Q&A for How to Keep Score for Tennis

Return to Full Article

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    What are the origins of the scoring system in tennis?
    Peter Fryer
    Tennis Coach
    Peter Fryer is a Tennis Instructor based in Derry, Northern Ireland. He works as both a tennis writer and a coach. He completed his professional tennis teaching qualification shortly after finishing university and has been teaching the sport for over 13 years. Peter began the Love Tennis Blog in 2010, and is a contributing writer for the BBC and a variety of other national media outlets.
    Tennis Coach
    Expert Answer
    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.
  • Question
    Who gets a point if I serve and the opponent misses?
    Community Answer
    If your serve is in and the opponent does not return the ball, it is your point.
  • Question
    Can a player score when her opponent serves?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Yes. Either player can win any point, regardless of who serves.
  • Question
    How is a doubles court different from a singles court?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    A doubles court is wider (but not longer) than a singles court in order to accommodate two players on each side.
  • Question
    Can I win a tennis match in two sets?
    Community Answer
    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.
  • Question
    How do you score tie breakers?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    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.
  • Question
    What does break point mean?
    Community Answer
    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."
  • Question
    What is the proper wordage for four points in tennis?
    Community Answer
    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.
  • Question
    Do we need to play six games for a set?
    Community Answer
    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.)
  • Question
    What is the shortest possible match?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    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.
  • Question
    Can an outsider keep score?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Yes, if both players agree to that. Normally the server keeps score.
  • Question
    Do the men play the best of five sets?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Yes, men's matches often feature the best-of-five format.
  • Question
    What does the bracket mean in this written score: 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-7(4),6-4?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    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.
  • Question
    I did not read anywhere how you actually get a point. How is the score kept? I may have missed it somewhere.
    Community Answer
    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").
  • Question
    What does tennis mean?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    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."
  • Question
    How many serves does a player get each time?
    Community Answer
    If they serve and it doesn't go in the service box, that is a fault. Each player gets 2 faults.
  • Question
    Why would each player have a zero on the scoreboard for a set?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    That is the score of a set that has just begun, neither player having yet won a game in that set.
  • Question
    When an umpire or referee wants to announce the number of games that players have won, what is the order, if there is any? (For example, 4-0 versus 0-4.)
    Community Answer
    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.
  • Question
    What is a winning serve called?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    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.
  • Question
    How do I know which side of the court the players should be on as indicated by the score?
    Community Answer
    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.
  • Question
    If the score changes from 40-15 to 40-30, is it incorrect to call the score as "advantage in," considering deuce was never reached?
    Community Answer
    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.
  • Question
    When is the score to be announced as game play continues?
    Community Answer
    The score is supposed to be said by the server before each serve.
  • Question
    Why do players serve "41" sometimes?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    "41" may be a quick way of saying "40-15."
  • Question
    In a set, is it best out of six games or first to six games?
    Community Answer
    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.
  • Question
    What do we do if we're tied?
    Community Answer
    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.
  • Question
    If I am not serving, and I am asked the score, do I say my score first or the server's score first?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    The server's score is always mentioned first, no matter who is speaking.
  • Question
    The first score in tennis is called what?
    Patrick Moore
    Community Answer
    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.
  • Question
    Is it out if the ball goes in between the two lines in a singles game?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    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.
  • Question
    If I serve and the ball is out, is there a point scored?
    Community Answer
    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.
  • Question
    How many bad serves does a player get?
    Community Answer
    In tennis, you get two shots at a serve. If you mess up both times, the other player gets a point.
Ask a Question

      Return to Full Article