How a tennis match works

Tennis scores in three layers: points make a game, games make a set, sets make the match.

1. Points: a player wins a point when the opponent fails to return the ball into the court. The points in a game are called 15, 30, 40 and game; zero is "love".
2. Games: the first to four points wins the game. At 40-40, called deuce, a player must win two points in a row.
3. Sets: the first to six games, with a lead of two, wins the set. At six games all most events play a tie-break, so the set ends 7-6.
4. The match: the best of three sets or the best of five, as the event decides. There are no draws.

Players serve alternate games.

Reading the score

A score such as 6-4, 3-2, 40-15 means the first set was won 6-4, the second stands at three games to two, and the current game is at 40-15.

How long

There is no clock: the match ends when a player wins the sets needed. Players get at most 25 seconds between points.