Trading Tennis Before and After A Grand Slam

As tennis traders, we all look forward to the major grand slam tournaments. However, if you are not careful the profits that are generated in the slams can be severely compromised by what goes on in the few weeks before and after. By exercising a little caution, we can be ready for the freak results and ensure they do not damage the trading bank.

In the 2 weeks leading up to a grand slam, many top players will probably only have one thing on their mind. Of course, they want to come into some form but at the same time it is not the end of the world if they exit some minor tournaments at an early stage. On the other side of the court, there may be an outsider or qualifier. This player has absolutely nothing to lose and will strive to compete against the big name.

After a grand slam tournament, it is a case of ‘after the lord mayor’s show’. The high profile event that is beamed around the world has finished and it is time to move on to the less illustrious events on the calendar. This is a dangerous time if you are putting large amounts of money in to the market. As before, the favourites can sometimes lack motivation while the outsiders do not have that problem.

In most cases, the better player will prevail. That said, it would be prudent to keep an eye on your stake sizes. For the 2 weeks before and after a grand slam tournament, I always reduce my stakes at least until the latter stages of these tournaments. If you find yourself in a spot of bother, this allows you to increase your stakes and trade your way out of trouble.

Great Matches for Tennis Trading

There were 2 matches that really stood out for me on the 1st day of Wimbledon. I wasn’t expecting to trade Roger Federer’s match against Alejandro Falla. However, after Falla took the first 2 sets the market reacted accordingly and Federer’s odds were suddenly an attractive proposition. Getting 2’s, 3’s and 4’s on the defending champion is an opportunity not to be missed. This match had 5 sets written all over it although Federer came very close to losing the 4th set.

The other match I spent time on was Novak Djokovic versus Olivier Rochus. Some people hate betting on the Serb but I do not agree. The erratic nature of Djokovic’s game means there is always the possibility he will drop at least 1 set. Hence, if you bide your time and do not go jumping straight in from the start, you can get very good prices on a player ranked World number 3. The in-play odds made a mockery of his starting price of 1.15.

Against Rochus, Djokovic looked he was about to capitulate in the final set. However, somehow he found his game when he needed it most like many top players do. All things considered, this was a pretty good start to Wimbledon tennis trading. Roll on the next 2 weeks!

Backing Your Judgement

I must confess, there are occasions when I do something that could be considered risky. All successful tennis traders know the big money changes hands on the player who is odds-on. However, time and again we see a strong favourite get off to a slow start. The market is not dumb. If a player appears to be losing the plot, the trader will drop them like a cold bag of sick.

In these scenarios, the prices can gain such momentum that they move too far, too quickly. This throws up a unique opportunity to engineer a trade on a pre-match favourite at over-inflated odds. Unlike some traders, I do not consider these trades to be of high-risk if they are instigated early enough in the match.

When you have been trading tennis for a few years, you get to know the strengths and weaknesses of the players. In most cases, you will have a very good idea beforehand what the likely results will be. This means you can hold your nerve and back your judgement when everyone else is cutting out at a loss. This is a technique that can be used in certain scenarios.