Origins of Tennis Scoring
Tennis scores were shown in the middle ages on two clock faces which went from 0 to 60. On each score the pointer moved round a quarter from 0 to 15, 30, 45 and a win on 60. Somehow the forty five got truncated to forty when the clock faces dropped out of use.
Key Tennis Terms
- Ace – A legal serve which the returner does not manage to get their racquet to. An ace always results in the server winning a point.
- Advantage – A player’s score is given as ‘advantage’ or ‘ad’ when they win the next point after a game goes to deuce.
Miscellaneous Tennis Facts
Why is Wimbledon not called the British Open? Because they are ‘open’ for anybody to enter. And that does mean anyone. Well, you probably should be able to play tennis, but beyond that… Prior to 1968, the major tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open) were ‘closed’ to professional tennis players.
How long is a bathroom break in tennis? Players on the ATP Tour will be limited to bathroom breaks of no more than three minutes starting next season. The clock will start once the player reaches the bathroom and time violations will be enforced if anyone goes over the allotted time.
Why is the scoring in tennis so weird? In fact, most tennis historians believe that the real reason for the odd scoring is an early French version of the game, Jeu de Paume. The court had 45 feet each side of the net and the player started at the back and moved forward each time he scored a point.
What is the shortest match in tennis history? Sandiford 6–0, 6–0 at the 1946 Surrey Open Hard Court Championships in a match that lasted 18 minutes, the shortest men’s singles match on record.
What’s the most deuces in tennis? Remembering the longest single game of tennis with 37 deuces. It was the Surrey grass-court championships at Surbiton, on a Bank Holiday Monday, and it was all amateur players in those days.