Tennis scoring might seem confusing at first, but once you understand how it works, it becomes much easier to follow the game. According to Fettle and Sports, tennis has three layers of scoring: points, games, and sets. Each level builds on the one before it, creating an interesting system that has been used for hundreds of years. Let’s break down each part so you can understand exactly what is happening during a tennis match.
Points – The First Layer of Scoring
How Points Are Counted in a Game?
The first and smallest level of tennis scoring is the point. According to ON.com, tennis points are scored in a unique way that is different from most other sports. Instead of counting 1, 2, 3, 4, the points go 0 (called “Love”), 15, 30, 40, and then “Game”.
A player must win at least four points to win a game. However, there is an important rule: they must win by at least two points. This means that if the score reaches 40-40, the game does not end quickly. Instead, something special happens called a “deuce.”
What Happens at Deuce?
According to UTR Sports, when both players reach 40 points each (which is called “40-all”), the score is called “deuce.” From deuce, a player must win two consecutive points to win the game.
The first point won after deuce is called “advantage.” If the server wins the deuce point, it is called “advantage-in.” If the receiver wins the deuce point, it is called “advantage-out.” If the player with advantage wins the next point, they win the game. However, if the other player scores, the score goes back to deuce again.
Why Is Tennis Scored 15, 30, 40?
Many people wonder why tennis uses 15, 30, 40 instead of 1, 2, 3, 4. According to Baseline Tennis, there are two main theories about this strange scoring system. The first theory says that tennis scoring comes from a clock face. Players would move around a quarter of the clock for each point. The first point was at 15 minutes, the second at 30 minutes, and the third at 45 minutes.
However, according to Gym Aesthetics, the 45 was changed to 40 because when both players reached 40 points (40-40, called deuce), the next point would move to 50, and then 60 if they won again. This way, the game could be played on a clock face with 60 being the end of the game.
According to UTR Sports, another reason for 15, 30, 40 is pronunciation. In English, “forty” has fewer syllables than “forty-five,” making it easier and faster to call out the score during a match.
Games – The Second Layer of Scoring
How Many Games Make a Set?
Once you win a game, it is time to think about winning games to make a set. According to Wikipedia, a set consists of a number of games. A player needs to win at least six games to win a set. However, just like with points, the player must win by at least two games.
This means that a set cannot end 6-5. It must end 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1, 6-0, 7-5, or other scores where the winner leads by at least two games.
What Happens When the Score Reaches 6-6?
According to Serve and Volley Tennis, when both players win six games each (6-6), a special game called a “tiebreak” is played. The tiebreak is a short game played to decide who wins the set without having to keep playing games forever.
Tiebreaks – Deciding the Set
How Regular Tiebreaks Work?
According to Serve and Volley Tennis, a regular tiebreak is played to 7 points. The first player to reach 7 points, with a lead of at least 2 points, wins the tiebreak and wins the set.
In a tiebreak, the points are counted differently than in regular games. Instead of 15, 30, 40, the points are counted as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and so on.
The Special 10-Point Tiebreak in Grand Slams
According to Sporting News, starting in 2022, a big change was made at the Grand Slam tournaments. All four Grand Slams (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open) adopted a new rule: in the final set, if the score reaches 6-6, a special 10-point tiebreak is played instead of a regular 7-point tiebreak.
According to The Racket Xpert, in this 10-point tiebreak, the first player to reach 10 points with a 2-point lead wins the match. This rule was created to avoid extremely long matches and to make sure matches end at a reasonable time.
Sets – The Third Layer of Scoring
Winning a Match Through Sets
According to ON.com, matches are typically played in either best-of-three sets or best-of-five sets.
In a best-of-three match, a player must win 2 sets to win the match. In a best-of-five match, a player must win 3 sets to win the match. According to Wikipedia, the best-of-five format is usually only used in men’s singles matches at Grand Slam tournaments.
Social Media Reactions to Tennis Scoring
Why Do People Find Tennis Scoring Confusing?
On Reddit’s No Stupid Questions forum, many people asked why tennis scoring is so confusing. One Reddit user shared, “I dunno, I hear plenty of people say ‘five’ instead of ‘fifteen.’ Or ‘three’ instead of ‘thirty.’ Like 30-15 is called ‘three-five.'”
Another Reddit user explained that in amateur circles, the score sometimes gets shortened even more. They said, “It gets even worse in some amateur circles. I regularly hear 15 being shortened to 5, 30 to 3, and 40 to 4. Which means that as you win points, you score audibly goes love, 5, 3, 4. So you will often hear a score of 5-4 called, which actually means that the person who seems to be up by 1 is actually down by 2 points.”
Should Tennis Change Its Scoring System?
According to Reddit r/tennis, famous tennis player Billie Jean King suggested that the tennis scoring system should be changed to make it simpler for new fans.
However, many tennis fans disagree. One Reddit user said, “Yeah I get that they want to grow the sport but how about we don’t make giant changes for people who are not even interested in the sport and might never be. Also the way scoring works is not that complicated. It takes like 3 minutes to learn.”
Another fan shared, “The scoring system certainly heightens the excitement. If we switched to a format like first to 21 points, it would likely allow one player to dominate, leading to a potentially dull experience.”
Facebook Fans Discuss Scoring History
On Facebook, BBC Sport posted about the scoring system’s history. Many fans commented that they always wondered why it was 40 instead of 45. One commenter said, “So if you have played a quarter per Crown, you have the scoring system. It was always 45. Laziness made it 40.”
A Quick Summary of the Three Levels
Putting It All Together
According to Tennis 360, here is how the three levels work together:
- Points – Players score 0 (Love), 15, 30, 40, Game. First to 4 points wins, but must win by 2.
- Games – Players need to win at least 6 games to win a set, but must win by 2 games.
- Sets – In best-of-three matches, first to 2 sets wins. In best-of-five matches, first to 3 sets wins.
When the set score reaches 6-6, a tiebreak is played to decide the winner. In Grand Slam final sets, a 10-point tiebreak decides the match.
Why Understanding Tennis Scoring Matters?
According to ON.com, once you understand the scoring system, watching tennis becomes much more enjoyable. You can follow the drama of a tight match, understand why a player is excited after winning an important point, and appreciate the strategy of the game.
Tennis scoring might seem strange at first, but it is actually a clever system that has been refined over hundreds of years. Learning how it works is easy, and soon you will be calling out scores like a real tennis fan!
