A tennis game commonly moves through love, fifteen, thirty and forty, while games combine into sets and sets into a match. This guide follows familiar ITF scoring frameworks. Approved alternatives include no-ad games and different deciding tiebreaks, so the event's format must be identified before interpreting the scoreboard.
How a standard advantage game ends
A player needs at least four points and a two-point lead. At forty-all, the score is deuce. Winning the next point creates advantage; another point wins the game, while losing it returns the score to deuce. The unusual labels conceal a simple underlying requirement: a minimum total and a sufficient margin.
How a set relates to a tiebreak
In a common tiebreak set, six games with a two-game margin wins the set, while six-all leads to a tiebreak. An ordinary tiebreak usually requires seven points with a two-point margin. Deciding sets and particular competitions may use different targets, so one tournament's procedure should not be assumed universal.
Read the significance of a key point
A break point gives the receiver an opportunity to win the game on the next point. Set points and match points concern the next larger levels. These are opportunities, not guaranteed outcomes. Combine the serving order with the score's level to understand why otherwise similar points can carry different immediate consequences.
