Tennis scoring guide: Understanding the Rules, Terms, and Points system for Grand Slam and ATP events

Tennis has been one of the most popular sports in the world. A simple game that is either played between two individuals or two teams comprising two players each, the sport has been widespread. Not only does it have a global reach in terms of people playing it, but it also is one of the richest sports giving the players the platform to become global icons.

While the game is simple to understand that you have to ensure the ball crosses the net, the scoring isn’t as simple. A lot of technicalities are involved within the game, some traditional methods while some are with the help of technology. The game has evolved over time and offers a great deal of variety to attract more viewers towards the game.

Having originated in the UK in the late 19th century, tennis was played on grass courts. Over the years, clay courts became popular. Carpet and hardcourts were the last to be introduced to the sport. Today, hardcourts are the most widely used surface followed by clay and grass as the least used. Hardcourts have been further improvised into indoor and hard courts.

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Scoring Rules and Points system in Tennis

Except for the Grand Slam events for men in the singles discipline, which is in the best-of-five format, all matches in tennis are played in the best-of-three format. The three and five in this refer to the sets in the match. A set comprises of games that further comprise of points. To win a point, the player has to ensure the opponent is unable to return the ball within the drawn lines on the court. All calls in the match are made by the chair umpire with the help of other line judges spread on the court.

To win a game, a player has to win four points provided the other player doesn’t have equal points. If player A is serving in the match and doesn’t lose a point, the scoring goes from 15-0, 30-0, 40-0 and then a ‘Game’ is won. If the opponent wins two points, the game can still be won by the player serving by winning four points. However, if the opponent makes it 40-40 in the game, it results in a deuce. If a deuce happens, one of the players has to then win two consecutive points to win the game.

A set is won by any player when he wins six games. In case the other player wins five games, a player needs to win seven games provided he doesn’t lose another one. If the set is tied at six games a piece, a tiebreaker is played out. The tiebreaker rules are different at tournaments however Grand Slams have now united to follow a common rule in the tiebreakers.

The chance to serve is given to each player alternatively in the match. In the tiebreaker, the serve changes when the sum of the points is an odd number (one, three, five, seven, etc). In all cases, the 25-second shot clock is working to ensure the serving player doesn’t take too much time to start the point provided there’s no external disturbance like crowd disruption for instance.

Glossary of Tennis (Part-1)

• Ace – When a player manages to land the ball inside the service box with the opponent unable to touch it, it is called an ace, a type of winner
• Ad Court – Used to denote the left side of the court for each player, often called when a point is played after a deuce
• Ad In – Server is in Advantage during a deuce
• Ad Out – The Receiver is in Advantage during a deuce
• Ad – The Chair Umpire calls ‘Advantage’ on the point won by either player on the very next point after a deuce
• Advantage Set – When a player wins the set either 6-4 or 7-5, in other words, with a two-game advantage
• All – The Chair Umpire uses it to announce when both players have an equal number of games, sets, or points
• Alley – The area between the sidelines for singles and doubles
• Alternate – In a case where one of the main-draw participants withdraws, another player is roped in to complete the draw
• Backboard – Wall used by players to practice without need of another player
• Backcourt – Area between the service line and the baseline
• Bagel – Used to denote a 6-0 scoreline, when a player wins a set without losing a single game
• Bagnall-Wild – Technique used since 1880s to draw the players in the first round. Named after Ralph Bagnall Bagnall-Wild
• Ball Boy/Kid – A child who works on the court to collect and distribute balls to the players on the court
• Ball toss – The action done by player before hitting the serve
• Baseline – The last line of play on the court. Anything beyond is called out by the chair umpire
• Big serve – A powerful serve that fetches point for the player serving in the game
• Breadstick – Used to denote a scoreline of 6-1 in a set
• Break – Winning the game on the opponent’s service game, often gives the advantage to win the set
• Break Point – The point which if won clinches the break giving a slight advantage
• Break Back – Winning the game by breaking opponent’s service game immediately after having lost own’s serve in the previous game
• Brutaliser – Act of hitting the ball straight on the other player
• Bye – Direct qualification into the next round without contesting a match, usually happens to top seeds in the first round of tournament
• Call – Chair umpire or line judge’s announcement when the ball is hit outside the permissible area
• Cannonball – A very fast and flat serve
• Career Golden Slam – Winning all four Majors along with a Gold medal at the Olympics in the same discipline
• Career Grand Slam – Winning all four Majors at least once in no particular order
• Carve – Shot having the combination of both sidespin and underspin
• Center Mark – Small marked at the center of the court where the player serving is expected to stand before hitting their serve
• Challenge – When a player disagrees with the chair umpire’s decision and asks for a review with the help of technology
• Change over – A short duration (90 seconds) of allowed time to players to switch ends after every odd-numbered game is played out
• Code Violation – Chair umpire’s official warning or penalty to players if found to have violated any rule
• Consolidate – Holding the serve after having broken the opponent’s serve in the earlier game
• Crosscourt Shot – A diagonal shot in the opponent’s court
• Dead net – A situation when a player’s shot hits the top of the net and deceivingly falls into the opponent’s court costing the other player a point
• Dead rubber – A match of no consequence, usually happens in team tournaments where multiple match results decides which team advances
• Default – Disqualification of a player from a match after chair umpire’s ruling due to inexcusable code violations or behavior on the court
• Deuce – When the two players are tied at 40-40 in a game
• Dig – Last second shot by a player before the ball hits the court for the second time
• Double Bagel – A best-of-three match won with a scoreline of 6-0,6-0
• Double Break Point – When a player receiving leads the game 40-15 its called a Double Break Point as he has two chances to break his opponent’s serve
• Double Break – Difference of two breaks between the two players (Double Break Up: Having an advantage of two breaks, Double Break Down: Having conceded two breaks)
• Double Fault – Consecutive faults during service which lead to the opponent winning one point
• Draw – Schedule of fixtures for the tournament
• Drop Shot – Shot hit with enough power and spin to land just into the opponent’s half to win the point
• Elbow – Corner of the Doubles Alley and the baseline
• Error – A shot that hits the ground outside the permissible area handing the opponent a point
• Exhibition – Match/Tournament played for charitable purposes where ranking points are not awarded
• Fault – Incorrect serve that results in another attempt made by the player to start the point with a correct serve
• First Serve – First attempt to hit the serve correctly and start the point
• Follow through – Momentum of the player and the racket after hitting the ball
• Foot fault – Overstepping the baseline while serving
• Forced Error – When a point is lost due to not the player’s mistake but the opponent’s brilliance on the point
• Frame Shot – An unusual shot when the ball hits the frame of the racket instead of the strings

Glossary of Tennis (Part-2)

• Game Point – The point which if won will win the server that particular game
• Game, Set, Match – Widely used phrase by chair umpire’s when the final point of the match is played out
• Game – A series of points where the same player serves during the entire course of a Game. Every ‘Set’ comprises of at least six games and can maximum go to 13 games
• Ghost in to the net – Moving towards the net when the other player attempts to return the ball unaware of the movement of the other player to the net
• Golden Set – Winning a set without losing a single point during the entire set
• Golden Slam – Winning all four Majors and the Olympics Gold Medal in the same discipline during one single calendar year
• Grand Slam – Winning all four Majors in the same Calendar year
• Grunt – Groans and noises made by players while hitting the ball
• Gut – A type of Racket string
• Hawk Eye – Computer technology connected to cameras to track the ball’s movement and help during players challenging the chair umpire’s call
• Hitting partner – Designated person to help player practice in training
• Hold – Winning the game when serving
• Hot Dog – Shot hit by a player from between their legs
• Inside-in – Hitting a forehand winner on the line while running on the backhand side
• Inside-out – Hitting a crosscourt forehand winner while running on the backhand side
• Insurance break – A break that hands an overall advantage of two service breaks
• Jamming – Hitting the shot or serve directly on the opponent’s body
• Junk Ball – Shot hit slowly and without spin
• Kick Serve – A high-bouncing spin serve
• Knock Up – Small practice session between players before play officially begins
• Last Direct – Least ranked player who’s allowed to directly enter the tournament
• Let – Chair Umpire’s call to replay the point in case of an unforeseen disturbance or a serve attempt hitting the net
• Let Check – Technological tool that uses vibrations to detect lets in service
• Line Judge – Officials assigned to check and call the bounce of the ball to determine whether it was inside or outside with the players unable to challenge the call. Chair Umpire’s call however remains the final decision
• Line Call – A decision taken by the Line Judge
• Long – Call made by the officials when the ball lands outside the baseline
• Love – A score of zero. The scores 0-15, 0-30, 0-40 will be pronounced as Love Fifteen, Love Thirty and Love Forty
• Love Game – A game won without conceding a single point to the opponent
• Love Hold – A game won by the player serving without conceding a single point to the opponent
• Lucky Loser – A player who loses in the final qualifying round yet makes it to the main draw due to being ranked the highest among the players to lose

Glossary of Tennis (Part-3)

• Mac Cam – Inspired by John McEnroe’s name, it is a high-speed action camera for instant replays for TV broadcast
• Match Point – The situation where the player in lead needs one point to win the match
• Mercedes Super 9 – Former name of the ATP-1000 Masters tournament
• Mini Break – Point won when receiving the serve
• Mini Hold – Used mostly in tiebreakers when the player serving wins his point
• Mishit – When the ball hits the not intended part of the racket instead of the strings
• Moonball – A shot combined with big topspin that goes high, slow and is intended to land just inside the opponent’s baseline
• Net Point – Point contested having approached the net
• Net out – A fault that occurs after the ball hits the net and falls outside the permissible area
• Net posts- Posts on either side of the net that hold the net
• New balls – Replacing the balls after seven to nine games upon the chair umpire’s request as the old balls get deformed due to constant hitting
• No ad scoring – Seen usually in timed matches where the player who wins the next point after the deuce wins the game
• No man’s land – Area between the service line and baseline
• Not up – Chair umpire’s call when the ball is played after bouncing twice
• Non-endemic products – Sponsorship products that are not related to the sport
• Official – Member of the refereeing team
• On one’s racket – Situation where a player needs to hold his serve to win the match
• On serve – A Situation where neither player can win the match as the number of breaks are equal hence the break of serve is needed
• One-two punch – A point won in two shots by the server
• Open Era – Used to denote the period of tennis since 1968 when tournaments were ‘Opened’ to both amateurs and professional players
• Order of Play – Schedule of the entire day’s play at a tournament
• Out – Error where the ball lands outside the court
• Overrule – Reversing the linesman’s call by the chair umpire
• Paint the lines – Hitting shots as close as possible to the lines of the court
• Percentage tennis – Playing safe tennis to force out an error from the opponent
• Pint it – Hitting a shot to the corners of the court
• Point – Scoring unit in tennis calculated after the first legal service and the last shot that leads to an error thus handing the point to either player
• Point penalty – Loss of a point after multiple levels of code violations deemed suitable by the chair umpire
• Pressureless Ball – Special balls used usually in high altitude tournaments to balance the difference between the atmosphere and pressure within the ball
• Protected Ranking – An entry quota for a tournament used by players injured for more than six months where their average ranking for the first three months of injury is considered
• Pull the trigger – Bouncing on the opportunity during a rally to hit a powerful winner
• Pusher – Name given to any player who does not aim to hit a winner and just return the ball hoping for the opponent to make a mistake
• Putaway – Shot that is hit in hopes of being the winner and no return is expected on it
• Qualification Round/Qualies – Round of matches played before the main draw matches begin where players with a lower rank than the tournament cut-off rank compete
• Qualifier – A player who reaches the main draw after winning the qualification rounds
• Racket abuse – Committed by players who break their rackets in frustration on the court leading to a warning or point penalty as decided by the chair umpire
• Rally – Exchange of shots between the players after the legal service starts the point and a winner/error from one of the player ends the point
• Receiver – A player who receives the service
• Referee – Official with the responsibility of ensuring all rules are followed at the tournament
• Reflex Volley – A volley hit by a player instinctively during the match
• Ret – Used to denote a player’s retirement when they are forced to withdraw, mostly due to injuries
• Return Ace – Winner hit by the receiver on the second shot of the point
• Rising shot – Shot hit when the ball is yet to reach its apex
• Round Robin – A tournament format where players are placed in groups and are made to play a match against each of the group member
• Rubber – Individual match played during team competitions
• Run around the ball – To move on the court to be in a position to hit a forehand which otherwise would have been a backhand or vice-versa

Glossary of Tennis (Part-4)

• Scratch – Injury forced withdrawal from a match
• Second Serve – The second attempt to hit the serve correctly on a point
• Second Snap – Shot hit from the co-poly strings to get topspin
• Seeding – Arrangement of high-ranked players as per their ranking in order to avoid two high-ranked players potentially meeting in the early rounds
• Serve – First shot of every point
• Serve and Volley – Strategy of playing where the server approaches the net immediately after hitting the serve to hit a potential winner on the volley
• Serve Out – Winning a set by holding serve
• Service Box – The designated rectangular area where the serve is to be hit to start a point
• Service Game – Used to denote the game for the player who is serving
• Service Line – Line painted parallel to the net and one of the lines of the Service Box
• Set Point – Situation during the set where one of the players has the opportunity to win the set on the next point
• Shamateurism – Violation of amateur laws during the pre-Open Era done by amateur players for playing in tournaments for money
• Shank – A misdirected shot that often lands outside the court and rarely inside
• Shot clock – Clock on the court that countdowns to 25 seconds, the allowed limit for a player to hit their serve
• Singles net – Net used during a singles match
• Sitter – A fairly easy shot for one of the players which is usually a winner after the opponent barely manages to return the ball but is hardly in a position to return again
• Sledgehammer – A two-handed backhand winner that goes very close to the line
• Slice – A shot that has a low bounce, flat trajectory, and a lot of backspin
• Smash – A powerful shot that is often hit in order for the ball to go vertically after the bounce and make it unreturnable for the opponent
• Spank – A rapidly hit flat groundstroke
• Sparring Partner – Designated person to help player practice in training
• Special Exempt – Players unable to play in qualifying rounds because competing in the final round of a tournament can be given a special exempt and placed directly in the main draw
• Split Step – Small bounce on both feet done by a player to be in a position to move in either direction on the court
• Spot Serving – Precision service aimed to land the ball near the service line’s intersection with either the center service line or singles tramline
• Squash Shot – A shot (forehand/backhand) hit while running in a defensive position
• Stick Volley – Volley hit with a sharp downward trajectory
• Stop Volley – A delicately hit volley that barely crosses the net
• Stopper – A player who is not believed to make it to the advanced rounds but can stop a seed from doing so
• Straight-Sets – Used to denote a match result where the winner of the match does not lose a single set
• String Saver – A small plastic piece that stops the strings from tangling and breaking prematurely
• Sudden Death Tiebreaker – A best-of-nine-point tiebreaker where the last point determines the winner
• Super Tiebreaker – Often used in doubles where the tiebreaker is played in the format of first to ten points
• Sweetspot – The best location of the racket for hitting the ball, often the centermost part of the racket
• Tanking – Losing points/set/match on purpose which can lead to a ban or a fine. Players might tank a set to focus on the other one to recoup and focus better
• Tennis Bubble – Dome-structured indoor court where the air pressure is maintained by blowers
• Tennis elbow – A common injury due to incorrect technique often seen in beginners
• Tiebreak – Special game played at 6-6 when the two players can’t be separated and need a one-off game to determine who wins the set
• Touch – Losing a point due to a player getting in contact with the net while the ball is still in play
• Tramline – Line defining the limit of play on the side
• Trampolining – A shot with very high velocity due to strings with loose tension
• Two Ball Pass – Hitting a shot that goes past the opponent who approaches the net after the first shot
• Triple Bagel – Winning a best-of-five match without losing a single set (6-0, 6-0, 6-0)
• Triple Crown – Winning a tournament in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, all three disciplines. Usually achieved at Grand Slam tournaments
• T – Intersection of the service line and the center line that gives a look of ‘T’
• Tube – Deliberate attempt to hit the ball on the opponent’s body
• Tweener – Shot hit from between the legs while running in the opposite direction of the net
• Twist Serve – A combination serve that has topspin and slice

Glossary of Tennis (Part-5)

• Underarm/Underhand Serve – Service hit from below shoulder level often used to deceive the opponent
• Underspin – Spin of a ball where the direction of travel is opposite to that of the rotation of the top of the ball
• Unforced Error – Loss of a point due to an error in shot execution
• Unseeded Player – A player who is not in one of the highest-ranked tournaments and hence not a seed
• Upset – A surprise win for a lower-ranked player against a higher-ranked player
• Walkover – Withdrawal of a player before the match with no chance for any other player to replace giving the other player direct entry in the next round
• Whiff – A completely missed shot by a player
• Wide – A call made by the linesman after spotting the ball has landed outside the court
• Wildcard – An entry given to a player with a low rank or for late registration with the decision completely in hands of the organizing tournament
• Wrong Foot – Hitting the ball in the opposite horizontal direction forcing a sudden switch in direction for the opponent
• Yo-Yo – A trick shot where the ball first bounces in the opponent’s half and then spins back into one’s own court
• Zero Pointer – In case a player decides to skip the mandatory tournaments and play in another event during the same time, they stand a chance to not gain any points due to their failure to fulfil their commitment

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