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Three phases of tennis -

Chances are you've heard the phrase "game, set, match" before. This is because those are the three phases of a tennis match.

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Game -

A game is played until a player scores four points, which a player can earn in several different ways.

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Set -

A set is a collection of games, played until a player wins six games, or more.

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Match -

A match is played to the best of three or five sets. Usually, championship matches are played to five sets.

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Tennis scoring -

Tennis scoring is pretty easy to digest once you learn a few basic terms: Love = zero points, 15 = first point, 30 = second point, 40 = third point, and Game = fourth point.

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Scoring a game -

A game is won when a player scores four, or more, points: 15, 30, 40, and the game-winning point.

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An "all" score -

The term "all" refers to a tied score. For example, if both players have scored one point each, it's announced as "15-all."

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It can sound a bit confusing -

However, the score is announced with the server's score mentioned first. So, 30-15, for example, means the server has scored two points and their opponent has earned one, while 15-30 indicates the reverse.

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Deuce -

Typically, when the score is tied, the referee will make the call with "all." For instance, games start at "love-all." However, when both players are tied at 40-40, that's called a deuce.

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No limit to deuces -

There are no limits to how many deuces can occur in a game. Some of the longest matches in history have featured games with more than 35 deuces.

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You need to score twice in a row -

Deuces matter because, if you want to win a game, you need to score twice in a row.

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Advantage -

The first tie-breaking point is the "advantage" and the next one wins the game. If the serving player wins the deuce point, it's called "advantage in," whereas if the receiver gains the next point it's "advantage out."

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Scoring a set -

A player must win at least six games to win a set, but they must be ahead by two games.

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Example of a set score -

So if a game is played to a 6-5 score in the set, then the leading player must win a seventh game to win the set.

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Tie-break game -

Rules are a little different for a tie-break set. If a set should make it to 6-6, a tie-break game is played to determine a winner of the set, resulting in a 7-6 set score.

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Tie-break scoring -

Rather than using traditional tennis scoring, a tie-break game is scored one, two, three, and so forth.

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Winning a tie-break game -

The first player to win seven points, by two, wins the tie-break game and the set. However, there are different point totals for different tournaments.

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Scoring the match -

To win the match, a player or team either needs to win two sets (in a best-of-three match) or three sets (in a best-of-five match).

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How do you score a point in tennis? -

You're going to need to score points if you want to win games, and there are a number of ways to get this done.

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Ace -

For example, the point is yours if you serve and the returner can't get it back into court, not even getting a racket on the ball. This is known as an ace.

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Unreturnable ball -

An unreturnable ball is when your opponent can't hit back across the net. Then the point is yours.

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Double fault -

If the serving player makes two mistakes in the same point, it's called a double fault, and they lose the point and the point is awarded to their opponent.

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Ball hit out of bounds -

"Out of bounds" refers to the area outside the lines that mark the official playing court and court boundaries. If the ball lands out of bounds, the serving player loses the point.

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Ball hit into the net -

If the ball hits the net during an exchange of shots, the player that hit the shot into the net loses the point.

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Serving and receiving -

Whether you're following along at home or playing a match yourself, there are some important serving and receiving rules and terms to know.

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Announcing the score -

Before putting the ball into play from the service box, the serving player typically announces the score, with their points listed first.

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Service game -

This is a game in which you are the serving player.

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Break points -

This occurs when the receiving player has the opportunity to score a winning point in a service game. The receiving player is required to score at least three points for a breakpoint to happen.

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Hold -

A hold is the name for a game that the serving player wins.

Sources: (Self) (Sporting News) (PopSugar) 

See also: 60 illustrious members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame

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