Betting Has Always Been Part Of Tennis

Betting on tennis has always been a part of the sport whether it’s betting on one’s self or another player.

The aspiration to be a successful pro player is a gamble, so many people dedicate their lives to “make it.” Just a fraction beat the odds.

Every shot a player takes in a match is a gamble if it will be successful.

So it’s only natural that the spirit of the tennis player is to take chances and gamble. There are so many tennis betting stories out there. Marcelo Rios and other players at Bollettieri Tennis Academy betting on practice sets, tiebreakers. Bobby Riggs betting on himself to win Wimbledon singles, doubles and mixed. Pete Sampras playing tiebreakers with practice partners with $100 at stake. There are other examples, too many to count.

Oh another, Jimmy Connors once bet some local hacker in Florida he could beat him right-handed but his stakes demand of $15,000 was declined.

A certain top Russian once bet a coach of another player $50 on the outcome of a Max Mirnyi vs Mike Bryan match in Washington DC and collected his winnings when he saw the coach en route to his own match on stadium court.

Everybody in tennis has heard the story, or myth, about Marcelo Rios gambling away his entire prize money from the Australian Open one year.

While betting on tennis in America at tennis clubs and public park courts isn’t very prevalent, it certainly is in other countries like the Philippines, where a Filipino citizen told me some funny stories about how much they like to bet on local matches there.

Yes, betting on tennis is a popular, exciting activity for confident people with healthy egos and some spare bills in their wallet.

Marcelo Rios · Pete Sampras · Sports betting · Tennis betting

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