Q&A for How to Keep Score for Tennis

The origins of the scoring system are said to come from France. The French used the face of a clock to keep score, which is where 15, 30, and 40 comes from. 45 was dropped because it was too much of a mouthful during a game. L’oeuf, meaning the egg, was used for 0, which is where we get ‘love’ from.

If your serve is in and the opponent does not return the ball, it is your point.

Yes. Either player can win any point, regardless of who serves.

A doubles court is wider (but not longer) than a singles court in order to accommodate two players on each side.

Yes, you may win a match in two sets if it's a "best of three" match. Other matches are "best of five," meaning the winner must win three sets.

The first player (or team) to win seven points and have a lead of at least two points is the winner of a tie-breaker. Tie-breakers do not use the usual form of tennis scoring. They use the regular numbers, 1, 2, 3, etc. (one for each point). One side can win a tie-breaker with a score of 7-0, 7-1, 7-2, etc. If the score is 7-6, however, the game is not over, and they continue to play until one side has two more points than the other side.

To "break serve" means that the non-serving player wins a game against the server. A "break point" occurs when the non-serving player is in a position to win a game by winning the next point. Break-point score examples (server score - non-server score): 0-40 (3 break points) 15-40 (2 break points) 30-40 (1 break point), and Ad Out (1 break point). In all of these examples, if the non-serving player wins the next point, they win the game and "break serve."

There is no specific term denoting a fourth point in a regular tennis game. The usual scoring system in tennis starts with "love" or zero. The first point is called "15." The second point is called "30." The third point is called "40." The next (or fourth) point does not have a name! If one player scores a fourth point before the opponent scores three points, the game is over, and there is actually no score attached to the victory. If the players end up tied 40-40, it's called a deuce and they continue playing, but there is still no name attached to the score of four points itself.

A set consists of at least six games. In order to win a set, a player must win at least six games and must win at least two games more than the opponent. Thus, a winning score might be 6-0, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, or 6-4. If the score is 6-5, the opponents must continue to play until one player has won two games more than the opponent. A set could last for 20 or more games. (More recently they've instituted the "tie-breaker" to avoid really long sets.)

It would be a match in which one of the players won every point: 4 points to win a game, 6 games to win a set, and 2 sets to win the match. That means a player could win a match with as few as 48 points, and if the opponent won no points at all, that would be the shortest match possible.

Yes, if both players agree to that. Normally the server keeps score.

Yes, men's matches often feature the best-of-five format.

This is an abbreviated way to show the score of a tiebreaker game. The number in the parentheses is the number of points the losing player scored in a tiebreaker. The tiebreak winner will score at least seven points and at least two points more than the loser. If the winner scores seven points, the loser will have scored five or fewer points. If the loser's score is higher than five, the winner's score would be two points more than the loser's score.

Getting a point requires the ball to land in court boundaries and bounce twice without the opponent(s) returning it over the net. Completing this objective gives you a point. The score is listed as 15, 30, and 40. If both sides reach 40, it is called a deuce. When entering a deuce you must win by two. If a side gets a point ahead, it is called an "advantage" (ex: "Advantage Left Team").

The derivation of the word is not clear, but according to Wikipedia some believe the word evolved from an old Anglo-Norman term ("tenez") meaning "receive."

If they serve and it doesn't go in the service box, that is a fault. Each player gets 2 faults.

That is the score of a set that has just begun, neither player having yet won a game in that set.

The score of the one who is currently serving (or who has possession of a ball, or is up to bat) is always told first, even for the game score and the set score.

A winning serve has no particular name. An "ace" is a legal serve which the receiver is unable to touch, resulting in a point for the server.

If the score adds up to be odd, then you should be on the Ad Court. If the score adds up to be even, you should be on the Deuce Court.

It is incorrect to call the score as "advantage in" if the score changes in that way. The point when you say "advantage in" is when you have won the point after deuce.

The score is supposed to be said by the server before each serve.

"41" may be a quick way of saying "40-15."

A set is won by the player who first wins six games in the set, as long as that player has won at least two games more than the opponent. If the opponent has won five or more games, they continue to play until one player has won two games more than the opponent.

If each player has won four points in a game (a score called "deuce"), they continue to play until one player has a lead of two points, at which time that player wins the game.

The server's score is always mentioned first, no matter who is speaking.

It's called 15 love. Then 30. Then 40. If you are both at 40 then you have to score twice. Your first score is called the advantage. Then if the other person scores they take your advantage away. Then they must score twice. This is how tennis can take forever.

Yes. The outside line in a singles match is the line closer to the middle of the court. The farther line is the outside line for doubles.

If that was the first serve, you can have another go at serving (the second serve). If that was the second serve, your opponent gets the point. This is known as a double fault.

In tennis, you get two shots at a serve. If you mess up both times, the other player gets a point.