by Ariana D’Avanzo
Like any sport, tennis winners are determined by a point system. Unlike sports such as baseball, hockey or soccer, though: a single score doesn’t equate a single point. Tennis is more like football with the unique scoring system it utilizes.
An official tennis match is three sets for women and five for men. Each set consists of games that are won after four scores. The first to six games wins the set. If a set score ends up being tied 5-5 then it will continue until one side wins by two. To win an overall match, you must win two sets for women or three for men.
When playing a match, a player must verbalize the score before every serve. Players cannot and should not always rely on another player to keep track of the scoring; they themselves must know how to keep tabs on the winner and the loser.
The base score in tennis is zero but goes by the term “love” as well. So when a player announces “love all” at the start of a set, it means that the score is 0-0, “all” meaning that each player has the same score.
A player announcing “love all” means the match is underway and only the person serving verbalizes the game score, stating their score first.
When a set score adds up to an odd number, the teams swap sides. This is so no team gets a disadvantage from the side they are playing on, whether it be a crack in the court or the sun in their eyes.
When playing a game, the server alternates between the left side (the add side) and the right side (the deuce side) after every point. When first beginning a game the serve begins on the deuce side.
While set scores are added in increments of one, game scores are much different.
A game starts off as love all. The first point is scored as 15-love. If the same player scores again, they go up 30-love; and if he or she wins again it becomes 40-love — this is now game point and if that player gets another point they win the overall game, adding one point to their set score. Six of these nets a player a set victory.
A unique score in tennis is 40-40, also known as a deuce. If you have been scoring correctly you should be serving this point on the right side of the court. Like the set score – which has a margin of victory of two scores – games must be won in a similar way.
The next point someone scores is called the add point and will be served on the left side of the court. That player now has the “advantage”, meaning if they score again, they win the game. However, if the other player gets a point, the score is reset to 40-40 and the two sides play on.
Scoring the games, the sets, and the overall match can be quite tricky at first. But once you have played a few matches your scoring will become more natural, plus you will also have a mini score board attached the net which will score the over all set.