Tiebreak serve order: who serves each point, and when to change ends

The tiebreak serve rule

A tiebreak at 6–6 has its own serving pattern. The ITF Rules of Tennis (Rule 5) and the FIP Rules of Padel describe the same thing:

1. Point 1: the player whose turn it is to serve serves one point, from the right (deuce) court.
2. Points 2 and 3: the opponent serves two points, the first from the left (ad) court and the second from the right. In doubles, this is the opponent due to serve next.
3. After that: each side serves 2 points in a row, left then right, until the tiebreak ends. In doubles, partners keep the serving order they used in the set.
4. Change ends after every 6 points: after points 6, 12, 18 and so on.
5. The end: the first to 7 points with a lead of 2 wins the tiebreak and the set 7–6. There is no cap, so 6–6 goes on to 8–6, 9–7 and beyond.
6. The next set: whoever received the first point of the tiebreak serves the first game of the next set, no matter who won the tiebreak. In doubles, that team chooses which partner serves it, as at the start of every set.

A quick way to check: the first server serves points 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13 and so on, and the other side serves points 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15. Odd-numbered points are served from the right, even-numbered points from the left. The score never decides who serves; only the number of points played does, so 5–2 and 4–3 have the same server.

Serve order, point by point

A is the player, or doubles team, due to serve the first point. In doubles, A1 is that player, B1 is the opponent due to serve next, and A2 and B2 are their partners. Right means the right (deuce) court and left the left (ad) court.

The pattern repeats every 4 points in singles and every 8 in doubles, for as long as the tiebreak lasts. The same order applies to the 10-point match tiebreak.

When to change ends in a tiebreak

Change ends after every 6 points, counting both sides' points. In a 7-point tiebreak that means at 3–3, 4–2, 5–1 or 6–0, then at 6–6, then at 9–9. The change falls in the middle of a service turn: the player who served point 6 walks to the other end and serves point 7 from the right.

• Before the tiebreak: no change. 6–6 is 12 games, and during a set the players change ends only after odd-numbered games (1, 3, 5 and so on), so the tiebreak starts at the same ends as game 12.
• After the tiebreak: change ends. The tiebreak counts as one game, so the set finishes 7–6, which is 13 games, and under ITF Rule 10 the players change ends at the end of a set with an odd number of games.
• Before a 10-point match tiebreak: the same end-of-set rule applies. If the set just finished had an odd number of games (6–3, 6–1, 7–6), change ends first; after an even one (6–4, 7–5, 6–2), start where you are.
• Coman procedure: After point 1, then every 4 points (points 1, 5, 9, 13 and so on). Some leagues use it instead of every 6 points, including USTA League play. Only the ends change; the serve order stays the same. The helper above uses the standard every-6-points rule.

Doubles: which player serves

In doubles, the rotation from the set simply carries on into the tiebreak: A1, then B1, then A2, then B2, two points each after the first. To find A1 at 6–6, remember that 12 games is three full rounds of four servers, so the player due to serve is the one who served the first game of the set, or put another way, the partner of whoever served their team's last game. B1 is the opponent who did not serve game 12.

The receiving pair stays on the sides it used in the set: the player on the right receives the points served from the right, and the partner on the left receives the points served from the left.

The 10-point match tiebreak

A match tiebreak (also called a super tiebreak) replaces the deciding set: first to 10 points with a 2-point lead wins the match. The serving pattern is exactly the same: one point, then two points each, and ends change after every 6 points, so after 6, 12 and 18 points (18 points played in a match tiebreak means 9–9).

The order of service carries on from the last set, so point 1 goes to whoever would have served the first game of a new set. If the last set was decided by a tiebreak, that is the player who received its first point. In doubles, each team may change which partner serves first, as it could at the start of any set.

Padel tiebreaks

The FIP Rules of Padel use the same pattern as tennis. The player due to serve serves the first point from the right; after that each server serves 2 points, left then right, in the set's serving order. Ends change after every 6 points in both the 7-point tiebreak and the 10-point super tiebreak, and the next-set rule is the same as in tennis. Padel is always doubles, so read the doubles column of the table above. More on the padel tiebreak rules.

Worked example: a tiebreak won 8–6

Singles, with A due to serve at 6–6. Watch the ends change twice and the serve pass back and forth every 2 points.

Edge cases

• Long tiebreaks. The pattern never resets. At 12–12, 24 points have been played, ends have changed four times, and point 25 is served from the right by the player who served point 1.
• 7–6 is not the end. A tiebreak needs a 2-point lead, so 7–6 carries on: from there, 8–6 wins it and 7–7 means play on. Once both players reach 6, the tiebreak can only end 8–6, 9–7, 10–8 and so on.
• Serves per point. Each tiebreak point still gets a first and a second serve. "Two points each" is about points, not serves.
• Wrong server. If the wrong player serves in a tiebreak, ITF Rule 27 puts it right straight away if the mistake is found after an even number of points; if it is found after an odd number, the new order stands for the rest of the tiebreak.
• Wrong half or wrong ends. Under the same rule, serving from the wrong half, or playing from the wrong ends, is put right as soon as someone notices. In every case, points already played stand.
• A deciding-set tiebreak. If the final set is a full set with a tiebreak at 6–6, that tiebreak ends the match, so there is no next set to serve.