If you’re a tennis fan or have watched some games, you’ll realise that it has a distinct scoring system, know about it along with the scores rules explained
The game has a complex scoring system like no other. Currently, Wimbledon is at the concluding stages of the tournament, where only a few remaining players battle it out.
On the men’s side, Serbian star Novak Djokovic is on the hunt for a seventh Wimbledon title with his next match in the semi-final against home favourite Cam Norrie. In the women’s category, Simona Halep is gearing up for a second title, moving towards a clash with Elena Rybakina. On the opposing side will be either German star Tatjana Maria or the unbeaten Tunisian Ons Jabeur, who hasn’t dropped a single set this year. Setting this aside, let us look into the unique scoring system that the sport follows.
Tennis Scoring System And Scores Rules In The Game Explained
Brief explanation of the tennis scoring system
Generally, a tennis match consists of three basic analogies: sets, games, and points. A set consists of a particular number of games, with six as the minimum number. Each game consists of points with a point value system that differs from any other sport. The points progress from love to 15, 30, and then 40. These scores are comparatively equivalent to 0, 1, 2, and 3. When both players reach 40, we call it a “deuce,” and in such cases, one of the players needs to win two points in a row to win a game.
The first player to win six games wins a set. However, the margin has to be at least two games in excess of the other player’s score (e.g., 6–4 or 7–5). In the case of a tie where each player wins 6 games each, the players play a tie-break to decide the set. A player or a doubles team wins the match after winning the majority of the pre-determined number of sets. Tournaments usually use a best-of-three or best-of-five set format. However, most tournaments use the best-of-five set format only in the men’s singles or doubles matches at Grand Slams and Davis Cup matches.
Origins of the point system and terminologies
When tennis was originally played in the middle ages in France, the scores were displayed on two clock faces, going from 0 to 60. When a player scored a point, the pointer on the clock moved one quarter from 0 to 15, 30, and so on till 60 for a win. After the clock faces were no longer in use, they eventually reduced the 45 points to 40.
One interesting fact about the ‘love’ point, or zero, is the origin of its term. Zero, back then, was depicted as an oval-shaped figure similar to the shape of an egg, which translated to ‘l’oeuf’ in French. This word is what ultimately gave us the term “love” for no points. The very word ‘tennis’ probably derives from the French word ‘tenez!’ “
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