Tennis Scoreboard Explained: How Tennis Scoring Works
Tennis scoring can look unusual the first time you see a scoreboard. A match is not tracked with one running total. Instead, points build into games, games build into sets, and sets decide the match.
Once you know those layers, a tennis scoreboard becomes much easier to read.
If you want to keep score during a match instead of only learning the system, use the Free Online Tennis Scoreboard.
How to Read a Tennis Scoreboard
A tennis scoreboard usually gives you several pieces of information at the same time:
- the current point score
- the number of games in the current set
- the sets already won
- the player or side currently serving
- a numeric tiebreak score when a tiebreak is active
The easiest way to read it is from the smallest scoring unit upward.
First look at the current point score. Then check the games in the current set. Finally, check how many sets each side has won.
For example, if one player has won the first set 6–4, leads 3–2 in the second set, and the current game is 30–15, those numbers describe three different levels of the same match.
Tennis Point Scoring: Love, 15, 30 and 40
A standard tennis game does not use 0, 1, 2 and 3 on the scoreboard.
Love → 15 → 30 → 40 → Game
Love means zero points.
If a player wins the first point, the score becomes 15. A second point makes it 30, and a third makes it 40.
If that player wins the next point while the opponent has 30 or less, the game is won.
The server's score is normally called first when the score is announced.
What Happens at Deuce?
When both sides reach 40, the score is Deuce.
Under standard Advantage scoring, winning one point from Deuce does not immediately win the game. It gives that side Advantage.
If the same side wins the next point, it wins the game. If the other side wins the next point, the score returns to Deuce.
Deuce → Advantage Player A → Deuce → Advantage Player B → Game Player B
From Deuce, a side must win two consecutive points to finish the game.
Some formats use No-Ad scoring instead. Under the ITF-approved No-Ad method, one deciding point is played at Deuce rather than continuing through repeated Advantage and Deuce scores.
How Games Turn Into Sets
Points win a game. Games then accumulate inside a set.
In a standard set, a player or team normally needs six games and a two-game lead to win.
Scores such as 6–0, 6–2, 6–4 and 7–5 can therefore end a set.
A 6–5 score does not normally end an Advantage Set because the leader has only a one-game margin.
In a Tie-break Set, if the score reaches 6–6, a tiebreak is played to decide the set. That produces a final set score of 7–6 for the tiebreak winner.
How Many Sets Do You Need to Win a Tennis Match?
The answer depends on the match format.
In a best-of-three match, the first side to win two sets wins the match.
In a best-of-five match, the first side to win three sets wins.
That means a best-of-three match can finish 2–0 or 2–1, while a best-of-five match can finish 3–0, 3–1 or 3–2.
The match format should be known before play begins.
How a Tennis Tiebreak Works
A tiebreak uses ordinary numbers instead of Love, 15, 30 and 40. The score progresses 0–0, 1–0, 1–1, 2–1, 3–1 and so on.
Under the standard tiebreak method, the first side to reach seven points wins only if it leads by at least two points.
A score of 7–5 ends the tiebreak. A score of 7–6 does not. If necessary, play continues to 8–6, 9–7, 10–8 or another score with a two-point margin.
The winner of the tiebreak wins the set 7–6.
Who Serves During a Tiebreak?
Tiebreak service follows a different rhythm from an ordinary sequence of games.
The player or team whose turn it is to serve serves the first point. The opponent then serves the next two points. After that, each side serves two consecutive points at a time until the tiebreak ends.
1 point → 2 points → 2 points → 2 points → …
This is why the serving indicator can change several times during one tiebreak.
ScoreMetrik's Tennis Scoreboard tracks the serving side from the points you record, so you do not need to manually reconstruct the normal tiebreak service sequence after every point.
What Do the Numbers on a Tennis Scoreboard Mean?
The same scoreboard can show point, game and set information at once, so two similar-looking numbers can mean completely different things.
A point score such as 30–15 describes the current game.
A game score such as 4–3 describes the current set.
A completed set score such as 6–4 records the games won in that set.
A tiebreak score such as 7–4 describes the individual points played inside the tiebreak.
The key is to identify which scoring layer each number belongs to.
Tennis Score Example
Imagine Player A and Player B are playing a best-of-three match.
Player A won the first set 6–4. In the second set, Player B leads 3–2 in games. Player A is serving and leads the current game 30–15.
- First set
- Player A 6–4
- Second set
- Player B leads 3–2
- Current game
- Player A leads 30–15
- Server
- Player A
Nothing on the scoreboard is contradictory. Each number represents a different level of tennis scoring.
Advantage Sets, No-Ad and Match Tiebreaks
Not every tennis match uses exactly the same scoring format. The ITF Rules of Tennis allow several scoring methods and approved alternatives.
An Advantage Set continues until one side has at least six games and leads by two. A Tie-break Set normally uses a tiebreak at 6–6.
No-Ad scoring replaces the repeated Deuce and Advantage sequence with a deciding point at Deuce.
A Match Tiebreak can also replace a deciding set in formats that use it. Approved versions include seven-point and ten-point Match Tiebreaks, both requiring the appropriate winning margin.
Because competitions can choose different formats, the correct scoreboard configuration depends on the match being played.
Singles and Doubles Scoring
The basic point, game and set structure applies to both singles and doubles.
In doubles, however, individual service and receiving order involves four players.
A simple team-level scoreboard may show which team is serving without showing which specific doubles player is serving or receiving.
ScoreMetrik supports singles and team-labelled doubles scoring, but it is not a full doubles officiating or player-rotation system.
What a Tennis Scoreboard Does Not Tell You
A basic tennis scoreboard answers one main question: What is the current score and match state?
It does not necessarily tell you everything that happened during the match.
Statistics such as aces, double faults, first-serve percentage, break points, winners, unforced errors, serve speed and player rankings are separate match statistics.
They are not required to understand the basic point → game → set → match scoring structure.
Keep Score During a Match
If you understand the scoring system and now want to run a match yourself, open the ScoreMetrik Tennis Scoreboard.
It supports point scoring, Deuce and Advantage, games, sets, standard tiebreaks, configurable match formats, serving-side tracking, Undo/Redo and a fullscreen display directly in the browser.
No signup is required.
Tennis Scoring FAQ
Why is zero called Love in tennis?
Love is the standard scoring term for zero. The official scoring rules define the term, but this guide does not rely on any particular historical explanation for where the word originally came from.
What comes after 40 in tennis?
If the opponent has 30 or less, winning the next point normally wins the game. If both sides reach 40, the score is Deuce. Under Advantage scoring, one side must then win two consecutive points.
Is 40–40 the same as Deuce?
Yes. When both sides have won three points in a standard game, 40–40 is called Deuce.
Can a tennis set finish 6–5?
Not under the normal Advantage Set or Tie-break Set methods. A two-game margin is required at that stage. A set may finish 7–5, or a Tie-break Set may be decided 7–6 after a tiebreak.
What happens at 6–6 in tennis?
In a Tie-break Set, a tiebreak is played at 6–6. An Advantage Set instead continues until one side leads by two games. The format being used should be announced before the match.
How many sets are needed to win?
A player or team needs two sets to win a best-of-three match and three sets to win a best-of-five match.
How many points win a tiebreak?
A standard tiebreak is normally won by the first side to reach seven points with a two-point margin. Other approved formats can use different tiebreak targets, including Match Tiebreaks.
Does the same player serve the whole tiebreak?
No. The first server serves one point. The opponent serves the next two, and the sides then alternate two serves at a time.
Rules Reference
This guide follows the scoring framework in the 2026 ITF Rules of Tennis, including standard game scoring, set scoring, match formats, tiebreak service order and approved alternative scoring methods.
For another beginner-friendly reference, see the USTA tennis scoring guide. These links are references only; ScoreMetrik is not affiliated with or endorsed by the ITF or USTA.