Tennis Scoring Explained: Love, Deuce, Tiebreaks and Sets
Love means zero, 40 comes after 30, and a set can end 7-6. Here is tennis scoring explained in plain English.
Tennis scoring looks strange at first. Why does it go 15, 30, 40 instead of 1, 2, 3? Once you understand the three layers, points, games and sets, it all clicks.
Layer 1: Points
Each game is scored like this:
| Points won | Called |
|---|---|
| 0 | Love |
| 1 | 15 |
| 2 | 30 |
| 3 | 40 |
| 4 | Game |
The server's score is always said first. So "30-15" means the server leads.
Deuce and Advantage
If both players reach 40, the score is deuce. From there, a player must win two points in a row to take the game:
- Win the next point and you have the advantage ("ad in" for the server, "ad out" for the returner).
- Win the following point and you win the game.
- Lose it and you are back to deuce.
That is why some games can last for 20 minutes.
Layer 2: Games
A set is won by the first player to win six games, with a lead of at least two. So 6-4 ends a set, but 6-5 does not. At 6-5, the leader can win 7-5, or the trailer can level at 6-6.
The Tiebreak
At 6-6, most sets are decided by a tiebreak:
- Players count points normally: 1, 2, 3 and so on.
- The first to 7 points with a two point lead wins the set 7-6.
- Serve alternates every two points, after the first point.
Final Set Tiebreaks at the Majors
Since 2022, all four Grand Slams use the same rule for the deciding set: at 6-6, players play a first-to-10 tiebreak, still win by two. The marathon final sets of the past, which sometimes ran past 20-18, are gone.
Layer 3: Matches
- Best of three sets is standard on the pro tours and for women at the majors.
- Best of five sets is used for men's singles at the Grand Slams.
Doubles Twists
On the ATP and WTA tours, doubles often uses no-ad scoring (at deuce, one deciding point wins the game) and a match tiebreak to 10 instead of a full third set. It keeps matches quick and exciting.
Ready for the big stage? Read our guide to the four Grand Slams.
Background from Wikipedia
Tennis scoring system
The tennis scoring system is a standard widespread method for scoring tennis matches, including pick-up games. Some tennis matches are played as part of a tournament, which may have various categories, such as singles and doubles. The great majority are organised as a single-elimination tournament, with competitors being eliminated after a single loss, and the overall winner being the last competitor without a loss. Optimally, such tournaments have a number of competitors equal to a power of two in order to fully fill out a single elimination bracket.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is zero called love in tennis?
Nobody knows for sure. The most popular theory is that it comes from the French word for egg, l'oeuf, because a zero looks like an egg, but historians debate it.
What happens at 6-6 in a tennis set?
In most sets a tiebreak is played at 6-6. The first player to reach 7 points with a two point lead wins the set 7-6.
How does the final set tiebreak work at Grand Slams?
At all four Grand Slams, a final set that reaches 6-6 is decided by a tiebreak played to 10 points, win by two.
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