Okay, so today I decided to finally figure out how to keep score in tennis. I mean, I’ve watched it on TV, but “love-15-30-40-game”? It’s always sounded like some secret code. So, I grabbed my racket, a friend, and hit the court.
The “Love” Mystery
First thing I did was try to understand why they say “love.” Turns out, it probably comes from the French word “l’oeuf,” meaning “egg,” because a zero looks like an egg. Makes sense, I guess. Still weird, though.
Scoring a Game
We started playing, and I quickly realized scoring isn’t as simple as 1, 2, 3. It goes:
- Love: Zero points.
- 15: First point.
- 30: Second point.
- 40: Third point.
- Game: Fourth point (but only if you’re ahead by two).
That “ahead by two” part is important. If you both get to 40, it’s called “deuce.” Then, one of us had to win a point to get “advantage.” If you win the next point, you win the game. If you lose it, it’s back to deuce. It’s like a mini-battle within the game.
Scoring a Set
Winning a game is fine, but then I had to record the number of games. We’re playing sets. To win a set, you need to win at least six games, and—again—be ahead by two. So, you can win 6-4, but if it’s 6-5, you keep playing. If it gets to 6-6, you usually play a “tiebreak”.
The Tiebreak Headache
We did, in fact, get to a tiebreak. Thank goodness. This is where things got simpler, I think, which has different score records.
- You just count points: 1, 2, 3, and so on.
- First to seven points, and (surprise!) ahead by two, wins the tiebreak and the set.
Honestly, the tiebreak was a relief. Straightforward points!
Serving and Sides
One more thing, I have kept track of who’s serving. You alternate serves after every game. And you switch sides of the court after the first game, and then after every two games. It keeps things fair, I guess, with the sun and wind and all that.
So, after a lot of sweating, a few arguments about the lines, and way too many “deuces,” I think I can say that I finally made the tennis score clear. It’s still a bit quirky, but at least now I can follow along when I’m watching Wimbledon!
