Tennis Scoring
Also known as: how tennis scoring works, tennis scoring system, keeping score in tennis, love 15 30 40, 15-30-40, game set and match, tennis score
Points in a tennis game go love (zero), 15, 30, 40, then game, and the server's score is called first. At 40-40, called deuce, a player must win two points in a row to take the game. The first to six games wins the set by two, usually with a tiebreak at 6-6, and matches are best of three or five sets.
Within a game, the points are called love, 15, 30 and 40. A player who wins a fourth point wins the game, unless both sides have reached 40. At 40-40 the score is deuce. Winning the next point gives that player advantage, and winning the point after it wins the game. Losing the advantage point sends the score back to deuce. The server's score is always called first. A score of 30-15 means the server leads.
Games add up to sets. Under ITF Rule 6, the first player or team to win six games wins the set, as long as they lead by two games. In a tiebreak set, a tiebreak game is played at six games all, and its winner takes the set 7-6. In an advantage set there is no tiebreak. Play goes on until one side leads by two games. Under Rule 7, a match is the best of three sets or the best of five sets.
The rules also approve shorter formats. No-ad scoring plays one deciding point at deuce. Some events replace the deciding set with a 10-point match tiebreak. Players change ends after the first, third and every later odd game of each set. In matches without officials, The Code asks the server to announce the game score before each game and the point score before each point. The origin of 15, 30 and 40 is not known for certain.
Tips by skill level
Say the score out loud before every point you serve, with your own score first. It keeps both players in step and builds the habit The Code expects.
Know which points carry the most weight. A point at 30-40 can decide a game, while a point at 40-0 rarely does. Save your most reliable patterns for those moments.
Example
The server wins the first point (15-love), loses the next two (15-30), then wins three in a row: 30-30, 40-30, game. She now leads the set 3-2 and will receive in the next game.
Why it matters
You cannot follow a match, call the score or plan a tiebreak without knowing how points, games and sets fit together. Calling the score out loud also heads off many disputes in self-officiated play.
Common mistakes
- Calling the receiver's score first. The server's score is always said first.
- Treating 6-5 as a finished set. A set must be won by two games or decided by a tiebreak.
- Saying zero in a standard game. Zero is called love, and plain numbers are used only in a tiebreak.
- Not announcing the score in a self-officiated match and arguing about it later
Frequently asked questions
How does tennis scoring work?
Points go love, 15, 30, 40, then game, with deuce at 40-40. Six games wins a set by a two-game margin, with a tiebreak at 6-6 in a tiebreak set. Matches are best of three or five sets.
Why is tennis scored 15, 30, 40?
No one knows for certain. A popular story links the numbers to the quarters of a clock face, but there is no firm historical record. The rules simply define the calls as love, 15, 30 and 40.
What does love mean in tennis?
Love means zero in a standard game. A score of 15-love means the server has won one point and the receiver none. In a tiebreak, points are called zero, 1, 2 and so on instead.
How many sets are in a tennis match?
A match is played as the best of three sets, first to two, or the best of five sets, first to three (ITF Rule 7). Some formats replace the deciding set with a 10-point match tiebreak.
Sources
Related terms
- Deuce and AdvantageDeuce is a tied score of 40-40 in a game. From there, a player must win two points in a row: the first for advantage, the second for the game.
- Tiebreak (7-Point)A standard tiebreak decides a set at 6-6, and the first player to seven points wins, as long as they lead by two. The player due to serve takes the first point, then each side serves two points in a row. Players change ends after every six points, and the winner takes the set 7-6.
- No-Ad Scoring (Deciding Point)No-ad scoring replaces deuce and advantage with a single deciding point at 40-40. So the next point played wins the game outright.
- Match Tiebreak (10-Point)A match tiebreak (or "super tiebreak") is a first-to-10-points breaker, won by two clear points. It is played instead of a full third set in many doubles and some singles formats.
- Break PointA break point is any point where the returning player, if they win it, would take the game away from the server. Winning it "breaks" the server's serve.
- AceAn ace is a legal serve the receiver fails to touch with the racquet, winning the point outright. The headword "ace" is used as-is across languages.
Related guides & benchmarks
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