UK Bookies Share Thoughts On Wimbledon And World Cup Trading Levels

Thousands of fans will descend upon SW19 today (Monday) for the start of Wimbledon. A pinnacle of the tennis calendar, Wimbledon overlaps with the ongoing World Cup which is taking place across the US, Canada, and Mexico.

However, the most highly-rated UK bookmakers are on the ball. And it appears the two major events on both sides of the Atlantic can work in tandem effectively.

World Cup is not a hindrance for Wimbledon

Ahead of the first round at the All England Lawn & Tennis Club (AELTC), a flurry of match predictions have filtered through, and unsurprisingly, Jannik Sinner has garnered plenty of backing.

Bookmakers have been compiling various tournament outrights and specials, and during a busy sporting summer, betting volumes spike. Although the World Cup has proved a distraction in the past with spectators dashing home to catch games, UK operators don’t envisage it being a hindrance for Wimbledon this time round.

Pressed for his thoughts, Betway’s PR manager, Lewis Knowles, said:

“It’s probably one of the few positives of the World Cup games being on so late in the UK that it shouldn’t really affect Wimbledon.

“No doubt we’ll see plenty of cross-sport multiples with the tournaments overlapping, and the increased activity on the app as a result of the World Cup should lead to an increase in business on the tennis.”

An era of nostalgic bets

While the withdrawal of Carlos Alcaraz has arguably made Sinner’s route to a successful title defence eminently easier, it’s fair to assert Wimbledon is likely to produce a raft of nostalgic bets. For example, Novak Djokovic could potentially make his last appearance at Wimbledon as he seeks to land an elusive 25th Slam title, and he is getting backing.

Meanwhile, Serena Williams, who originally quit elite tennis four years ago, will be making a sensational comeback at the age of 44. The American, who will open her singles campaign against Maya Joint, continues to hold sway despite her longish price.

Explaining the pulling factor of Williams, Betfair spokesperson James Mackie, said:

“Nostalgic bets on the more well-known but maybe older players come to the fore especially at Wimbledon. Serena may be an underdog, but she is still a fan favourite with customers and bettors are taking advantage of her price at 50/1.

“While you’d never rule anything out where Serena is involved, this is a huge ask after so long away from the professional game. What a story it would be though if she could go all the way, and it would probably rival Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan as one of the great sporting comebacks.”

On Brit watch

Inevitably, there will be some gravitation towards the home favourites. The withdrawal of Emma Raducanu through a stress fracture was a bit of a blow for the fans given her impressive run to the Queen’s Final earlier this month; however, the return of Jack Draper is courting interest among punters.

Despite a season largely blighted by injuries, Draper, who reached the semi-finals in Eastbourne last week, is currently trading at odds of 66/1. But his chances of delivering a maiden Grand Slam triumph on his home turf were dimmed after he was drawn against Taylor Fritz in Round 1, a “hellish” prospect according to Bet365 trading expert Steve Freeth.

Nevertheless, the World Cup and Wimbledon always throws up plenty of excitement. And whether that leads to more patriotic bets being placed or not, Wimbledon is doing its best to ensure it isn’t forgotten about.