It is not uncommon in a tennis tournament for one of the participants to withdraw from a match due to injury, so what happens to our bets if a tennis player withdraws? To avoid surprises, it is advisable to be clear about the rules that each bookmaker applies if such an incident occurs. In addition, knowing how they deal with withdrawals can help us to choose which bookmaker we prefer to bet on a tennis player.

Now let’s see which bookmakers are in each block as well as an example to make it clearer and to know which bookmaker we are interested in betting on depending on the status of the tennis player.

This is the largest group of bookmakers and in this case the stake is returned to the player when the bet is cancelled. With this type of bookmaker, there is no risk of losing money (or winning money, for that matter). These bookmakers are more suitable for betting on favourites with ambitions in the tournament and a clear victory, unless something unfortunate happens, such as an injury.

For bets to stand, the match must have been played in its entirety. If not, i.e. the player retires before the end of the match, bets will be declared void and any money wagered will be returned to the punters.

Bookmakers based on the first set

With these bookmakers there is some risk if the match completes the first set. If the first set is not completed, these bookmakers act in the same way as the previous bookmakers and void bets.

After the end of the first set, if there is a drop out, the player who goes through will be considered the winner of the match. This leaves us exposed to losing the bet if the player we have bet on withdraws. On the other hand, we can also win the bet if the opponent withdraws.

Bookmakers based on the start of the match

These bookmakers consider all bets valid if the match has started, regardless of the game or set. In order to settle them, they give the winner as the tennis player who qualifies for the next round. Like the bookmakers based on the first set, it is better to use Codere or Retabet for riskier bets where you are looking to go against the favourite, with the advantage that you don’t have to wait for the first set to finish.

Here we find two bookmakers, Codere and Retabet, whose common feature is that they have on-site betting shops.

EXAMPLE

Federer plays a minor tournament to prepare for a big event that starts the following week. There is a possibility that he withdraws before the end of the tournament in order to have a margin of recovery. By betting on his opponents, if Federer withdraws at any time after the match has started, we would win the bet.

It is important to know the rules of the bookmakers in the event of injury or withdrawal of a tennis player to understand how they will act in each case and to be able to better define our strategies when betting. Remember that information is always the bettor’s best ally.