Tennis why do they call it love

We do this for love of the game. Love as a word for a score of zero has been used in the sport of tennis since the late s.

Frankly, how love became a word for zero is baffling, but so is the overall scoring system for tennis. The points progress from love to 15, 30, and 40, which are relatively equivalent to 0,1, 2, and 3 in points per game.

For example, if the player serving wins the first point of a game, then the score is "15 - love" or "fifteen to love" in their favor. Etymologists aren't exactly sure how love came to mean "zero," but, as we said, there are theories. As for the point system, we're still scratching our heads about the random 40; 15 to 30 begins a pattern that 40 doesn't follow.

The first theory like tennis' point system doesn't add up; however, it is a popular one and it makes for an attractive story. English players mispronouncing the French word supposedly influenced the change to love , and the rest is history, so to speak.

This theory seems cooked. Another, and far more accepted, theory is that this sense of love comes from the expression "to play for love. In other words, playing on the court, challenging yourself, is the reason for still playing despite having the score of love. And to players of tennis, the sport can be truly a " labor of love ," an expression which implies an undertaking performed out of love for the work itself without consideration of benefit or reward.

A similar idea is found in the origin of the word amateur , which can refer to a person who does something strictly for love; the word comes from the Latin word amare , meaning "to love. Players start the match with zero points and games. To win a game, a player must win 4 points. However, if both players win three points they will continue to play the same game until someone wins two points in a row. Here is a quick example of a game situation:. The term love is strictly used to express the score of zero within a game.

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Love Love Love Typically, players will use the term love to express a score of zero within a game. You win the first point: love You win the second point: love Your friend wins the third point: Your friend wins the fourth point: all You win the fifth point: Your friend wins the sixth point: deuce You win the seventh point: ad out Your friend wins the eighth point: deuce You win the ninth point: ad out You win the next point: game.

Love-All When starting a new game, the score is technically love-all or zero to zero.