Betting on the Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the highlight of the team events in the international tennis calendar. The tournament was formed in 1900 and since then has gone on to be one of the pinnacles of the sporting calendar. The competition is ran exclusively by the ITF with teams (men only) having to work through group stages before reaching the finals. Most sports book websites allow betting on the Davis Cup, but of course you have to be aware that those events do not take place every week.
The tournament first hosted just Britain and America, before expanding and now boasting up to 137 nations throughout the qualifying stages. The most successful team over this period has been America winning no less than 32 times and being runner up a staggering 29 times. The competition includes both singles and doubles matches with points being awarded for each solitary victory.
Davis Cup Format
The competition has three qualifying groups based on location including America zone, Euro/Africa zone and Asia/Oceanic zone. Each zone has four groups apart from the Euro/Africa zone which has three. Depending on a countries world ranking will depend on which group they start in. A country must work its way up to the World Group in order to qualify for the competition proper.
The World Group includes 16 teams and is the first time countries are mixed and leave their regional zones. These 16 teams are known as the best in the world and will essentially make up the final stages of the Davis Cup. It is in the nature of this competition that it is not always clear from the start which of the nominated players is playing for the two competing nations. Actually the team captain nominates the players rather shortly before the match, which requires you to investigate the order of play before betting on any Davis Cup match,
Points are awarded depending on the format of the game. Singles games start at 5 points for play-off wins, before moving up to 75 points for a final win. In total there are 500 points up for grabs in the singles matches. On top of this players can earn team and performance bonuses for winning finals. The doubles matches work in very much the same way, with 10 points for a play-off win, but instead receive 95 points for a finals win. A smaller team bonus of up to 35 points can be won for doubles play.
Best Davis Cup Betting Sites
Bet365 – Non Us
Bet365 cover a wide range of games throughout the Davis Cup. One of the great features for this site is that they include markets from a lot of the qualifying and zone stages of the competition. These are limited however, but as the tournament progresses into the World Group stages more matches and ultimately markets, are opened.
Find a complete review of Bet365 here.
Intertops – US Friendly
Intertops is quickly becoming the sportsbook of choice for US based bettors. Its coverage of the Davis Cup is excellent, and if its simplicity and a good welcome bonus of $200 you are looking for, then Intertops could be place for you.
The one thing that puts them ahead of the competition for tennis bets is the fact that they are the only site that has in-game betting options. Other US-friendly online sportsbooks allow you to bet on a match winner, but that is all you can do.