What Happens When a Player Retires?

Joshua Mary | 12:01am GMT 16 February 2025

The popularity of tennis in the betting world can be compared to football. In many countries, bookmakers allocate a separate section for this sport. If you also want to earn money for this hobby, it is important to understand and take into account all the rules. For example, not everyone knows what will follow after a player’s retirement. Now we will tell you about it.

What Does ‘Retired’ Mean in Tennis?

If you immediately thought about ending your career, do not rush to conclusions. In a tennis match, retirement means an early end to the match, as the player cannot continue it. Most often, this happens due to injury or illness. Physical conditions do not allow the tennis player to continue playing, so he voluntarily gives up the victory to the opponent.

How Different Bookmakers Handle Retirements

This concept likes to mislead users. Initially, many thought that it was about literal retirement. The second misconception is to think that, in this case, the rate is calculated as usual. But do not rush to rejoice or be upset. Depending on the site, there are different calculation rules.

Void Bets

Read the bookmaker’s rules carefully. It will state when the bet is canceled. This may be if the player does not have time to make one serve, does not play one set, or does not finish the match. In this case, you get your bet amount back and do not lose or gain anything.

Winning Bets

If the platform rules allow it, you can still win. For example, you bet on tennis player A, and his opponent announced retirement. According to the bookmaker’s rules, the players had to play at least one serve, and they did. In this case, you will receive the winnings according to the odds.

Losing Bets

You will definitely lose if the situation is the same as in the previous example, but you bet on a retired tennis player. After the announcement of retirement, the player is recognized as a loser.

Popular Sportsbooks and Their Tennis Retirement Rules

Successful betting on tennis is possible only on a reliable platform. However, you can choose the one with the best rules regarding retirement among them. To make your task easier, we will tell you about the top betting sites.

FanDuel

This bookmaker will only void bets on the retiring player. All other markets will stand if there has been enough action to complete them. For example, if you bet on the winner of the first set that has been completed, the bet will stand and be settled as normal.

DraftKings

On this platform, all bets are void if a player retires before the first set is completed. If the first set is completed, the remaining player is the winner. Bets on the retiree are void.

Bet365

The rules of this bookmaker also provide for the cancellation of the bet if you bet on a player who has left. If your choice was in favor of his opponent, then the winnings are paid. Bet365 does this in the form of free bets. You receive the bet amount itself in money.

1xBet & Other International Bookmakers

In most cases, international bookmakers cancel the bet on the player who has left. In this case, if the first set has not been finished, then the bets on the opponent are also cancelled. In all other cases, the bets are calculated as usual and the winner is the remaining player.

Walkover vs. Retirement: Key Differences in Betting

These two terms describe the same situation. Only the time is different. A walkover occurs before the match starts. Therefore, the results cannot be calculated and all bets on such a match are cancelled. Retirement occurs during the game, so the rules regarding bets here are more complicated, as we have already written about earlier.

Live Betting and In-Play Wagers on Retired Matches

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The rules for live bets are no different from the usual ones. If your bet remains in the game, it will be processed the same way as if you had bet before the match. If you used cash out, you will receive the winnings at the odds that were valid at the time of closing. Even if retirement occurs after this, the situation will not change. The new calculation rules apply only to active bets.

What Happens to Accumulator (Parlay) Bets?

Bookmakers’ rules in this regard vary. However, if your bet is canceled, it is calculated at odds of 1. Thus, it does not affect the rest of the expression in any way because when multiplied by one, the number does not change. Thus, the bet seems to fall out of the chain, and further calculations cannot be made without it. In this case, the entire accumulator is not considered lost.

Tips for Bettors to Minimize Risk

Retirement is impossible to foresee. This can happen in any match. However, you can insure yourself and reduce your risks in this case. First and foremost, choose a bookmaker with favorable conditions. Ideally, you have nothing to lose. You will either get your bet back or win.

You can also use cash out to close your bet before retirement. However, you need to be a good counter at the same time so as not to end up at a loss. In addition, you must have a perfect understanding of tennis to determine the right moment and predict a quick retirement.

If the player you choose is prone to frequent injuries, bet insurance would be a good idea. Many bookmakers offer this option. In addition, it is important to use the technique we talked about at the very beginning, namely, to choose a platform with the most favorable conditions.

Conclusion

As you can see, retirement is not a reason to despair. In most cases, you will not lose anything. If you have chosen the right bookmaker, then in the worst-case scenario, you will simply get your money back. Also, you do not have to worry about accumulator bets because they will not lose if one bet is voided.