Tennis Point Rules

Scoring in tennis is more complicated than in most other sports. A player wins points, but those points mean nothing until they are grouped into games, sets and matches.

  1. Love, Points and Games

    • "Love" is the term for zero. Each game begins with the score "Love-Love," also called "Love-All." A game ends when a player scores four points, which are scored as 15, 30, 40 and Game, and the player has won by at least two points.

    Deuce

    • The term "deuce" describes the game when the players are tied at 40-40. The game does not end until a player wins by two points. The first point scored after deuce is called the "advantage." If the player with the advantage scores the next point, he wins the game. If the opponent scores the next point, the game returns to deuce.

    Sets and Matches

    • The player who wins six games by a margin of two games wins the set. The match is won when a player wins two sets (in a best-of-three) or three sets (in a best-of-five).

    Tiebreakers

    • When a set reaches 6-6, a tiebreaker is enforced. To win a tiebreaker, a player must win seven points by a margin of two. The winner of the tiebreaker is the winner of the set, and the set is scored as 7-6.

    Playing Out the Match

    • Some tournaments do not use tiebreakers in the final set (third in a best-of-three, fifth in a best-of-five). Thus, the players must "play out" the match, meaning they must continue to play games until a player wins at least six games by a margin of two games. In such a case, a match has the potential to run five or six hours.