Tennis scoring explained

Tennis scoring looks strange the first time you meet it — 15, 30, 40, “love”, “deuce” — but the logic is simple once you see how points stack into games, games into sets, and sets into a match. Here is the whole system in plain English, plus a glossary of the terms you will hear at Wimbledon.

The four levels: point, game, set, match

A tennis match is a nested structure. You win points to win a game, win games to win a set, and win sets to win the match. Each level has its own little rule for when it is “won”.

Scoring a game

Within a game, points are counted in a quirky sequence rather than 1, 2, 3:

You must win a game by two clear points. If both players reach 40, the score is deuce. From deuce, the next point won is advantage; win the point after that and you take the game, but lose it and the score returns to deuce. A game can swing back and forth through deuce many times before someone finally edges two points clear.

Scoring a set

The first player to win six games, by a margin of at least two games, wins the set — so 6–4 and 6–3 are complete sets, but 6–5 is not. If the set reaches 6–6, it is decided by a tiebreak: a special game played to seven points (win by two), where players alternate serves. The tiebreak keeps sets from running on forever. Rules for the very last set have varied over the years; the Grand Slams now settle a deciding set with a longer tiebreak once it reaches 6–6.

A 6–0 set is nicknamed a bagel, for the shape of the zero — the most lopsided set you can win.

Scoring a match: best-of-three and best-of-five

Most professional matches are best-of-three sets — the first to win two sets wins. Men’s singles at the Grand Slams, including Wimbledon, is best-of-five — the first to three sets. Best-of-five is more forgiving: you can lose a set, even two, and still come back, which is why deep-run favourites tend to survive bad patches. Best-of-three is swingier, so a single hot streak can decide it.

This is exactly why THE SLAM treats the two tours differently: an ATP run is best-of-five and rewards a balanced, durable build, while a WTA run is best-of-three and carries a little more variance. There is more on that in our strategy guide.

Glossary of common tennis terms

Ace

A serve the returner cannot touch — an outright winner off the serve.

Double fault

Missing both serve attempts on a point, handing the point to the opponent.

Break (of serve)

Winning a game while your opponent is serving. Because the server has the advantage, a break is usually decisive in a set.

Hold

Winning your own service game, as expected.

Break point

A point that, if won by the returner, would break the server’s game.

Deuce

40–40; the game must now be won by two straight points.

Advantage

The point won immediately after deuce; one more point wins the game.

Tiebreak

The mini-game played at 6–6 to decide a set, first to seven points by two.

Bagel

A set won 6–0.

Serve and volley

Serving and immediately rushing the net to finish the point with a volley — a classic grass-court tactic. See our playing styles guide.

Unforced error

A mistake made under no real pressure from the opponent.

Put it into practice

Knowing the scoring makes the late rounds of a Wimbledon run far more meaningful: you understand why a single break of serve can decide a tight set, and why mental strength matters most at deuce and in tiebreaks. Build a champion who holds up under that pressure and chase a perfect 7–0.