How Tennis Scoring Works: Love, Deuce, and Tiebreaks Explained

Tap a term to see what it means.

Love (Zero)

In tennis, a score of zero is called "love" — a widely cited theory traces this to the French word for egg, "l'œuf," which sounds similar and resembles the shape of a zero.

The 15-30-40 Point System

Within a single game, points climb in the order 0 (love)-15-30-40, and winning one more point after 40 wins the game. One theory traces this unusual numbering back to medieval clock faces.

Deuce

When both players reach 40-40, it's called "deuce" — from that point on, a player must win by two consecutive points to take the game.

Advantage

When one player wins a point right after deuce, it's called "advantage" — winning the next point too secures the game, but losing it sends the score back to deuce.

Set

A set is made up of multiple games; typically, a player must win 6 games while leading the opponent by at least 2 games to take the set.

Tiebreak

If a set reaches 6 games apiece (6-6), a special game — usually played to 7 points — decides the winner of that set.

Grand Slam (The Four Majors)

Refers collectively to the Australian Open, French Open (Roland Garros), Wimbledon, and the US Open — winning all four in a single calendar year is called a "calendar Grand Slam."

Why Is Tennis Scoring So Unusual?

The distinctive progression of 0, 15, 30, and 40 is a scoring style rarely seen in other sports. Its exact origin isn't certain, but the most widely known theory traces it to using medieval clock faces to display scores.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many sets do you need to win a match?

It varies by tournament, but matches are typically decided by winning 2 out of 3 sets, or in some tournaments 3 out of 5 sets.

Why was the tiebreak introduced?

Without it, the "win by 2 games" rule alone could drag a set out for an excessively long time — the tiebreak was introduced to prevent that and keep match length more predictable.