Anyone could get a little down. But what can demotivate can also become a challenge for those who arrive as underdogs, just as it can add pressure on the clear favorite. The pressure of the favorite vs. the motivation of the “Underdog” In many interviews with athletes, the same question arises: do they affect the odds published by bookmakers? In most sports, athletes can seem quite susceptible to moments of pressure or critical situations. In the end, the athletes write the numbers, and if they focus correctly, they can rewrite the statistics by surprising the bookmakers and experts with unpredictable performances. The favorite should only use their favored status to understand that they must maintain their discipline and dedication to continue achieving results. The expansion of online betting The phenomenon of betting is becoming increasingly present among adult sports fans. Now, the odds from online operators are within everyone's reach. Most say no, even when they arrive as clear “underdogs”. And suddenly you see that the operators offer an odds of 1.15 for Sinner and 5.00 for you. Today this information is public and appears everywhere, and of course, it can influence an athlete's mood if they discover that the bookmakers see them as a complete outsider. This is one of those cases where the Underdog used the opinions of the bookmakers to strengthen their faith in themselves and reverse what everyone considered more likely. When it comes to mentality, the Underdog may seem more affected by doubting the rival's skill. Translated into implied probabilities, they are giving you around a 20% chance of winning. Among these key factors, the odds hold a particularly important place, as they reflect how likely the operator considers a certain event to be. Since the odds reflect a probability estimate, in practice they function as a clear indicator: who is the favorite and who is behind, both for the bookmakers and for analysts and fans. Years ago many athletes could overlook these odds, because it wasn't so easy to access them. On the other hand, the Underdog must use this premise to better prepare themselves, to the point of surprising everyone by being a different rival than the “easy” one everyone expected, starting with the rival. The odds are just numbers; in the end, everything is decided within the game. However, this is also what can serve as a mechanism to better prepare, although this does not mean they are going to win, it is common to see the underdog not turn out to be so easy to defeat. The media, the weight of the jerseys, and even the large salaries received can be reasons why a footballer, tennis player, or basketball player feels pressured or simply lacks confidence, this is part of the sport. In this case, the odds can be suggestive of what will happen, but they can also boost the motivation of one or the other athlete. What is the correct mindset about the odds? Most odds affect and tend to be quite accurate about who the real favorite is, but all of this is manageable. Imagine your next tennis match is against Jannik Sinner. Sites like https://legalbet.mx/casas-de-apuestas/ analyze and create rankings of licensed bookmakers based on various parameters. This is why these athletes are managed to stay in a “bubble”, isolated from external noise that could harm them, but with the advent of the internet, it is almost impossible. This is what UFC fighter Dricus Du Plessis said, who before his fight against Khamzat Chimaev in 2025 stated that the only thing that matters to him is to win, because “odds don't make fights, fighters do”. Already you feel nervous: you are about to face the ATP number 1. In fact, the saying that “records are meant to be broken” is a clear example of this, as year after year we see how records that seemed impossible are broken.
