ITF Rules of Tennis 2026
Tennis score keeper
A tennis tie-break is played at six games all. Points count 1, 2, 3, and the first to 7 with a two-point lead wins the set 7-6. The player whose turn it is serves the first point, the opponent serves the next two, and then each side serves two in turn; players change ends after every six points (ITF Rules 5b and 10). The keeper below tracks all of that, plus No-Ad games, short sets and match tie-breaks.
| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex | 0 | 0 | ||
| Sam | 0 | 0 |
Call it: Love all
Alex serves from the right (deuce side)
Keys: A or ← left button, B or → right button, Z undo.
Alex serves from the right: Love all.
Service order by game: Alex → Sam → …
Match settings
Points
No points yet. Tap the side that won each point; undo takes back the last one.
How tennis scoring works
A standard game runs love, 15, 30, 40, game, with the server’s score called first (Rule 5a). At 40-40 the score is deuce; the next point gives one side the advantage, and that side needs the point after it as well. Lose it and you are back at deuce, as many times as it takes. Six games win a set, but only with a two-game lead (Rule 6). In a tie-break set, six games all is settled by a tie-break; in an advantage set, play carries on until someone is two games clear. Matches are the best of three or five sets (Rule 7).
Service alternates game by game (Rule 14). Each game’s first point is served from the right half of the court, then the halves alternate (Rule 16): after an odd number of points, such as 15-0 or 30-15, serve from the left; after an even number, such as 15-all or deuce, from the right. The keeper shows the half with every call.
How a tennis tie-break works
Points are called “zero, 1, 2, 3”, server’s score first. The first player or team to 7 points with a two-point margin wins the tie-break and the set, 7-6; if it reaches 6-6 it goes on until someone leads by two (Rule 5b).
In doubles the same pattern runs through all four players in the set’s serving order. Players change ends after every six points, and again at the end of the set, because a 7-6 set has 13 games, an odd number (Rule 10). One more rule people forget: whoever served first in the tie-break receives in the first game of the next set (Rule 5b).
No-Ad scoring
No-Ad is one of the ITF’s approved alternatives (Appendix VI). At deuce a single deciding point is played and the winner takes the game. The receivers choose whether to receive from the right or the left half; in doubles they can’t switch positions for it, and in mixed doubles the player of the same gender as the server receives it. It caps a game at seven points.
Short sets and match tie-breaks
Appendix VI also allows short sets: the first to four games wins, with a two-game margin, and a tie-break is played at four games all, or at three all if the sanctioning body chooses. A match tie-break to 7 or to 10 points can replace the deciding set at one set all (or two sets all in a best-of-five). It is a tie-break game, so the usual service pattern and ends changes apply; the order of service carries on from the last set, there is a 120-second set break before it, and the balls are not changed for it. A separate option plays the final set normally but settles six games all with a tie-break to 10.
Ends and serving order in doubles
Players change ends after the first, third and every odd game of each set (Rule 10). When a set ends on an even number of games, the change comes after the first game of the next set, which works out as the same odd-game rule. In doubles, the team serving first in each set picks its server, the other team does the same before the second game, and partners alternate from then on (Rule 14). The keeper keeps that four-player rotation through the whole match; if your pair swaps who serves first at a new set, as the rules allow, swap the names.
Common mistakes
- Changing ends after game two. Ends change after odd games: 1, 3, 5.
- Serving two points to open a tie-break. The first server serves one point only, from the right.
- Losing track of the next set’s server. The tie-break’s first server receives first in the next set.
- Letting the server choose the side on a No-Ad point. The receivers choose.
- Scoring a match tie-break in games. It is one tie-break game, scored in points, played instead of the deciding set.
Questions
How does a tennis tie-break work?
At six games all, players count points 1, 2, 3; the first to 7 with a two-point lead wins the set 7-6. The player due to serve serves one point, then each side serves two in turn, and the players change ends after every six points (ITF Rules 5b and 10).
Who serves first in a tie-break?
The player whose turn it would be to serve the 13th game. They serve the first point from the right; the opponent then serves points 2 and 3.
What is No-Ad scoring in tennis?
An approved alternative in the ITF rules (Appendix VI): at deuce one deciding point decides the game. The receivers choose which half to receive in, and in mixed doubles the player of the server’s gender receives.
What is a 10-point match tie-break?
A single tie-break game, first to 10 points with a two-point margin, played instead of the deciding set. Service and ends follow the tie-break rules, and the order of service continues from the previous set.
When do you change ends in tennis?
After the first, third and every odd game of a set, and after every six points of a tie-break (Rule 10). A set that ends on an even number of games is followed by a change after the first game of the next set.
Who serves first in the set after a tie-break?
The side that did not serve first in the tie-break. The player or team that served the tie-break’s first point receives in the first game of the next set (Rule 5b).
Sources
Checked on 5 November 2026.
- International Tennis Federation: Rules of Tennis 2026, Rules 5, 6, 7, 10, 14, 15 and 16, and Appendix VI, Alternative Procedures and Scoring Methods. The ITF site blocks automated reading, so we read the rules in the copy reproduced, with the ITF’s own foreword, in Tennis Canada’s Rules of the Court 2026.