Tennis has a unique scoring system that isn’t used in any other sports. The scoring system can be confusing if you’re unfamiliar with tennis, and so can terms like “game, set, match.”
So, what does game, set, match mean in tennis?
Game, set, match in tennis means that one player has won the final game and set, and therefore the match. It’s a way to signal that the last game is complete, the last set is complete, and the last match is complete, so the competition is over, and one player wins.
This article explains how game, set, match is used and what a game, a set, and a tennis match actually are. We will also go into how tennis is scored, which is unlike any other sport.
How Is Game, Set, Match Used?
Game set match is the term that tennis officials announce at the end of a match as a way to signal that one player has won.
A game, a set, and a match are all elements of tennis competition. Games make up a set, and three or five sets make up the match in simple terms.
When a tennis official announces at the end of the game “game, set, match,” they mean that all the games, all the sets, and the match are complete, and a winner has been crowned.
What Is a Game in Tennis?
A game in tennis is the smallest part of the entire competition. You and your opponent have to play multiple games to complete a set.
The players play until one of them scores four points. However, you have to win a set by two points, so if the score is tied at three points each, which is called a deuce, players have to keep playing until one scores two points in a row and wins the game.
After the game is complete, the winning player gets the point in the set, and they play another game. Later in the article, we will explain in depth how games in tennis are scored.
What Is a Set in Tennis?
A set in tennis is made up of games, and the player who wins six games first wins the set. For each game won in a set, a player gets one point, and the first player to six points wins.
But, for one player to win a set, they must win by two games. Sometimes, a player needs to win more than six games to win the set.
If the score is 6-5, the player with six points needs to win the next game to win the set, which means they need seven total games to win the set, not six. But, if the other player wins the game, the score for the set is 6-6.
If a set is tied at six games each, or six-all, the players will play a tiebreaker game to determine who will win the set. The tiebreaker game in a set has different scores than the other games.
For each point scored in the tiebreaker game, a player earns one point instead of the usual 15. Suppose the players alternate scoring on the first three points. Instead of the score being 15 – love, 15 – all, 30 – 15, the score in the tiebreaker game is 1 – 0, 1 – 1, 2 – 1.
The first player to score seven points in the tiebreaker game, winning by two points, wins the game and, therefore, the match. A tiebreaker game can be quite long if the players alternate scoring on each serve and one cannot score twice in a row to win by two.
What Is a Match in Tennis?
A tennis match is an entire competition between two players on the court. Just like sets are made up of games, a tennis match consists of sets. There are typically three sets within a tennis match, and the player who wins the match is whoever wins two sets first.
But sometimes, in high levels of tennis, a match is made up of five sets. The first player to win three sets in these competitions wins the match.
Matches don’t have any particular scoring system, and players just need to win two sets in a match (or three sets in five-set matches) to win the competition. And, unlike games and sets, players don’t need to win by two sets to win a match.
Is Game, Set, Match Used for Anything Else?
Tennis is the only sport with games, sets, and matches, so you won’t hear the phrase “game, set, match” in any other sports. But, sometimes, it’s used as a slang term to mean someone won something or beat another person.
How Does Scoring Work in Tennis?
Tennis has a unique scoring system that you won’t find in other sports. Players still earn points when they score, but they don’t go in increments of one. Instead, they use a scoring system of 15, 30, and 40, with a few other terms to signify certain scoring situations.
Here are the different tennis scores and terms, which players score in a tennis game:
- Love = 0 points
- 15 = 1 point
- 30 = 2 points
- 40 = 3 points
- All = score is tied
- Deuce = 40 – all or 3 points each
- Ad-In = The server wins the deuce point
- Ad-Out = The receiver wins the deuce point
“All” means that both players have the same score. The possibilities are “15 – All” when both players have scored once and “30 – All” when both players have scored twice.
If both players have scored three times, the score is “40 – 40” or “40 – All”, but this is actually called a deuce. As we discussed above, a player must win a game by two points, so when there’s a deuce, one player must score twice in a row to win the game.
When there’s a deuce and the server scores, the server has the advantage on the next point, and the score is “ad-in.” But, when the receiver scores on the deuce, they have the advantage called “ad-out.”
If the player who has the advantage scores again on the deuce, the game is over, and the player who scored wins. But, if the other player without the advantage scores, the game is tied again, and the deuce restarts.
For each game won in a set, a player gets one point. And, for each set in a match, a player gets one point. It’s just each game that uses the unique tennis scoring system.
What Does Love Mean in Tennis?
Love in tennis means zero or nothing. So when a tennis match first starts, the score is love-all. The same is true when each game and set starts.
Then, as the game and match go on, if one player doesn’t score, they will still have a score of love. For example, after the first point of each game is scored, the score is 15-love. Then, if the same player continues not to score, the score will be 30-love then 40-love.
What Is a Breakpoint in Tennis?
A breakpoint in tennis is when one player can win the game on the next serve and when this player is the one who isn’t serving.
Here’s Merriam Webster’s definition of a breakpoint:
- a situation in tennis in which the receiving player can win the game by scoring the next point
- also: the point so scored
A breakpoint is an important point in the game because one player has the advantage that they only need to score one more time to win, but the other player has the advantage since they’re serving.
If the serving player wants to keep the game alive, they must score this point. Otherwise, the game is over, and the other player wins.
There are four different scoring scenarios in which breakpoints can occur in a game of tennis.
Here are the four scenarios, all in which the player with the lower score is serving, and the higher scoring player is returning:
- Breakpoint: A traditional breakpoint occurs when the score is 30 to 40 and if the returning player scores on the serve, they win the game.
- Double Breakpoint: A double breakpoint is when the score is 15 to 40. In this case, the returning player has two opportunities to score on their opponent’s serve and win the game.
- Triple Breakpoint: A triple breakpoint is when the score is 0 to 40, and the returning player has three opportunities to score a breakpoint and win the game.
- Deuce Breakpoint: Finally, a deuce breakpoint occurs when the score is 40 to 40, and the returning player has already scored one point on the deuce. To win a deuce and break the tie, a player must score 2 points in a row. So if the returning player has already scored one point on the deuce, they only need one more to win the game, which is why this situation is also a breakpoint.
