SCORING
Points in tennis are called love, 15, 30,
40, deuce and advantage.
THE
GAME 0, or nothing, is called 'love'.
It is believed to come from the pronunciation
of the French word 'l' oeuf', which sounds
like 'love. The use of 'l'ouef', meaning
'egg', to denote nothing, is derived from
the shape of an egg. The first point won
by a player is called 15, the second point,
30, the third point, 40. If a player then
wins a fourth point before his opponent
has won three points, then that player wins
the game. However, if both players have
won three points (40-all), the score is
then deuce, and it is necessary to win two
points in a row to win the game. The word
'deuce' comes from an Old French word 'deus',
meaning 'two'. The first point won after
a score of deuce is called advantage, either
to the server of receiver, but if that player
loses the next point then the score returns
to deuce.
THE
SET The first player who wins six games,
wins the set, provided he has won two more
games than his opponent. If the score reaches
five games to six, then the winning player
must win the next game. If the score reaches
six games all, then it becomes a tiebreaker.
Men usually play the best out of five sets
and women, the best out of three sets.
THE
TIEBREAKER in most matches, when a game
score of six all is reached, a tiebreaker
is played. In a tiebreaker the points are
called 1, 2, 3, etc. Each side serves only
once. This is so an not to give too great
an advantage to the server. The player who
wins the tiebreaker game is the player who
wins seven points with at least two more
points than his opponent. He wins the set
seven games to six. In a tiebreaker the
players must keep playing until one player
is two points ahead.
In doubles the players serve alternately
in the same order as before.
CHANGE
OF ENDS The players change ends every
time the total number of games played is
uneven. This is so as not to give one player
an advantage in outside conditions, such
as wind or sun. This sometimes looks silly
when tennis is played indoors, but those
are the rules, and it also gives the players
a chance to get some rest. In the tiebreaker
the players change ends after every six
points.
TIME
BETWEEN POINTS The rule book says play
must be continuous, but it also says that
you may take no longer than thirty seconds
before playing the next point.
On the changeover the resting time is one
minute. So as soon as the last point of
the game is played, you will have ninety
seconds before you have to start the next
point.
ON
THE LINE A ball that touches only a
hair of the line is in, even if 99 per cent
of the ball touches the ground outside the
line.