How Bookmakers Handle Tennis Withdrawals

If you backed Musetti today, I’m sorry. I know how much these situations hurt.

You take Musetti as a good underdog against Djokovic (closing around 3.40–3.50), he goes two sets up… and then an injury forces him to retire. I’ve been there many times. It hurts.

Now, here’s where betting rules matter.

Your moneyline bet is usually valid once at least one set has been completed, so you have probably lost your bet on Musetti. That is not the case for handicap bets, which are voided if the match isn’t completed in full.

Today, I want to clarify how bookmaker rules work in these situations.

Moneyline (Match Odds)

Most bookmakers and all betting exchanges apply the First Set Rule: once one full set is completed, the moneyline bet stands and will be settled even if a player later retires.

However, some bookmakers — like bet365 — require the entire match to be completed. Personally, this makes no sense to me.

Imagine a 5-set match where a player you have bet against, retires in the 5th set due to cramps — something far from rare. Your player is clearly winning, yet your bet is voided.

Why?

The match is decided. The physical factor is part of tennis. Why is it suddenly ignored when it comes to betting? A win is a win, regardless of whether the last point is played. Physical condition plays a crucial role in match outcomes.

Yes, sometimes injuries are unlucky and random. But other times, players simply don’t hold up physically — and that’s part of the game.

Removing the physical component from the equation makes little sense to me.

Important: Know your bookmaker rules

While most bookmakers and all exchanges use the First Set Rule, a few require the entire match, and a very small minority even settle after just one point.

This is especially important if you’re betting against a player you think might have some physical issues.

Moneyline rules at BetInAsia (examples)

If you bet via BetInAsia— as many of you do — here’s how the underlying bookmakers settle moneyline bets:

• Entire match required:
  18bet, IBC, SBOBet, SXbet
• First Set Rule:
  3et, 4casters, Betdaq, Betfair Exchange, Matchbook, Molly Exchange, Pinnacle, Punter_io, SharpBet, Smarkets, Vertex

When you place a bet at BetInAsia, the system automatically routes your stake to the best available prices, sometimes splitting it across multiple bookmakers.

If you’re concerned about a player’s physical condition, it’s wise to disable bookmakers that require the entire match, to avoid unwanted voids.

Handicaps and Totals

Everything above applies only to moneyline bets.

For game or set handicaps, and over/under totals, the rule is simple:

If the match is not completed, all bets are VOID.

Even if the bet is already mathematically won.

Example:

You bet Musetti +4.5 games, and he retires while leading 6–4, 6–3, 1–3.

The handicap is covered — but the bet is still void.

Same applies to totals (e.g. over/under 38 games).

First Set Bets

For First Set markets, the rule is easy:

At practically all the bookies (I don't know if there is any that does not follow this rule), once the first set is completed, the bet is valid — even if a player later retires. If the first set is not completed, the bet is void.

In short, it’s important that you know the rules of the bookmakers you bet with. If you don’t know them yet, look them up — all of them have a Rules section where you can see which rules apply to the different tennis markets