Love
The term used in tennis for a score of zero.
Definition
In tennis, "love" simply means a score of zero. A game that starts at love-love (0-0) can move through 15, 30, and 40, and a player who has not yet won a point is said to have "love." A score of 40-0 is called for as "forty-love."
The term is also used in related racquet sports played with tennis-style scoring, such as padel. It only describes the number zero within the scoreline and does not affect how points are otherwise counted.
Where you’ll hear “love”
Sports that use this term:
Tennis
A singles or doubles racquet sport that blends agility, strategy and stamina on court.
Padel
A sociable, doubles-first racquet sport played in an enclosed court where the walls stay in play.
POP Tennis
A friendly, easy-to-learn racquet sport on a smaller court with solid paddles and a lower net.
Beach Tennis
A sociable sand-court paddle sport played with solid paddles and a soft ball that is volleyed without a bounce.
Explore across the knowledge base
Follow the threads that connect Love to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Scoring systems
- Tennis scoringTennis is scored in points, games and sets, using the distinctive 15–30–40 point sequence and a win-by-two margin at every level.
- Padel scoringPadel borrows tennis scoring, counting points as 15–30–40 within games and playing sets to six games decided by a tiebreak.
- Tiebreak scoringA tiebreak is a short deciding game used in racket sports to settle a set that has reached an even number of games, scored in simple numbers to a fixed target.
Equipment
- Padel racketA solid, stringless perforated racket used to play padel.
- Tennis racquetA strung frame with a handle used to hit the ball in tennis.
- Tennis ballA hollow rubber ball covered in felt used in tennis and related racquet sports.
- BasketballA large, inflated ball with a dimpled surface used to play basketball.
- Badminton racketA lightweight strung racket used to hit the shuttlecock in badminton.
Rules
Adaptive sports
- Adaptive sport terminologyA plain-language guide to common, respectful terms used in adaptive and para sport — and why inclusive language matters.
- Classification in para sportThe system used in para sport to group athletes so that competition is fair — decided by how much an impairment affects a specific sport.
Player roles
- PlaymakerThe playmaker is a team's creative hub — the player who orchestrates attacks, controls the tempo and distributes the ball so teammates can score.
- Ball-winnerA ball-winner is the player tasked with regaining possession through pressing, tackling and interceptions — a team's tireless defensive workhorse.
- Utility playerA dependable, versatile player who can competently fill several different positions as the team needs, rather than specialising in just one.
- Last line of defenceThe final barrier between an attack and a score — the goalkeeper, sweeper or last-ditch defender whose job is to stop what the rest of the team has let through.
- Target playerA target player is a focal attacker who receives, holds up and links play for others, often physically strong and good in the air or with the hands.