You don’t have to be A tennis expert Knowing that it is an exciting game to watch. But with Wimbledon in progress and some Seriously talented players Lined, it is not always easy to hold points. Each serves sparks a new wave of expectation, and the matches move quickly. If you are too busy trying to find out who wins, you might just miss all the excitement. To make it easier (and help you stay in the moment) we put together a quick primer on how you can keep points in tennis.
The scoring system in tennis has its own vocabulary, including words such as love, deuce and advantage. The rules can also change depending on the event (so if you plan to look at Wimbledon it is now a good time to read). But do not feel overwhelmed – points in tennis may seem complicated at first, but once you have taken care of that you will feel like a experienced fan. In front we explain how tennis points work, how to win in tennis and what to know about specific tournament rules. Whether you are still learning, or just in need of an update, you will soon be a professional in your own right.
How to keep points in tennis
Let’s start with the basics. Each tennis match consists of two to three sets. To win a set you have to win at least six matches. The games are made starting with “Love” (or zero) and go up to 40 (which is actually only four points). From love is the first point 15, then 30, then 40, then Game Point, who wins the game. Now let’s get into the details.
Start the game
To determine who serves first, turn a coin or (more likely) spin a racket. Anyone who wins can decide one of four things: that they want to earn first, that they want to get first, which side of the court they want to start on (in which case, the opponent chooses who earns first), or that they want to leave these choices up to their opponent.
Anyone who starts to serve continues to serve until that game is over. Then the service moves to the other player. You earn behind the baseline, starting on the right side of the court, anywhere between the singles page and the middle mark on the court.
Point
Before serving, the player should announce the point, start with his own. For example, if you had zero points and your opponent had 30, you would say “Love-30.” Players get two attempts for each serving. The serving must go over the net, land in your opponent’s “service box” and bounce once before your opponent returns it. If the ball does not land in the service box, you can take a second serving – but if the second service also misses, you will lose the point.
If you serve grazing the net but still lands in the service box, the service does not count, and you have to take that service. This is called a “song.” If your server goes in and the opponent returns it, continue to strike back and forth until someone hits the ball into the net, hits it outside the border or misses a shot. If that person is you, your opponent gets a point. If it is your opponent who hits the ball into the net/hits it outside the boundaries/misses a shot, you get the point.
Anyone who serves continues to earn until the score reaches 40 and calls out the points before each serving. If the point is bound to 40 (“40-all”) it 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 earn on deuce and you win the next point, you say “my ad”, which means “my advantage.” If your opponent wins it goes back to Deuce, and someone has to win again with two points in a row. When the game is over, the other person serves. After odd numbered games (so after game one, game three, game five) you change pages on the track.
Score one set
The first player to win six matches wins the set. But as with “Deuce” you have to win a set of at least two matches. So if the score is 6-5, the game will continue. If the score binds 6-6, you are usually Play a tiebreaker. (But some tournaments have slightly different rules for how to handle tie.)
Points 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 the best of five). So if you won two sets (aka twelve matches) you would win the match. But if you and your opponent each won a set, you would play a third set to decide the winner.
Tournament -specific rules
Women’s singles and men’s and women’s doubles At the US Open is all played in a best-of-three-set format; Men’s singles are played in a best-of-five-set format. From 2022, all four Grand Slams-Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open are used consistently 10-point tiebreaker in the final set. What this means: When the score reaches 6-6 in the final set, 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 with a match tiebreaker instead of a full third set; The first team that won 10 points, also with a margin of at least two, wins the third set and the match. At the Indian Wells Open (more formally known as GDP Paribas Open), all open matches are played in a best-of-three set format and there are no mixed doubles.
– Further reporting by Alexis Jones, Melanie Whyte, Lauren Mazzo and Chandler Plante
Nancy Einhart Is the former content manager at PS, where she handled editorial, video, social content and creative team. She previously worked on PS from 2006 to 2020, where she served as executive editor and SVP for content and monitored entertainment and lifestyle creators.
Alexis Jones Is senior health editor on ps. Her areas of competence include women’s health, mental health, racial and ethnic differences in health care, diversity in wellness and chronic conditions. Before she came to PS, she was a senior editor at Health Magazine. Her second bylines are available at Women’s Health, Prevention, Marie Claire and more.
Melanie Whyte was a contributing staff writer for PS. Based on NYC, she writes about LGBTQ identity, gender and relationships, pop culture threats, mental health and home improvement. Her work has been presented by Refinery29, Real Simple, Apartment Therapy, Southern Living, Coveteur, NPR and more.
Lauren Mazzo Was senior fitness editor at PS. She is a certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist through the American Council on Apport. Before coming to pop suckers, she worked for six years as a writer and editor for newspaper form that covers health, fitness, nutrition, mental health, gender and relationships, beauty and astrology.
Chandler Plante (She/her) is the assistant health and fitness editor for PS. She has over four years of experience in professional journalism, who previously worked as an editorial assistant for the magazine People and contributes to Ladygunn, Millie and Bustle Digital Group.