What Is Deuce in Tennis? Understanding the 40–40 Score
Deuce in tennis means the score is tied at 40–40. A player must win two consecutive points from deuce to take the game.
In tennis, deuce is the score reached when both players have won three points in a game, making the score 40–40. From deuce, a player must win two points in a row to win the game.
How deuce scoring works
Tennis points are counted as love, 15, 30 and 40. If both players reach 40, the game enters deuce rather than being decided by the next point.
The player who wins the point after deuce gains advantage. The score is then described as advantage server or advantage receiver, depending on who won the point.
- Deuce: The score is 40–40.
- Advantage: One player has won the point after deuce.
- Game: The player with advantage wins the next point and takes the game.
If the player with advantage loses the next point, the score returns to deuce. This can happen repeatedly until one player wins both points needed to close out the game.
What happens after deuce?
Suppose the server wins the first point at deuce. The score becomes advantage server. If the server wins the following point, the server wins the game. If the receiver wins it, the score goes back to deuce.
The same process applies when the receiver earns the advantage. Winning the next point produces the game, while losing it restores the 40–40 score.
Why deuce can make a game longer
A game normally ends when a player wins four points and leads by at least two. At 40–40, however, the two-point margin has not been achieved. Every exchange after deuce therefore matters because the lead can disappear immediately.
A long game may contain several cycles of deuce and advantage. This is why tennis matches can include games that last much longer than the earlier games in a set.
Deuce and tiebreak scoring
Deuce applies to the usual scoring of an individual tennis game. A tiebreak uses numerical points instead, beginning at 0–0 and progressing through 1, 2, 3 and so on. Players generally need to reach at least seven points and lead by two to win a standard tiebreak.
Although the word deuce is not normally used for a tiebreak score, the same two-point winning margin is relevant in many tiebreak formats.
Does deuce work the same way in every match?
Most professional and recreational tennis uses the traditional advantage system described above. Some social leagues, junior competitions and club matches use no-ad scoring, also called sudden-death deuce.
Under no-ad rules, the first player to win the point at 40–40 wins the game. The receiver may sometimes choose which side the final point is played from. Competition rules should be checked before a match because the format can vary.
