What is the Point After Deuce in Tennis?
Tennis is an exciting sport with hundreds of millions of fans globally. The “white sport”, as they call it, has simple but interesting rules that make viewers confused sometimes. Some of these rules are too much when the game is intense, and seconds determine the outcome of the entire match.
More than a billion tennis fans worldwide, and in the US, more than 20 million people play the game. That only speaks about how big this sport is, so if you want to know more about the rules that make this game, you’re one of the many.
In this post, we are focusing on the tennis rules and especially on the “deuce” rule. This specific name has an interesting etymology and is probably the most significant and exciting part of the game. Keep reading to learn more about it and find out why tennis is one of the most thrilling sports out there.
How to Keep Score in Tennis?
Let’s first learn about the basic rules of tennis. The game is played between two or four opponents, and the singles are between two players, but there’s also the doubles version. In both options, the score rules are the same, and there’s a difference in the court size and serving.
To win the game, one player needs to win two or three sets, depending on the tournament format. Every set consists of six “games”, and every “game” has four-point levels to progress and win the game.
The match starts with zero-zero, but the first point is called 15-love. The zero in tennis is called “love”. The second point is 30, and the fourth point is 40. After this, the next point wins the game unless both players score 40. In this case, the score is 40-40, known as “deuce”.
What is the score after a deuce in tennis?
When the score is deuce, no player can win the game with the next point. The score difference must be two points, so after the deuce, the next person who wins a point has an advantage. The next point from the same player means they’ve won the game.
The deuce rule is used only in situations when the games are also not tied, and it does not decide the winning set, too. More precisely, when the games are 6-6, the deuce is not used, but the players compete in a tiebreaker.
The tiebreaker is played point by point to reach seven points. It’s important that this rule also requires a two-point advantage to win the game and the set. In other words, in theory, the match may last indefinitely.
Some tournaments, like Wimbledon, require players to win every set with a two-game difference. This led to the longest match played in history. It was between John Isner (USA) and Nicolas Mahut (FRA) at Wimbledon in 2010. It lasted an unbelievable 11 hours and 5 minutes, with the final set alone lasting eight hours and 11 minutes. The final score was 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, and 70-68. The match was played for three days and finally finished with John Isner winning.
What is the first point after the deuce that you win called?
The first point after deuce is called “advantage”. When the score is tied and one player wins a point, they get an advantage to win the game. This is the reason why it is called advantage. The next point that the same player wins, wins the game. Essentially, a player can’t win unless they have a two-point difference.
Interestingly, the umpire, or the tennis referee of the match, as it is called, may say “ad-out” or “ad-in” for the point won by one of the players. It means advantage to the receiver, or advantage to the server.
This terminology was used in one of the recent NY Times crosswords, so if you’re here because you tried to find out about the point after deuce in tennis from the NYT crosswords, now you know the answer.
Do you know the etymology of the term deuce?
It comes from the French word “deux”, which means two. The term was adopted to the English language back in the 16th century, when it was first used in card games and then in tennis. That’s how today deuce is an English word with a specific meaning.
You can find its use in many situations, and not just sports. Basically, anything that goes together in two can be called a deuce. How many beers did you have? – a deuce. How much for the coffee? – A deuce.
Conclusion
If you’re a true tennis fan, or you were just trying to find the tennis scores after the deuce crossword clue from the Times, you now know everything about this rule. You’re ready to watch live, or the TV broadcast and cheer for Coco Geuff, Taylor Fritz, or some of the other popular American tennis players.