How Does Tennis Scoring Work? Love, Deuce, Advantage and Tiebreaks

Tennis is scored in three layers. Players win points to take a game, games to take a set, and sets to take the match. Within a game the points are called love, 15, 30 and 40, and the next point wins the game unless both players reach 40, which is called deuce. From deuce, one player must win two points in a row. A set goes to the first player to six games with a two-game lead, and most sets that reach six games all are settled by a tiebreak.

Points: love to game

Points won	Called
0	Love
1	15
2	30
3	40
4 (with a two-point lead)	Game

The server's score is always said first. "30–15" means the server has won two points and the receiver one. "15–love" means the server leads by a point; "love–15" means the receiver does. When the scores are level before deuce, players say "15–all" or "30–all".

Nobody knows for certain why the numbers jump the way they do. A popular explanation points to medieval scoring on a clock face, moving the hand a quarter at a time, with 45 later shortened to 40. The origin of "love" is equally disputed. Neither story affects how a match is played.

Deuce and advantage

At 40–40 the score is deuce. The next point gives one player advantage, usually shortened to "ad".

• Ad-in (or "advantage server"): the server won the point after deuce.
• Ad-out (or "advantage receiver"): the receiver won it.

If the player with advantage wins the following point, they take the game. If they lose it, the score returns to deuce. A single game can bounce between deuce and advantage many times.

No-ad scoring

Some formats, including a lot of doubles and recreational leagues, skip advantage altogether. At deuce, one deciding point is played and the winner takes the game. Typically the receiving side chooses which player receives that point. No-ad scoring keeps matches shorter and more predictable for court bookings.

Games and sets

A standard set is won by the first player to reach six games with at least a two-game margin, so 6–4 ends a set but 6–5 does not. At 6–5 the leader can close it out 7–5, or the trailing player can level at 6–6.

At six games all, most events play a tiebreak. Historically some final sets were played as advantage sets with no tiebreak, which occasionally produced extremely long scores. Since 2022 the four Grand Slam tournaments have used a common rule: a ten-point tiebreak at six games all in the deciding set.

How tiebreaks work

A standard tiebreak is a race to seven points, with a two-point margin needed. The points are counted as plain numbers: one, two, three and so on.

1. The player whose turn it is to serve starts with one point, served from the deuce (right-hand) court.
2. After that, serve passes to the opponent and alternates every two points, starting from the advantage (left-hand) court each time.
3. Players change ends after every six points (at 3–3, 6–0, 5–1 and so on).
4. The set is recorded as 7–6, with the tiebreak score often shown in brackets.
5. Whoever served first in the tiebreak receives first in the next set.

A match tiebreak, sometimes called a super tiebreak, uses the same pattern but runs to ten points. Many doubles events and club leagues use one in place of a full deciding set.

Matches

Most matches are best of three sets: win two and the match is over. Men's singles at the Grand Slams are best of five. Club and school matches can use shortened formats, such as pro sets to eight games or short sets to four, so check before the first serve.

Calling the score in a casual match

Without an umpire, arguments about the score cause more friction than disputed line calls. A few habits prevent most of them.

• The server calls the point score clearly before each first serve, server's score first.
• The server also announces the game score before the first point of each game, such as "three–two".
• If players disagree, they go back to the last score both agree on and replay from there.
• Change ends after the first game and then after every two games (the odd-numbered games).

New players who are still working out basic rules and strokes will find the overview of how to play tennis a useful companion to this page.

Terms you will hear

• Break: winning a game on the opponent's serve. Break point is when the receiver is one point from doing so.
• Hold: winning your own service game.
• Love game: a game won without the opponent scoring a point.
• Bagel and breadstick: slang for sets won 6–0 and 6–1.
• Let: a serve that clips the net and still lands in the correct box; it is replayed.

Frequently asked

What does "ad" mean in tennis?

It is short for advantage, the point won immediately after deuce. One more point wins the game; losing it returns the score to deuce.

Can a set end 7–5?

Yes. If a player leads 6–5 and wins the next game, the set ends 7–5 because the two-game margin has been reached.

Does the equipment change anything about scoring?

No, though comfort with your racket makes long deuce games less tiring. The guide to choosing a tennis racket and the list of beginner racket mistakes cover that side.