How to Keep Score For Tennis?

Use this tennis scoring system the next time you play tennis. It’s easy to keep score for tennis using this guide.

Introduction

In tennis, a player scores points by winning rallies (sequences of consecutive strokes won by a player or team). The winner of a rally is the player who hits the ball last after the other player(s) have failed to return it. points are awarded as follows:

If the rally is won by the server, he gets one point. This is called a “serve point.”
If the rally is won by the receiver, he gets two points. This is called a “receive point.”
If the service is “broken,” that is, if the receiver wins a rally starting with the other player’s serve, then he gets one point. This is also called a “receive point.”

The first player to reach four points in a game wins that game. If both players reach four points, then whichever player leads by two points wins that game. If the score reaches three games all, then whichever player leads by two games wins that set. A match consists of the best out of three sets.

The Basics of Tennis Scoring

Tennis is a racket sport that can be played by either two players (‘singles’) or four players (‘doubles’). It is played on a rectangular court with a net stretched across the centre. The main aim of the game is to hit the ball over the net into your opponent’s half of the court. The first player to score four points wins the game.

Love

Love – Zero – is probably the most misunderstood score in tennis. Many players think love means “free points.” Actually, love has nothing to do with the point being free. Love simply means zero points. It’s the starting score in every tennis game, and it comes from the French word l’oeuf, meaning “egg,” which is also a zero.

15

In tennis, a game is won by the first player to score 4 points (referred to as a “game”), with each point value corresponding to a specific score. The first player to win 6 games wins the set. A match is usually best out of 3 sets, except for Grand Slam tournaments which are best out of 5 sets for men and best out of 3 sets for women. Sets are won by the first player to win 6 games, with a tiebreaker used if the score reaches 6-6. In a tiebreaker, the first player to reach 7 points wins the set.

30

In tennis, a player scores a point by winning a rally (asequential exchange of the ball) against their opponent. Points are usually scored in this way: The first player to score is said to have won “one point”, while the opponent has lost “zero points”. If the score is tied at “30 all”, then each player has won three points. The first player to win four points wins the game. If the score reaches “40-40” (called “deuce”), then one more point must be played. This is called advantage; whoever wins this point wins the game, unless their opponent immediately scores another point to take it back to deuce again.

40

40 is the number of points needed to win a game. If the score reaches 40-40 (called “deuce”), then the next player to win a point wins the game. If one player has a two-point lead at any time during the game, that player has “advantage” and will win the game if they win the next point. If the score reaches advantage-deuce, then whoever wins the next point wins thegame.

Deuce

If the score reaches deuce, that is, when both sides have won three points each, then the winner of the next point will take the lead in the game. If one side takes a four-point lead, that side will win the game. If both sides reach six points each, then a tie-breaker will be played to determine the winner of the game.

Advantage

Advantage is the name given to a score of 40–0, 40–15, or 40–30 in a tennis match when the loser of the previous point has two consecutive chances to win the next point. When one player or team reaches advantage, that player or team can choose to serve next. If they lose the next point, they go back to 40–40 (deuce).

Winning the Game

In tennis, the player who wins the most games wins the set. Most matches are played as best of three sets or best of five sets. To win a set, a player must win at least six games and be two games ahead of the opponent. If the score reaches six games all, then a player must win by a margin of two games. The player who wins the most sets wins the match.

First to Four Games

The game of tennis is usually played with two people, but it can be played with four people as well. The object of the game is to hit the ball over the net into your opponent’s court and to make it bounce before your opponent can hit it back. If your opponent hits the ball before it bounces, you get a point. The first player to get four points wins the game.

There are different ways to keep score in tennis. One way is called “first to four games.” This means that the first player to win four games wins the match. A game is won when a player has scored at least four points and has two more points than his or her opponent. For example, if you are playing a match to four games and you have won three games, you only need one more game to win the match. However, if your opponent has won two games, he or she would need to win two more games to win the match.

Another way to keep score in tennis is by counting how many points each player has scored. This is called “point-a-game.” In this method, there are no games; instead, players simply keep track of how many points they have scored. The first player to reach 40 points (or any other number that has been agreed upon) wins the match.

First to Seven Games (Set)

The game of tennis begins with a player serving the ball from behind the baseline on one side of the net to the opponent who is standing in the diagonally opposite service court. The score is then kept throughout the tennis match, with games going to one player when that player has won four points. Games are won by either making your opponent miss the ball completely (fault), or forcing them to hit it so out-of-bounds that it does not bounce within the boundaries of the service court (fault). If both opponents win three points each, then the score is said to be “deuce” and another point must be played in order for one player to win that game. When one player is ahead by two points in a game, that player is said to have “advantage.” If an advantage point is not immediately won by that player, then it goes back to deuce and another point must be played. The first player or team to reach four games (set) wins that set; however, if both opponents should win three games each, then the set score would be 6-6, meaning that a tiebreaker game must be played in order for one player or team to reach seven games and win that set.

Two out of Three Sets

The most common way to score tennis is by using the two out of three sets rule. This means that the first player to win two sets (and be ahead by at least two games in the third set) is the winner of the match. If both players win a set each, then they play a third and final set. The player who wins this set is declared the winner of the match.

First to Ten Games (Pro Set)

Pro sets are played just like regular sets, except that the first player to win ten games wins the set (it doesn’t matter by how many games). If the score reaches 8-8, a tiebreaker is played to determine who wins the set. The same rules for regular games and regular sets apply in pro sets (e.g., players must win by two games at 6-6). A player must win a pro set by at least two games.

The Tiebreaker

When the score reaches 6 games all, a tie-break is played in order to determine the winner. The tie-break is won by the player or pair who first scores seven points with a margin of two clear points. If the score becomes 6-6, 12-12 etc., then a special point known as a ‘set point’ is played. The winner of this point wins the tiebreak and consequently the set. If the score in the tiebreaker reaches 6-6, then players must continue to play until one player/pair leads by two clear points – e.g. 8-6, 9-7, 10-8 etc. The service changes after every four points are played (including set point), i.e. at 4 points all, 8 points all and so on.

Conclusion

While the scoring system for tennis is simple, it can be confusing for new players. The best way to understand how to keep score is to practice with a friend or family member. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to keep score like a pro!