No-Ad Scoring (Deciding Point)

Under traditional scoring, a game tied at 40-40 goes to deuce, requiring a player to win two points in a row (advantage, then game) to close it out, which can extend a single game considerably if players keep trading the advantage. No-ad scoring removes that extension entirely: at 40-40, one deciding point is played, and whoever wins it wins the game — no advantage, no requirement to win by two. This format is common in college tennis, many club and league formats, and doubles play in several tours, largely because it keeps match length more predictable.

The deciding point under no-ad scoring typically gives the returning team or player a choice of which side (deuce or ad court) to receive serve from, adding a small tactical wrinkle not present in traditional scoring. Because the entire game can hinge on a single point rather than a multi-point deuce battle, no-ad scoring tends to reward players who perform well under isolated high-pressure points, and can slightly favor big servers since there's no cumulative grinding-down effect across repeated deuce points.