I love playing tennis and was intrigued by the scoring used in tennis. Today, most games are pretty simple, especially when it comes to the scoring system. However, tennis dates back for centuries and has one of the most unique scoring systems, the 15 30 40. It may seem strange to learn about it for the first time, but there are many theories and logical explanations to help you understand it.
So, why is it 15 30 40 in tennis? Two main theories support the system: the medieval clock scoreboard and the rules of the old French tennis version, Jeu de paume. Originally, the players used a clock for their scores where they used the quarters, 15, 30, and 45, but eventually changed to 40 to allow the winner a two-point advantage over the opponent. Secondly, in the Jeu de paume, the leading player would move closer to the net by 15, 30, and 40 feet; hence, the scoring system.
We will go back in time to determine when and why players settled on the scoring system as we explain the related theories and facts. We will also present the basis of the unique rules and the little-known facts about tennis. Let’s go deeper in history to find out more about this incredible sport.
The Origin of the 15 30 40
You would expect a game to give straightforward points and make it easier for you to tell the winner, but tennis is different. As history has it, the scoring system has always been the 15-30-40. We investigated how it all started based on all the theories and facts.
The Clock Scoreboard
The first logical reason is that the medieval French used a clock on the court to count the scores. Each time the minute hand moved each quarter, the score would be 15, 30, 45, and 60, when the game ended. It makes sense because a clock would be the best way to keep score in such an era. The only challenge at that time was to ensure that the players had a point difference, which led to the introduction of the “deuce.”
According to the tennis rules, the winner needs a 2-point margin. At that time, they discovered that if the third point were 45, the next would automatically be 60, but they had to “return the score.” The scores had to remain at the clock’s “60”; hence, the players converted the third quarter from 45 to 40, and it stayed as the official score. As a result, if the game tied at 40, the leading player would get 10, which resulted in the “50” at the clock. If the player wins again, the clock moves to “60” upon the award of ten extra points.
The game would then end at 60 as long as the leading player wins two consecutive times. Otherwise, the clock returns to 40 as a “deuce.” A 50 score was the Advantage, where the next point will be the 60, which is also the game’s final win. This theory may be the reason for tennis’s 6-game set. If the clock got to the 6, halfway, it could start another set, and the win would go to the first player to complete the clock.
The only conflict to this theory is the time reference. It dates back to medieval times where the clocks only measured time in hours. The advanced minute clock dates to 1690 and not the 15th century. Therefore, the concept of the clock scoreboard beginning in medieval times may be faulty.
The Jeu de Paume System
The second theory to support the tennis scoring system originates from the jeu de paume, an old French tennis variation where the players used their hands to hit the ball instead of the racket. This version took a course in 1800 with hundreds of courts set up, especially in Paris. Also known as the “palm game,” it was a lot like modern tennis, only that there was no racket. It was primarily an indoor game where the players would hit the ball over a net using their hands.
Progressively, it became more convenient to wear gloves; gradually, they adopted a bat-like system that led to rackets. It may not be very popular today, but most believe that the rules have a strong foundation for modern tennis. Here, the courts were at 90 by 45 feet. Whenever the servers won, they had to move 15 feet towards the net the first two times and 10 feet closer on the third score.
First, the player moves 15 feet, the next time 15, which totals to 30 feet after two points, and the third movement is at 40 feet, which is where the 15 30 40 system originates. Given that the game was very similar to the current tennis, some historians are more inclined to this theory than the clock scoreboard one.
Other Theories
There are other theories to explain the scoring system, but they are not backed up as the first two. First, some believe that it comes from sphairistike, a game played by the British living in India in the 19th century. The players used the scoring system from the naval ships’ gun calibers. During the salute, they would usually fire the 15-pound, then a 30-pound, and the 40–pound at the main deck, middle, and the gun deck, respectively.
The second theory is a different variation of the clock scoreboard, in that the calling out of the scores made them change the system. The original 15, 30, and 45 were “quinze”, “trente”, and “quarante-cinq” respectively. However, the 45 became quite challenging to pronounce, leading to a simpler variation, “quarante,” meaning 40. Gradually, it stuck as the scoring system in the 19th century in different countries.
What Happens When the Score Is 40 40 In Tennis?
Tennis rules do not have conventional guidelines as you see in other games. It is not the typical stalemate sport where the players have to break the tie. You will come across terms such as “deuces” and advantage; therefore, let’s find out what happens when the players tie at 40.
For a regular game where players are at 40-40, otherwise known as the deuce, one player has to win one more game to get the advantage and win, ultimately with one more score. The only way to win is to earn two points more than your contender. Therefore, you must win two consecutive times to secure your win. If the player fails to score twice, the game automatically reverts to the deuce, allowing an equal chance for both players to win.
The tennis language for the 40-40 score is the deuce. Once the players reach this, the game win can go either way. The first player to score at this point gets the ad or the advantage over the opponent. If the leading player wins again, he/she gets the point over the advantage and wins the game.
Tennis is all about getting the advantage to stay ahead of the game. The game will keep going back and forth without it until the leading player has two consecutive wins over the 40-40 score. It has to be two uninterrupted wins; otherwise, the game will continue.
If the server is the first to break the tie by scoring after the deuce, the server announces “Ad In or Advantage In” before serving the next score. On the other hand, if the game was in favor of the receiver, the announcement by the receiver will be “Ad Out or Advantage Out.” In other cases where the game isn’t necessarily at deuce, but one of the players has a two-point advantage, the leading player will only need an extra score to win.
Why Is the Third Point in Tennis 40 and Not 45?
Still, on the fact that tennis scoring is exceptional, the system goes from 15 to 30 to 40, and not the expected 45, which naturally completes the sequence. We dug deeper to find out the theories explaining why and how the system changed.
First, the clock scoreboard theory suggests that the points had to stay within 60 minutes to prevent the winner from having a one-point difference; therefore, they had to settle on 40 to allow the leading player a two-point advantage over the opponent. The second theory is that the old French tennis version, the jeu de paume, had the 15 30 40 system.
The players moved 15 feet closer to the net twice and on 10 feet on the third score, cumulatively moving 15, 30, and 40 feet. Another theory to explain this is that the French word for 45 (“quarante-cinq”) was more difficult to pronounce than 40 (“quarante”). Therefore, the score gradually stayed at 40.
The 15 30 40 always dates back to medieval times or before the French revolution. One logical explanation is that the quarter-hour system wasn’t working because there would be four quarters in an hour, meaning that the winner had to have a single advantage point over the opponent. To make the game fair, they had to reduce the 60 to 40. 50 means a player has an advantage point and will win the game with two consecutive scores at 60.
We could also go by the jeu de paume argument that the sport measured the distance the player moved closer to the net. Upon the first win, they move 15 feet, the same distance the second time and 10 feet the last time, cumulatively adding up to 15, 30, and 40. Another explanation is that 45 became too cumbersome to pronounce in French, and they amicably resorted to 40, translated to “quarante.”
Why Is Zero Called Love?
Every game has its special terms to refer to particular events and activities. Tennis is one sport with interesting rules and unique terms to refer to specific occurrences. For starters, newbies often wonder why love refers to zero in tennis.
Love in tennis means zero or a nil score because it originates from a modified French term “l’oeuf,” which means an egg but sounds like the English term “love.” With the introduction of tennis, the players used the word to mean zero since an egg and zero are similar in shape. The second theory states that the sport is a “play for love.”
An opponent who adores the sport would continue playing not necessarily to win but to show affection towards the game. The player is usually driven by compassion for the opponent and the game and doesn’t consider the perks of winning or other benefits.
There is no concrete evidence to back up the origin of the term love referring to zero in tennis. However, we can go by two main ones that sound most logical. First, the medieval French regarded zero as “l’oeuf” because it is shaped like an egg. The term sounds a lot like the English term “love.” The only concern is that there isn’t enough supporting evidence to back it up fully. Ultimately, the nil score is dubbed love to support and keep a player’s hopes high.
Alternatively, some refer to it as the game where the participants play for nothing, which relates to zero. There’s no wager or benefits other than love for the sport. Others also say that the player has nothing to lose at zero, the only thing left is sportsmanship, and the only way to go is up.
Secondly, another theory states that the term came about since some players would play even when they are losing, for they do it due to their love for the game and their opponent. This theory is solely based on the gaming spirit. It is encouraging that although they haven’t garnered enough points, they still have a positive gaming spirit guiding them to press on.
Naturally, replacing a zero score with “love” makes the players feel better since they play the game they love. Usually, the match begins with the server and the receiver at love-love other than 0-0. This statement makes the scores look even better in that when your counterpart scores, the board will read 15-love.
In contrast, American English sometimes refers to the zero scores as “goose egg”, while the Queen’s language refers to it as “duck egg.” You may also find the term love in other sports, such as in British football, where the commentaries indicate that the players are at “love-all” at the beginning of the match.
Finally
The game tennis is a special game loved by many. Newbies are often concerned about the scoring system. Unlike other typical games, the tennis scores are usually at 15 30 40. The main theory to back this up is that the medieval French thought that the best way to keep score is using a clock’s face.
First, it was all about quarters 15, 30, 45, and 60, but they found a fault because it was necessary for the winner to have a two-point advantage over the opponent. Therefore, they settled on 15-30-40 such that the advantage would be at 50 and the winning score at 60, which would also signify the end of the game.
