nine editions producing nine different winners, the latest of which being home favourite Coco Gauff. In 2021 Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu produced a huge upset in the Unibet winner market when winning it as a qualifier.
Played on outdoor hardcourts, players need strong serves, a good baseline game and the ability to hit winners rather than getting bogged down.
ATP Finals- November
If the four Slams just mentioned are open to the world’s best, this is only open to the best of the best with just the Top 8 at the end of the calendar year in the men’s rankings eligible to play. It’s the same when it comes to doubles.
The players are separated into two groups of four and play a round-robin format before the top two from each group advance to the semis and the winners of those then contest the final.
First held in 1970 in Tokyo, the venue has changed over time. It was in London between 2009 and 2020 and between 2021 and 2025 Turin is the host city.
Djokovic and Federer have each won it six times, while Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras won it on five occasions.
Davis Cup – Finals played in November
Tennis is normally the epitome of the individual sport but not when it comes to the Davis Cup.
Running since 1900 it pits country v country with the Top 18 ranked countries in the World Group competing in it each year.
Prior to 2019, the tournament was played over the course of the year with the final played at the end of the year. These days it’s all played over one week, at the same venue, with the 18 teams divided into six groups. The winners of each group and two best runners-up then progress to the quarters and so on.
The Davis Cup is known for the fervent support of the teams’ fans in a format that’s completely different to how pro tennis is normally played.
Ties used to be best-of-five sets and made up of three singles and two doubles matches but now they’re best-of-three and it’s just two singles and one doubles match per tie.
The USA with 32 wins and Australia with 28 are the two most successful teams in the tournament’s history.
