Tennis scoring looks strange the first time you hear it. Nobody says "one point to nothing." They say "15-love." Once you see that the game has three layers (points make games, games make sets, sets make a match), it falls into place quickly.
This guide covers each layer, the tiebreaks that settle close sets, the formats you will run into at clubs and leagues, and how to write a score down so you can read it back months later.
Points: Love, 15, 30, 40
A game is won by the first player to win four points, with a two-point lead. The points have names:
| Points won | What you call it |
|---|---|
| 0 | Love |
| 1 | 15 |
| 2 | 30 |
| 3 | 40 |
| 4 | Game (if you lead by two) |
The server's score is always called first. If the server has won two points and the returner one, the score is "30-15." If the returner leads by the same amount, it is "15-30."
Deuce and Advantage
When both players reach 40, the score is deuce. From deuce, you need two points in a row to win the game:
- Win the next point and you have the advantage ("ad in" for the server, "ad out" for the returner).
- Win the point after that and you take the game.
- Lose it and you are back at deuce.
A deuce game can go on for a long time. Many club matches and some leagues use no-ad scoring to keep things moving: at deuce, one deciding point wins the game, and the receiving side picks which court it is served to.
Games and Sets
A set goes to the first player to win six games, with a two-game lead. So 6-4 ends the set, but 6-5 does not: play continues to 7-5, or to 6-6.
At 6-6, most sets are settled with a tiebreak, and the set is recorded as 7-6.
Players alternate serving games. You change ends after the first game and then after every two games (after games 1, 3, 5 and so on), so each side gets the same share of sun and wind.
The Tiebreak (First to 7)
The standard tiebreak at 6-6 is scored in plain numbers: 1, 2, 3, not 15, 30, 40.
- The first player to 7 points with a two-point lead wins the tiebreak and the set, 7-6.
- The player due to serve next serves the first point. After that, serve switches every two points.
- Players change ends every six points.
- At 6-6 in the tiebreak, play continues until someone leads by two (8-6, 9-7, 12-10).
Scores often show the loser's tiebreak points in brackets: 7-6(4) means the set went to a tiebreak and the losing player won 4 points in it.
Close matches often come down to tiebreaks. To see how you do in them and what to track, read tennis tiebreak stats and pressure points.
The Match Tiebreak (First to 10)
Many leagues, club events and doubles matches replace a full third set with a match tiebreak, sometimes called a super tiebreak. It works like a regular tiebreak, but it goes to 10 points with a two-point lead.
It counts as the deciding set. People write it a few ways:
6-4, 3-6, 10-7(the raw points)6-4, 3-6, 1-0(10-7)(the match tiebreak shown as one game)
Both mean the same result: one set each, and the match tiebreak won 10-7.
Matches: Best of Three or Best of Five
Most recreational, league and college matches are best of three sets: the first player to win two sets wins the match. Men's singles at the four Grand Slams are best of five.
At the Grand Slams, a final set that reaches 6-6 is now decided by a 10-point tiebreak, so the marathon fifth sets of the past are gone.
Other Formats You Will See
Clubs and events bend the rules to fit the time they have:
- Pro set: one set to 8 games instead of 6, with a tiebreak at 8-8. Popular in round robins because it fits a time slot.
- Short sets: sets to 4 games, usually with a tiebreak at 4-4.
- No-ad scoring: the deciding point at deuce, as described above.
Always confirm the format before you start. Nothing sours a match faster than finding out at 6-6 that you each expected something different.
Keep every score in one place.
RecAce takes scores the way players write them, including 7-6 sets and 10-point match tiebreaks, and turns them into your record, your rating and your tiebreak win rate.
Log Your Matches FreeHow to Write a Score Down
The convention is simple: write the set scores from the winner's side, in order, separated by commas.
6-3, 6-4: a straight-sets win.6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5): a three-set win with a third-set tiebreak.4-6, 6-3, 10-8: a win decided by a match tiebreak.
In your own log, many players write every score from their own side instead, so a loss reads 3-6, 4-6. Either works as long as you are consistent. When you log a match in RecAce, the score boxes add a tiebreak box when a set reaches 7-6 and a third box when the sets are split, so you can enter a match tiebreak as a third set.
Pickleball Is Different
If you play both sports, note that pickleball scoring works differently: games to 11 (sometimes 15 or 21), win by two, and two competing systems for who can score a point. Our guide to rally scoring vs. side-out scoring covers it.
Quick Answers
Why is it 15, 30, 40 in tennis? Nobody knows for sure. The usual story is that early scoring used the quarters of a clock face (15, 30, 45), and 45 got shortened to 40. Historians haven't confirmed it.
What does love mean in tennis? Love means zero. "30-love" means the server has won two points and the returner none.
How many points win a tennis tiebreak? A standard tiebreak goes to 7 points and a match tiebreak goes to 10. Both must be won by two points.
What does 7-6(4) mean? The set went to a tiebreak at 6-6, and the player who lost the tiebreak won 4 points in it, so the tiebreak finished 7-4.
Does a match tiebreak count as a set? Yes. It replaces the deciding set, and the winner of the match tiebreak wins the match.
Keep Score, Then Keep the Scores
Knowing the rules gets you through a match. Writing the score down afterward is what turns a season of matches into something you can learn from: which sets you close out, how you play in tiebreaks, and who keeps beating you.
Start a free RecAce account and log your next match in under a minute.