Match Winner is the simplest tennis bet: pick which player wins the match. But tennis has a complication that most other sports do not — players can retire at any point, sometimes after just a few games. When that happens, your bet may settle on the leading player, or it may be voided entirely. The rule depends on the bookmaker and sometimes on how far the match has progressed.
This post covers how Match Winner settles under normal conditions and what happens in every retirement scenario. Because Wimbledon is running now, the examples below use the current draws — but the settlement rules apply to all tournaments.
What is the Match Winner market?
Match Winner is a two-outcome market: you pick Player A or Player B. There is no draw in tennis. Every match produces a winner, which is why bookmakers can price it as a two-way market with no draw option.
Example: Alcaraz vs Djokovic (men's final). You pick Djokovic at 2.10. Djokovic wins in four sets — your selection wins, stake returned × 2.10. Alcaraz wins in three sets — your selection loses.
The match format — best-of-3 or best-of-5 — does not change how Match Winner settles. You only need your player to win the match, regardless of how many sets it takes.
What happens if a player retires mid-match?
This is the most important question in tennis betting, and the answer differs by bookmaker.
The most common rule (used by Bet9ja and SportyBet): If a player retires after a match has started, the bookmaker settles on the player who was leading at the point of retirement — if at least one set has been completed. If the retirement happens before a full set is complete, the bet is voided and stakes are returned.
The stricter rule (used by some 1xBet markets): Any retirement voids the bet and stakes are returned, regardless of the score or how many sets have been played. This is less common but does appear.
The looser rule (used by Stake and some 1xBet markets): Settle on the score at the point of retirement — even if no set is complete. If Player A is leading 4-2 in the first set when Player B retires, Player A is settled as the winner.
The practical implication: if you have a bet on Medvedev and he is leading 6-4, 3-1 when his opponent retires, most bookmakers will pay out on Medvedev. But if the retirement happens at 2-1 in the first set with no set complete, you may get a void rather than a payout.
What is a walkover, and how does it settle?
A walkover occurs when a player withdraws before the match starts — no points are played at all. If your selected player was due to play a retired or withdrawn opponent, the walkover rules are stricter than mid-match retirement rules.
Standard walkover rule: The bet is voided. Stakes are returned. This applies across Bet9ja, SportyBet, 1xBet, and Stake in almost all cases.
The only exception is tournament outrights (betting on a player to win the tournament). Some bookmakers settle outright bets on walkovers if the player advances to the next round regardless. But for single-match Match Winner bets, a pre-match walkover is a void.
How does disqualification settle?
Disqualification is rare in tennis but does happen — the most notable recent case being Djokovic's DQ at the 2020 US Open for striking a line judge with a ball. Settlement rules:
- The disqualified player is treated as the loser. The opponent is settled as the winner.
- If you backed the opponent, your selection wins.
- If you backed the disqualified player, your selection loses.
This is the consistent rule across all major bookmakers. Disqualification is not treated as a retirement or void — it is treated as a completed match result.
Does the retirement rule change in Grand Slams?
The mechanics of retirement settlement do not change because a match is a Grand Slam. The same rules above apply whether you are betting on a first-round qualifier or a Wimbledon semifinal.
What does change in Grand Slams (particularly men's singles at Wimbledon, the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open) is the format: best-of-5. This means retirement can happen later in a match — after 3 or 4 sets — which gives bookmakers cleaner grounds to settle rather than void, because a significant part of the match has been completed.
Wimbledon example (men's, best-of-5): Sinner leads 6-3, 7-6, 2-0 when his opponent calls for the trainer and retires. Two full sets have been completed. Sinner is settled as the winner across almost all bookmakers.
Wimbledon example (women's, best-of-3): Swiatek leads 4-3 in the opening set when her opponent retires. No complete set. Most bookmakers — particularly Bet9ja and SportyBet — will void the bet rather than settle on Swiatek.
How does injury time-out affect a bet?
An injury time-out is not a retirement. The player continues after treatment. Your bet is unaffected. Only an official retirement (the player stops playing and concedes the match) triggers retirement rules.
A medical time-out that leads to a retirement later in the same match is settled at the point when the retirement is called, using the rules above.
What is the difference between "retired" and "withdrew"?
- Retired — the player starts the match and stops at some point during it.
- Withdrew / walkover — the player does not start the match at all.
The distinction matters because retirement settlement depends on how much of the match was completed. A walkover, by definition, has no completed play, so it is always voided for single-match betting.
Converting Match Winner slips with SlipMix
SlipMix converts Match Winner bets between Bet9ja, SportyBet, 1xBet, and Stake. Because retirement rules differ between these bookmakers, a converted bet may settle differently on the target bookmaker than it would have on the source — particularly if a player retires before a full set is complete.
For a full overview of all tennis markets SlipMix converts, see Tennis Betting Markets Explained.
For Wimbledon-specific format details — particularly the men's vs women's best-of distinction — see Wimbledon Betting Markets Explained.
Frequently asked questions
If my player is winning 6-0, 5-0 and the opponent retires, do I get paid? Almost certainly yes — one full set is complete. The vast majority of bookmakers settle on the leading player once at least one set is done. Bet9ja, SportyBet, Stake, and most 1xBet markets follow this rule.
My player retired. The bet is showing as "open" — what's happening? Bookmakers often take time to process retirements, particularly in live markets. Allow a few hours. If the market is still open after 24 hours, contact the bookmaker's support.
Can I cash out before a player retires? Yes, if the bookmaker offers cash out on the market and the match is live. Once a retirement is announced, cash out is typically suspended. There can be a window of a few seconds between the retirement and the market being suspended — this is not exploitable in practice.
What if both players retire? Extraordinarily rare, but some bookmakers would void the bet. In practice, a double retirement in a professional match has not occurred. If one player retires and the other is also injured (but does not retire), the non-retired player is settled as the winner.
Does this settlement rule apply to doubles? Yes, the same retirement logic applies to doubles matches. If a doubles pair retires, the opposing pair is settled as the winner (provided the completion threshold is met).
How does a qualifying match retirement settle? Exactly the same rules apply. The match format and round have no bearing on the settlement rule — only how much of the match was completed before retirement.