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Tennis scoring looks strange until you see the hierarchy. A player wins points to win a game, games to win a set, and sets to win the match. The unusual words — love, 15, 30, 40, deuce and advantage — describe what is happening inside an individual game.
This guide follows standard tennis scoring as described by the USTA and the International Tennis Federation. Specific tournaments can use approved variations, especially for final sets, doubles and shorter formats, so event rules still matter.
How points are counted inside a tennis game
A standard game starts at love-love, meaning neither player has won a point. The first point is called 15, the second 30 and the third 40. A player normally wins the game by winning the next point after reaching 40, provided the opponent has not also reached 40.
So a straightforward game might move from love-love to 15-love, 30-love, 40-love and then game. The server’s score is announced first.
What does “love” mean?
In tennis scoring, “love” means zero. A score of 30-love means the server has won two points and the receiver has won none. Love is used only as part of the traditional game score; tiebreaks are counted with ordinary numbers.
What is deuce?
When both players reach 40, the score is deuce. Under standard advantage scoring, a player must then win two consecutive points to win the game.
The first point after deuce creates an advantage. If the server wins it, the call is advantage in, often shortened to ad-in. If the receiver wins it, the call is advantage out, or ad-out. If the player with advantage wins the next point, the game is over. If that player loses the next point, the score returns to deuce.
How many games does it take to win a set?
In a standard tiebreak set, a player or team needs six games and a margin of at least two games to win the set. That creates familiar set scores such as 6-2, 6-3 or 6-4.
If the set reaches 5-5, one player can win the next two games and take the set 7-5. If the score reaches 6-6 under a tiebreak-set format, a tiebreak is played to decide the set.
How does a standard tiebreak work?
A standard tiebreak is scored with ordinary numbers instead of love, 15, 30 and 40. The first player or team to reach at least seven points with a two-point margin wins the tiebreak and the set. A tiebreak can end 7-3, but it cannot end 7-6; play continues until someone leads by two.
The player who is next in the normal service order serves the first point. The opponent then serves the next two points, and service alternates in two-point blocks after that. Players change ends during the tiebreak according to the applicable rules.
What is an advantage set?
An advantage set does not use a tiebreak at 6-6. Instead, play continues until one player or team leads by two games. The ITF recognizes both advantage-set and tiebreak-set methods, and the competition must specify which format is being used.
How many sets do you need to win a tennis match?
Most standard matches are best-of-three sets, meaning the first player or team to win two sets wins the match. Some men’s matches at major events use best-of-five sets, meaning the first player to win three sets wins.
That is why the same basic scoring system can produce very different match lengths. A straight-sets match can finish quickly, while a close match with long deuce games and extended tiebreaks can last much longer.
Why tennis scoring feels more complicated than it is
The challenge is that tennis uses three nested scoreboards at once: the point score inside the current game, the game score inside the current set, and the set score inside the match. Once you separate those layers, the system becomes much easier to follow.
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The short version
Points inside a standard game progress from love to 15, 30 and 40. At 40-40 the score is deuce, and under advantage scoring a player must win two straight points from there. Games build sets, usually with six games needed and a two-game margin. At 6-6, a standard tiebreak set uses a tiebreak to seven points, win by two. Sets then determine the match.
Source and freshness: Scoring mechanics were checked against current USTA guidance and ITF tennis rules/glossary materials. Tournament-specific formats can differ, so recheck the event rules when explaining a particular competition.
Featured image: Ben Hershey via Unsplash. The photograph is generic tennis imagery and is not presented as a specific tournament match.