Wimbledon represents the most prestigious online tennis betting event of the year. However, this year’s tournament has been far from the precedent set in years past.
When people attend Wimbledon or tune into the event, they come expecting to see what Roger Federer refers to as ‘proper tennis’. So far, the most talked about tennis matches have been anything but.
An Online Tennis Betting Conundrum
A total of 7 competitors renounced during their first round matches, with most doing so before even completing one hour of play. Janko Tipsarevic was losing 0-5 after 12 minutes into his first set, and decided to retire before continuing. Martin Klizan did the same on Centre Court against Novak Djokovic, just barely completing 40 minutes of play. Likewise, the very next game featured Alexandr Dolgopolov retiring after only competing in 43 minutes against Federer himself.
This is not what Wimbledon is known for and it’s not what people are expecting to witness when they tune in for the event. Federer best described the atmosphere when he said the following:
“I feel for the crowd. They are there to watch good tennis, proper tennis.”
So why did these online tennis betting underdogs recede so early into their matches. A lot of it has to do with injuries. The majority of these ‘quitters’ were dealing with some pretty hefty injuries. However, they felt that they could push through the pain in order to cash in that first round paycheck worth $45,000.
45 large might not seem like a lot to sports betting legends like Federer and Djokovic, who both have racked up over $100 million in their careers through prize money and endorsements. But to lesser-known competitors, $45,000 is enough to sweeten the pot. And it’s definitely enough to play through a little pain in order to get a nice chunk of cash.
For example, Dolgopolov is ranked 84th in the world and has racked up $353,552 so far in 2017. Tipsarevic is 63rd globally and has amassed $160,889 this year. That still seems like a good heap of money, but keep in mind that these athletes have to cough up their own money to pay for their own expenses. That not only includes traveling expenses but also the salary of their coaches, physical trainers, and everything else. In other words, they don’t get to keep most of their winnings.
Is there A Sports Betting Solution?
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) actually put in place a rule to help account for this type of behavior. The guideline states that if a competitors needs to forfeit their first-round match, they can do so and still receive their paycheck. However, instead of just calling it a wrap, the tournament would call upon a ‘lucky loser’ who can fill the void and complete the match. The lucky person would be someone who lost the final matches of qualifying for said tournament.
Interestingly enough, the pros don’t have any qualms about this issue, although the tennis odds might not.
“The ATP has adjusted its rule,” Federer told reporters. “Maybe the Grand Slams should adopt some of that. Maybe they should have a look at what they could do for the players to make it just a little bit easier.”
