You don’t need to be a tennis expert to know it’s a thrilling game to watch. But with Wimbledon underway and some seriously talented players lined up, it’s not always easy to keep score. Each serve sparks a new wave of anticipation, and the matches move quickly. If you’re too busy trying to figure out who’s winning, you might just miss out on all the excitement. To make it easier (and help you stay in the moment), we put together a quick primer on how to keep score in tennis.
The scoring system in tennis has its own vocabulary, including words like love, deuce, and advantage. The rules can also change depending on the event (so if you’re planning on watching Wimbledon, now’s a great time to read up). But don’t feel overwhelmed — scoring in tennis can seem complicated at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll feel like a seasoned fan. Ahead, we’ll explain how tennis scoring works, how to win in tennis, and what to know about specific tournament rules. Whether you’re still learning, or just in need of a refresh, you’ll soon be a pro in your own right.
How to Keep Score in Tennis
Let’s start with the basics. Each tennis match is made up of two to three sets. To win a set, you must win at least six games. The games are scored starting at “love” (or zero) and go up to 40 (which is actually just four points). From love, the first point is 15, then 30, then 40, then game point, which wins the game. Now, let’s get into the details.
Starting the Game
To determine who serves first, you flip a coin or (more likely) spin a racket. Whoever wins gets to decide one of four things: that they want to serve first, that they want to receive first, which side of the court they want to start on (in which case, the opponent chooses who serves first), or that they want to leave these choices up to their opponent.
Whoever starts serving continues to serve until that game is over. Then the serve moves to the other player. You serve from behind the baseline, starting on the right-hand side of the court, anywhere between the singles sideline and the center mark on the court.
Scoring the Game
Before serving, the player should announce the score, starting with their own. For example, if you had zero points and your opponent had 30, you would say “love-30.” Players get two tries for every serve. The serve must go over the net, land in your opponent’s “service box,” and bounce once before your opponent returns it. If the ball doesn’t land in the service box, you can take a second serve — but if that second serve also misses, then you lose the point.
If your serve grazes the net but still lands in the service box, the serve doesn’t count, and you must take that serve over. This is called a “let.” If your serve goes in and the opponent returns it, you continue hitting back and forth until someone hits the ball into the net, hits it out of bounds, or misses a shot. If that person is you, then your opponent gets a point. If it’s your opponent who hits the ball into the net/hits it out of bounds/misses a shot, then you get the point.
Whoever is serving continues serving until the score reaches 40, calling out the score before every serve. If the score is tied at 40 (“40-all”), that is called a “deuce,” which is essentially another word for tie. To break the tie, someone must win two points in a row. If you are serving at deuce and you win the next point, then you say “my ad,” which means “my advantage.” If your opponent wins, it goes back to deuce, and someone again must win by two points in a row. Once the game is over, the other person serves. After odd-numbered games (so after game one, game three, game five) you switch sides on the court.
Scoring a Set
The first player to win six games wins the set. However, as with “deuce,” you must win a set by at least two games. So, if the score is 6-5, play will continue. If the score ties at 6-6, you typically play a tiebreaker. (But some tournaments have slightly different rules for how to handle a tie.)
Scoring the Match
The whole shebang is called a match. The match is usually determined by the best two out of three sets (although some are best out of five). So if you won two sets (aka twelve games), you’d win the match. But if you and your opponent each won a set, then you’d play a third set to determine the winner.
Tournament-Specific Rules
Women’s singles and men’s and women’s doubles matches at the US Open are all played in a best-of-three-sets format; men’s singles is played in a best-of-five-sets format. As of 2022, all four Grand Slams — the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open — use a consistent 10-point tiebreaker in the final set. What this means: when the score reaches 6-6 in the final set, the players will continue to play; the player to first win 10 points, with an advantage of two or more points, becomes the match winner.
In mixed doubles, matches are also played in a best-of-three format, but using a match tiebreaker instead of a full third set; the first team to win 10 points, also by a margin of at least two, wins the third set and the match. At the Indian Wells Open (more formally known as the BNP Paribas Open) all open matches are played in a best-of-three sets format and there are no mixed doubles.
— Additional reporting by Alexis Jones, Melanie Whyte, Lauren Mazzo, and Chandler Plante
Nancy Einhart is the former head of content at PS, where she managed the editorial, video, social content, and creative teams. She previously worked at PS from 2006 to 2020, where she served as executive editor and SVP of content, overseeing entertainment and lifestyle creators.
Alexis Jones is the senior health editor at PS. Her areas of expertise include women’s health, mental health, racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare, diversity in wellness, and chronic conditions. Prior to joining PS, she was the senior editor at Health magazine. Her other bylines can be found at Women’s Health, Prevention, Marie Claire, and more.
Melanie Whyte was a contributing staff writer for PS. Based in NYC, she writes about LGBTQ identity, sex and relationships, pop culture hot takes, mental health, and home improvement. Her work has been featured by Refinery29, Real Simple, Apartment Therapy, Southern Living, Coveteur, NPR, and more.
Lauren Mazzo was the senior fitness editor at PS. She is a certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist through the American Council on Exercise. Prior to joining POPSUGAR, she worked for six years as a writer and editor for Shape Magazine covering health, fitness, nutrition, mental health, sex and relationships, beauty, and astrology.
Chandler Plante (she/her) is an assistant health and fitness editor for PS. She has over four years of professional journalism experience, previously working as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributing to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group.
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