Nobody wants to ask how the scoring works mid-rally, so here is the whole system, plain and short. Learn it once and every match you watch or play makes sense forever.
Points: love, 15, 30, 40, game
Points are counted in a strange old shorthand: zero is called love, then 15, 30, 40, and the next point wins the game. You need four points to win a game, and you must win by two. If both players reach 40, the score is deuce. The next point gives that player advantage; win the following point and the game is yours, lose it and you are back to deuce.
The server's score is always called first, so 30-15 means the server has two points and the receiver one.
The scoreboard, decoded
0
Called love
15
One point won
30
Two points won
40
Three points, one from the game
40-40
Deuce: win by two from here
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Advantage: next point wins the game
Sets and matches
- RecreationalBest of three sets: first to two sets wins
- League playBest of three, often a 10 point tiebreak instead of a third set
- Grand slam menBest of five sets: first to three
Games, sets and matches: how many do you need?
Six games win a set, again by a margin of two, and at 6-6 most sets go to a tiebreak. Win the majority of sets and you win the match. How many sets that takes depends on the format:
- Most recreational matches: best of three sets, so the first player to win two sets wins.
- Club and league play: also best of three, often with a short third-set tiebreak to 10 instead of a full third set.
- Grand slam men's matches: best of five sets, first to three. You will rarely need this one.
Tiebreaks in plain English
At 6-6 in a set, players play a tiebreak: first to 7 points, win by two. Points are counted normally, 1, 2, 3, and players alternate serving one point, then two points each. Players switch ends every six points. Whoever wins the tiebreak takes the set 7-6.
Tennis scoring looks designed to confuse newcomers. It takes about five minutes to learn, once.
The basic rules you actually need
- Serve from behind the baseline, alternating sides each point, diagonally into the service box.
- Two serve attempts per point. Miss both and it is a double fault, a free point for your opponent.
- Let: if the serve clips the net and still lands in, replay the point. There is no limit.
- You may hit the ball before it bounces (a volley) as long as you are not touching the net, but you cannot let it bounce twice.
- If the ball lands on a line, it is in. Lines are part of the court.
- In casual play without officials, call the lines on your own side honestly. That is the code the game runs on.
Scores that confuse everyone at first
A few oddities worth knowing before your first match: 40-40 is deuce and can repeat many times; advantage in means the server needs one more point, advantage out means the receiver does; and a set score of 7-5 is normal, meaning someone broke serve late rather than played a tiebreak.
Learn it by playing it
Scoring clicks after one real set. Coaching sessions build it in quietly: match play sessions use official scoring, and liveball uses fast rotating points so you feel the rhythm without keeping a full scorecard.
Ready to play your first set with a coach on court? Request a lesson.