How tennis scoring works: 15-30-40, advantage, sets and tie-breaks
TenisRaketi Editör Ekibi · Updated October 2026
Short answer
Points in a game go 0, 15, 30, 40 and the fourth point wins it; after 40-40 you need two points in a row. The first to six games with a lead of two wins the set, with a tie-break at 6-6. In a tie-break the first to seven with a lead of two wins, and the serve changes every two points after the first.
In this guide
Tennis scoring has three layers: points win games, games win sets, sets win the match. This guide covers each layer and the shorter formats.
Game: 0, 15, 30, 40
Tennis does not count points one, two, three:
Points won | Score |
|---|---|
None | 0 (love) |
1 | 15 |
2 | 30 |
3 | 40 |
4 | Game |
When the score is called, the server's score comes first. If the server has two points and the receiver one, the score is "30-15"; the other way round it is "15-30".
ITF Rule 5 (a).
40-40: deuce and advantage
If both players have won three points, the score is 40-40, called deuce. Whoever wins the next point has advantage. If the player with advantage wins the next point too, they win the game; if they lose it, the score goes back to deuce. So after deuce you need two points in a row to win the game.
Losing a point at advantage does not lose the game; it only takes you back to deuce.
ITF Rule 5 (a).
Set: six games and a two-game lead
The first player to six games with a lead of at least two wins the set. 6-4 ends the set; 6-5 does not, 7-5 does. At 6-6 most events play a tie-break (a tie-break set). Some events play the final set without one, going on until someone leads by two games (an advantage set). Which one applies is announced before the event.
ITF Rule 6.
How does a tie-break work?
Tie-break points are counted 0, 1, 2, 3. The first to seven points with a lead of at least two wins the tie-break and the set; without a two-point lead it goes on (8-6, 9-7…).
The serve order:
- The player whose turn it is serves the first point.
- The opponent serves the next two points.
- From then on each player serves two points in turn: 1-2-2-2…
- The first serve is from the right half, then the halves alternate every point.
Players change ends every six points, and the tie-break is played without a rest. The player who served first in the tie-break receives in the first game of the next set.
ITF Rule 5 (b); Rule 10; Rule 17; Rule 29 (a).
Match: best of three sets
A match is either best of three sets or best of five. Club matches and most tournaments play best of three. Winning a best-of-three match takes at least 48 points: two sets, six games each, four points each.
ITF Rule 7.
Watching on TV: Since 2022, all four Grand Slams play a 10-point tie-break at 6-6 in the final set. (October 2026)
Shorter formats: no-ad and the match tie-break
The ITF rules allow shorter formats, as long as they are announced before the event. They are common in club leagues and doubles:
- No-ad game: At 40-40 a single deciding point is played and its winner takes the game. The receiver chooses whether to receive from the right or the left. In mixed doubles the player of the same gender as the server receives the deciding point.
- Match tie-break (10 points): Played instead of a third set when the sets are one all. The first to 10 with a lead of two wins the match. There is a 120-second set break before it, and the balls are not changed even if a change is due.
- Short set: The first to four games with a lead of two wins the set, with a tie-break at 4-4 (or at 3-3 if the event chooses).
ITF Appendix VI.
When do you change ends?
Players change ends after the first, third and every following odd game of each set. They also change at the end of a set, but if the set had an even number of games, they change after the first game of the next set. There is no rest at the change after the first game of a set; at other changes the rest is up to 90 seconds, and up to 120 seconds between sets.
ITF Rule 10; Rule 29 (a).
If you mix up the score or the order
When a mistake about the rules is found, the points already played stand; the mistake is put right as soon as it is found.
- Serving from the wrong half: move to the correct half straight away. A fault served before the mistake was found stands.
- Players at the wrong ends: move to the correct ends straight away. A fault served before the mistake was found does not stand (in 2026 this was written out for tie-breaks too).
- The wrong player served: the right player takes over straight away. If a whole game has been completed, the new order stays.
- Wrong serve order in a tie-break: corrected straight away if an even number of points have been played; after an odd number, the order stays as it is.
ITF Rule 27.
Frequently asked questions
Does a set end at 6-5?
No. You need a two-game lead. At 6-5 the set goes on; 7-5 ends it, and 6-6 means a tie-break.
How many points is a tie-break?
Seven, with a lead of at least two. At 6-6 it goes on until someone leads by two. A match tie-break is played to 10.
How does the serve change in a tie-break?
The player whose turn it is serves the first point, the opponent the next two; then each player serves two points in turn. Players change ends every six points.
What is no-ad scoring?
A format where 40-40 is decided by a single point instead of deuce and advantage. It is common in club leagues and doubles.
Whose score is called first?
The server's. "30-15" means the server has two points and the receiver one.
More guides on this topic
- Tennis rules: the basics for beginnersPoints in tennis go 15, 30, 40; you win a game with four points and a two-point lead, and a set with six games and a two-game lead, with a tie-break at 6-6. You serve from behind the baseline into the diagonal box and you get two serves. A ball that touches the line is in.
- Whose point? The most confused tennis rulesA ball that touches the line is in. You lose the point if you catch a ball going out, if the serve hits you before it bounces or if you volley the serve. Your racket may cross the net but not touch it. A ball that goes around the net post is good.
- Tennis serve rules: sides, two serves, lets and foot faultsEvery game starts with a serve from the right half, from behind the baseline into the diagonal box; you switch halves after each point. You get two serves, and two faults make a double fault. A let does not cancel an earlier fault. Tossing and not hitting is not a fault; swinging and missing is.
- Tennis court dimensions and lines: singles, doubles and the service boxA tennis court is 23.77 m long; 8.23 m wide for singles and 10.97 m for doubles. The service line is 6.40 m from the net, and the net is 0.914 m high in the centre and 1.07 m at the posts. In singles the 1.37 m alley along each side is out.
- Tennis ball types: the ITF ball types and court paceThe ITF approves three ball types: Type 1, a fast ball for slow courts; Type 2, a medium ball for most courts; and Type 3, a bigger, slower ball for fast courts. All weigh 56–59.4 g; Type 3 is 7.00–7.30 cm across, the others 6.54–6.86 cm. Juniors have red, orange and green balls.
- Racket and string rules: what does the ITF allow?A racket may be up to 73.7 cm (29 in) long and 31.7 cm wide, with a string bed up to 39.4 × 29.2 cm. A vibration dampener may only sit outside the crossed strings. If a string breaks you may keep playing with that racket unless the event forbids it; one racket at a time, and no batteries.
- Doubles tennis rules: serving order, receiving and positionsIn doubles each team decides at the start of a set who serves first; the serve then rotates between teams and between partners. On the receiving team the players take turns, point by point. The alley is in during rallies and out on the serve. Players may stand anywhere on their side; both partners may not hit the ball.
- Time, breaks, coaching and officials in a tennis matchThe warm-up is up to 5 minutes. Up to 25 seconds are allowed between points, 90 seconds at a change of ends and 120 seconds between sets. There is no extra time to recover condition; a 3-minute medical time-out may be allowed for a treatable condition. Coaching is never allowed during a point. The chair umpire decides questions of fact, the referee questions of law.
- The match on TV: what is different at the ATP, WTA and Grand SlamsThe ATP, the WTA and the Grand Slams play by the ITF Rules of Tennis and add their own regulations. The differences you see on TV: an electronic system instead of line judges at the ATP and WTA, penalties for time violations, coaching from the coaches' box, a 10-point final-set tie-break at the Grand Slams and no-ad games in doubles.