Tennis scoring
Tennis is scored in points, games and sets, using the distinctive 15–30–40 point sequence and a win-by-two margin at every level.
Overview
A tennis match is built from points, which combine into games, which combine into sets. Within a game, points are counted as 15, 30 and 40 rather than 1, 2 and 3, and a score of zero is called "love". The first player to win four points while leading by at least two wins the game.
Winning enough games wins a set, and winning enough sets wins the match. This nested structure means a player can win more total points overall yet still lose the match, because what matters is winning the decisive points at the ends of games and sets.
How it works
- Points within a game are called love, 15, 30 and 40; the next point after 40 wins the game if the player is two points clear.
- If both players reach 40 the score is "deuce", and one side must then win two points in a row — an "advantage" point and then the game.
- A set is won by the first to six games with a lead of at least two games (for example 6–4).
- When a set reaches six games all, most formats play a tiebreak to decide it.
- A match is won by taking the majority of sets, typically two out of three or three out of five.
Where it’s used
Sports that use tennis scoring:
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.
Related scoring systems
Padel scoring
Padel borrows tennis scoring, counting points as 15–30–40 within games and playing sets to six games decided by a tiebreak.
Tiebreak scoring
A 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.
Explore across the knowledge base
Follow the threads that connect Tennis scoring to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Officiating
- UmpireA match official who rules on lines, serves and dismissals in racket, bat-and-ball and net sports such as tennis, cricket and baseball — and, in racket sports, also keeps the running score.
- Out-of-Bounds CallAn official's ruling that the ball or a player in possession has left the legal playing area, stopping play and handing a restart or possession to the opponent.
- RefereeThe primary on-field official who enforces the rules, controls play, penalises fouls, awards restarts, and blows the whistle to start and stop a match.
- TimekeeperThe timekeeper is the official who runs a contest's clock — starting and stopping time, timing rounds, races and periods, and signalling when time expires.
Rules
- Tennis serving rulesThe rules governing how a tennis point begins, including where the server stands and where the serve must land.
- Foot faultA serving fault called when the server's foot touches the baseline or court before striking the ball.
- LetA call that stops a point and has it replayed without penalty, used across several racket sports.
- Double dribbleA basketball violation for dribbling with two hands at once, or for dribbling again after picking up the ball.
- Shot clockA timing rule that requires the attacking basketball team to attempt a shot within a set number of seconds.
Learning paths
Positions
- Point guardThe point guard is basketball’s primary ball-handler and playmaker, running the offence and setting up teammates to score.
- SetterThe setter is volleyball’s playmaker, taking the team’s second contact and delivering accurate sets for hitters to attack.
- StrikerA striker is the main attacking player in football, positioned furthest forward with the primary job of scoring goals.
- Shooting guardThe shooting guard is a perimeter player whose main role is to score, especially from mid-range and beyond the three-point line.
- Outside hitterThe outside hitter attacks from the left side of the net and is often a volleyball team’s main scoring option.