How to Read Tennis Scores?

Whether you’re a tennis fan or just getting started following the sport, understanding how to read tennis scores is a must. By learning a few simple rules, you’ll be able to follow along with any match.

Tennis Basics

A tennis match is played between two players (singles) or two teams of two players (doubles). The aim of the game is to hit the ball over the net into the opponent’s court, and to stop the opponent from doing the same. A game is won by the first player or team to score four points.

Know the scoring system

Tennis is an exciting sport that can be enjoyed by players of all levels. One of the first things you need to understand if you’re new to the game is how scoring works.

Scoring in tennis A point in tennis is called a “game.” A game consists of four “points,” which are also called “aces.” The first player to win four points wins the game. If the score reaches three points all (3-all), then the score is said to be “deuce,” and the next player to win a point wins the game.

The first player to win six games wins a “set.” A player must win by two games in order to win a set; for example, a player cannot win a set by a score of 6-5 but must instead win by a score of 7-5 or better. The first player to win two sets wins the match. If the score reaches one set all (1-all), then there is a “tiebreaker” played in order to determine who will win the set; the tiebreaker is simply won by whoever scores seven points first, provided that they also have a two-point lead (for example, if the score in the tiebreaker reaches 6-6, then it keeps going until one player has scored eight points and their opponent has only scored six).

Now that you understand how scoring works in tennis, you can start following matches and keeping track of who’s winning and losing!

Know the court

Tennis is played on a rectangular court. The court is divided in half by a net. There are singles and doubles matches. A singles match is between two people, and a doubles match is between two teams of two people each.

The game starts with a player serving the ball from behind the baseline, into the other player’s (or team’s) side of the court. The aim is to hit the ball over the net so that it bounces in the other player’s (or team’s) Court, and they are not able to return it. Players can hit the ball anywhere on their Court except inside the ‘alley’, which is a narrow strip running along each side of the Court.

Know the players

In tennis, there are two players on each side of the net. One player is designated as the server, and the opposing player is the receiver. The server begins each point by standing behind the baseline in the direction of her service box, which is located on her right side if she is right handed. The receiver begins each point by standing in one of the service boxes located on either side of and behind the net.

How to Read Tennis Scores

When you are watching a tennis match on television, in person, or following along online, it is important to be able to read and understand the score. The score tells you not only who is winning the game, but also how close the game is. This can be very helpful in understand the importance of each point. Here is a quick guide on how to read tennis scores.

Scoreboard

Tennis is a sport that is played by two players (singles) or four players (doubles). The object of the game is to hit the tennis ball over the net into your opponent’s court in such a way that they are unable to hit it back. Players score points every time they win a rally. The first player to reach four points wins the game. If the score becomes 3-3, then the player who wins the next point is said to have won the “deuce” and will have the advantage of serving for two consecutive points. If they win those two points, they win the game. If their opponent wins either of those points, then the score becomes deuce again.

The scoring system can be confusing for those who are not familiar with it, but once you understand it, it is quite simple. The scoring system goes like this: 0-0 (love-love), 1-0 (15-love), 2-0 (30-love), 3-0 (40-love), 4-0 (game). When one player has won four points and their opponent has won zero points, that player wins the game and the score is said to be “love” or zero. If one player has won three points and their opponent has won zero points, that player has a “three love” lead and may be said to be leading “three zip” or “three nil”. The next point scored will determine whether that player wins the game or whether their opponent comes back to take the lead.

1-1 (15-15), 2-1 (30-15), 3-1 (40-15), 4-1 (game)
2-2 (30-30), 3-2 (40*30), 4*2 Game

Game

In tennis, the winner of a game is the first player to score four points in that game, with a minimum margin of two points. The game score is written as the number of the game being played, followed by a hyphen, and then the number of points each player has scored so far in that game. For example, if the score in a tennis match is 3–2 (that is, three games to two for one of the players), this means that one player has won three games so far and another has won two games.

If both players have won three games each, the score would be “3-all” or “three all”. When one player leads by two or more games and therefore wins the match, this is written as “player 1 wins 6-4” or “player 1 wins six four”.

Set

In tennis, the objective is to win a best of three or five sets match by scoring more games than your opponent.

A player wins a game by winning four points. These points are denominated as 15, 30, 40, and game, in that order. When both players have scored three points (40-40), the next point is called deuce. If the player who scores deuce wins the next point, he or she is said to have won “the advantage”. If the player who loses the point regainsthe advantage by winning another point, it becomes “advantage in”. Once one player has gained the advantage twice in a row (that is to say they’ve won six consecutive points), they may then win the set by scoring a seventh consecutive point. If he or she only scores five consecutive points instead of six, then it reverts back to deuce and they must try again to gain two consecutive points.

If one player has won six games and the other five, that player wins the set 7-5. If one player has won six games and the other has only won four, that player wins 6-4 and so forth. If both players have won six games each and one of them then wins two more in a row (for example 6-6, 7-6 or 7-6, 8-6), that player wins what is known as a “tiebreaker” and thus wins the set 7-6 or 8-6 respectively.

Match

In tennis, the word “match” can refer to either a single contest between two players or a best-of series of matches between two players. In the case of the latter, the player who wins the most individual matches within the predetermined number of total matches (usually best-of-three or best-of-five) is declared the winner of the series. When scoring a tennis match, scorekeepers use a system of numbers and abbreviations to keep track of which player is winning and by how much. If you’re new to tennis, or if you want to brush up on your understanding of how to read tennis scores, this article can help.

Tennis Scoring

tennis is a game played between two people in which players use a racquet to hit a ball back and forth over a net. The game is played on a court, and the person who scores the most points wins the match. In tennis, points are scored by rallying the ball back and forth until one player is not able to return the ball, or the ball goes out of bounds.

Love

Love – zero points. This is the start score in every game. You’ll also find “love” in the situation where one player has won four points in a row and so has a clean sweep of the game so far.

15

When one player reaches four points, that player wins the game. If the score gets to deuce, the next point for either player will win the game. Deuce happens when both players have scored three points each. The player who scores the next point after deuce will win the game.

30

In tennis, a player scores a point by winning a rally (the exchange of shots) with the opponent. The player who wins the most rallies in a set is the set winner. A player wins a match by winning the required number of sets.

Points are awarded as follows:

If the serving player wins the rally, he or she scores a point and continues to serve. This is called a service winner.

If the receiving player wins the rally, he or she scores a point and becomes the server for the next rally. This is called an ace.

If both players hit shots that land inside the baseline but also inside of each other’s service boxes (this is called a let), then no point will be awarded and both players will continue to serve.

If either player hits a shot that lands outside of the baseline or service box, then that player loses the point. This is called a double-fault.

40

In tennis, a player scores points by winning rallies (sequences of hitting the ball back and forth), and the first player to reach a certain number of points wins the game. The basic sequence goes like this:

0 -> 15 -> 30 -> 40

At 0-0 (deuce), the next point scored will give one player a 40-love lead. If the score is tied at 40-40 (deuce), the next point scored will give one player a advantage. The first player to score two points in a row after deuce wins the game.

Deuce

Deuce is the term used to describe the score when both players have scored three points each. In other words, the score is tied at 3-3, 4-4, or 5-5. The next point scored by either player will be a ‘advantage’, as this will put them one point ahead of their opponent. If the player who scores the advantage point goes on to win the next point as well, then they have won the game. If, however, their opponent scores the next point instead, then the score returns to deuce and another advantage point must be scored before either player can win the game.

Advantage

Advantage is the name given to the next score when the game score is 40–40 (deuce). If the player who has advantage wins the next point, then they win the game. If they lose the next point, then it goes back to deuce.

Game, Set, Match

In tennis, a game consists of a sequence of points played with the same player serving. A game is won by the first player to have won four points in total and at least two more points than the opponent. The running score of each game is described as “0-0”, “15-0”, “30-0”, and “40-0” called “love” (meaning zero), where the zero signifies that the server has not yet scored any points. If at any time both players have won three points, the score is “deuce”, irrespective of who served. If at that point, both players have won three consecutive points since last deuce, one player serves double fault and loses game. To win a set, a player must win at least six games and at least two more games than the opponent.