Tennis is a very popular sport watched by fans across the world, know why is zero called love in the sport
The game has a unique point scoring system like no other sport in existence. One very popular aspect of the game is the word “Love,” which denotes zero points. Despite the fact that the game officially uses the term “love” even in the largest tournaments like Wimbledon, its origins remain uncertain.
Why Is Zero Called Love In The Tennis Scoring System
While avid fans of the sport are anxiously engaged in currents events of the game. For example, the upcoming match between the defending Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic and Britain’s Cameron Norrie at the Wimbledon Semi-Finals. For beginners who have just started watching the game, it may be more enjoyable to know what the scores and terminology actually mean.
The literal meaning of the word “love”
The Oxford dictionary defines love as: “An intense feeling of romantic attachment based on an attraction felt by one person for another; intense liking and concern for another person, typically combined with sexual passion.”
This definition certainly explains love for a lot of people seeking its meaning. However, it definitely doesn’t apply for a person trying to understand it from the context of a tennis game. So the question is, why is the word “love” used to denote zero in tennis?
The origin theory of the word “love” in tennis
People have used the word “love” to denote zero points since the late 1800s. While it is not fully certain how people started using the term in this way, there are several theories. However, of all the theories, the most widely acknowledged theory is that the players with zero points still played on for the “love of the game”.
According to this theory, people used the term “love” to describe players who continued playing despite having no points. The players did so because they were playing for the love of the game rather than worrying about winning.
People often describe tennis as a “labour of love”. This notion that a player with zero points is continuing the game simply for the joy of playing, is quite fitting as the origin behind the term.
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