Tennis · Rules explained
Why is tennis scored 15, 30, 40? Love, deuce and advantage explained
In tennis, love means zero, the first three points of a game are called 15, 30 and 40, 40-40 is deuce, and the point after deuce is advantage. Nobody knows for certain where the numbers came from; the most repeated theory is that early scores were kept on a clock face.
Why is tennis scored 15, 30, 40?
Nobody knows for certain. These are the explanations you will meet most often:
- A clock face. Scores were kept on a clock, with the hand moved a quarter for each point: 15, 30, 45, and 60 for the game. 45 later became 40, possibly to leave room for deuce and advantage before the hand reached 60.
- Easier to say. "Forty" is shorter than "forty-five" (quarante against quarante-cinq in French), so the longer number was clipped in everyday use.
- The court. Another story ties the numbers to jeu de paume, the French ancestor of tennis, with a player moving forward a set distance after each point won.
What is certain is that the numbers are only names. Under the ITF Rules of Tennis, 15, 30 and 40 stand for the first, second and third points of a game, zero is called love, and a tiebreak drops the names altogether and counts 1, 2, 3.
What does love mean in tennis?
Love means zero. "15-love" means the server has 1 point and the receiver none. A game won without the opponent scoring a point is a love game, and a set won 6-0 is a love set.
Where the word comes from is disputed. Two explanations are repeated most often:
- The egg: "love" comes from the French l'oeuf, "the egg", because a zero looks like one.
- Playing for nothing: "love" comes from the English idea of doing something for love rather than for money or stakes, so a player on love has nothing.
Neither has been proven, so treat both as theories.
What does deuce mean in tennis?
Deuce is the score when both players have won 3 points in a game: 40-40. The correct call is "deuce", not "40-all", and it is called again every time the game gets back to level. From deuce a player has to win 2 points in a row. The word is usually traced to the French à deux, "at two": the players are level, and two more points are needed.
What is advantage in tennis?
Advantage is the score after the first point won from deuce. The player with advantage wins the game with the next point; if they lose it, the score goes back to deuce, and there is no limit on how often that can happen. In casual play people say "ad in" when the server has the advantage and "ad out" when the receiver has it. Under no-ad scoring there is no advantage at all: the point at deuce decides the game.
How each score is called
The server's score always comes first:
| Points (server first) | Called | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 1-0 | Fifteen-love | Server leads by a point |
| 0-2 | Love-thirty | Receiver leads by two |
| 1-1 | Fifteen-all | Level |
| 3-1 | Forty-fifteen | Server needs one more point |
| 2-2 | Thirty-all | Level |
| 3-3 | Deuce | Level at 40; two points in a row needed |
| 4-3 | Advantage server (ad in) | Server wins the game with the next point |
| 3-4 | Advantage receiver (ad out) | Receiver wins the game with the next point |
| 4-4 | Deuce | Back to level |
For how games, sets and tiebreaks build on these calls, see how to keep score in tennis.
How the app handles it
The app shows the game score as 0, 15, 30, 40 and Ad rather than spelling out love, with a Deuce label at 40-40. You tap whoever won the point and the display moves through the calls for you, including back to Deuce when an advantage is lost.
Questions
Why is it 40 and not 45 in tennis?
No one knows for sure. The usual explanations are that 45 was shortened to 40 to leave room for deuce and advantage on a clock face, or simply because forty is quicker to say.
What is a break point in tennis?
A point that would win the game for the receiver, such as 30-40, love-40 or advantage receiver. If the receiver wins it, they have broken serve. The same situation for the server is called game point.
What is a bagel in tennis?
Slang for a set won 6-0, which is also called a love set. The zero on the scoreboard is said to look like a bagel.
Last reviewed September 25, 2026
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