When you need this
Tennis is a sport people both play and watch, and the language shifts depending on which one you're doing. On the court with a friend, it's relaxed: you hit around, you rally, and nobody keeps score for the first ten minutes. In front of a big tournament on TV, it's all sets, breaks and tiebreaks.
The scoring is strange, so learn to say it out loud. Points go love, fifteen, thirty, forty, then game. Love means zero. Deuce is forty-all, and after deuce a player needs two points in a row. The server's score always comes first, which is why the same game can sound like "thirty-fifteen" or "fifteen-thirty" depending on who's serving.
If you're playing casually, the most useful phrase is "Do you want to hit some balls?" It's an invitation without pressure. It means "let's play, but it doesn't have to be a real match."
Phrases
play casually without keeping score
reserve a tennis court for a set time
the frame with strings you hit the ball with
one player per side, or two per side
zero, in tennis scoring
the score is forty-forty
a group of games; usually the first to six wins it
a short extra game that decides a set at six-six
win a game the other player served
hitting on your strong side, or across your body
the ball landed outside the lines
what you say at the net after playing
Say it out loud
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Practice · 3 min
Say one natural line for each situation.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.