Tennis Tiebreak Rules & History : A Comprehensive Guide

Tennis fans enjoy watching the game, and they enjoy watching the greatest matches of the past few decades. The match, however, can sometimes be challenging for the players and excite the fans. Jimmy Van Allen invented the tennis tie-break rules so that there would not be any Marathon matches in tournaments. Therefore, after some time, the tiebreaker rules in tennis were officially included in the tennis rulebook.

Throughout the game, the suspense builds and the excitement to watch the game increases. Moreover, every point adds to the curiosity and is crucial to deciding the winner. The player and the viewers need to control their nerves since they put more pressure on both parties.

If you are curious, you can find the tiebreak rules that don’t seem too difficult here. You will find detailed information about the tennis tiebreak rules and what it means in a tennis game here.

Now let’s dig a little deeper.

How Does a Tiebreak Work In Tennis?

Tennis tiebreak is a critical part of every tennis game when deciding the winner between two players. It is specifically developed to break the tie between two players, and now it has become the quick way to choose it.

While playing tennis, there is the chance that the tennis score is tied. If a game ties at six by 6 points between two players, then the tie develops. the players then enter a tiebreaker round to make a fair decision.

The players turned into the last game and then decided the winner with two margin points. It has simple rules that help to determine the winner without any hassle.

Regardless of the level at which you play this game, from beginner to competitive, you need to learn its rules so that you can adhere to them accordingly.

Types of Tennis Tiebreakers

The tennis tiebreaker round is played in both men’s and women’s tennis when the game is tied. Two main types of tiebreaks are:

12-point tiebreaker: The players play this round first to seven

10-point tiebreaker: This round is played first to ten 

Tennis Tiebreaker Rules I What are the New Tie Break Rules In Tennis

Here are the key points about tennis tie break rules that are discussed below.

Key Points about Tennis Tie Break Rules

• A two-point margin is set to declare the win
• The time interval of the match depends on the time that it takes for the player to reach a win by two
• Also the tiebreak points are not counted by traditional 15-30-40 scoring. Rather they are counted singularly.
• Switch servers after the first point: The player who was serving in the previous game should continue serving from the deuce court. After he has served the first point, the opposite player can serve the next two. The game continues while servers are alternating after every two points.
• Players switch ends of the courts: When the sum of the points equals six or its multiples then players can change ends of the court.

The tennis tie break has straightforward rules. As we already said, it helps to decide the winner, so the player who has the seven points will win the game and tie breaks eventually.

Moreover, the player who serves last in the game will start the tiebreak court from his right hand. After making the first point, the server changes, and the player sets the two servers with his left-hand side of the court.

Keep in mind that there is always a change of server when the points are in uneven numbers. So it means that it’s a server changer after points one, three, and so on. This rule is set to make the winner with the least points when the opposite player serves the other. These rules are also referred to as the mini-break rules of the tennis game.

During server switching, players cannot sit down, but they can walk if needed to get a sip of water.

Tennis Tie Break Doubles Rules

The rules governing the tennis tiebreak doubles are mentioned in this section.

Tennis tie break double rule also has the similar rules as single. The player who serves the last game will start the tie break. Tie break two points need to serve the opposite team player and keep on switching the servers.

These rules are similar for all the tournaments except the Grand slams. So it is essential for all tennis tournaments.

Final Thoughts

Summing up the above discussion, it is clear that a tie break in a tennis game is a great invention. It enhances the excitement of fans, especially for the single-point counts.

Moreover, it helps the players to win the tournament after a tie between two teams. Therefore, it is essential to keep the same short and make it entertaining for the fans.

We hope this article helps you understand the tennis tiebreak rules and you will enjoy the next match more than the previous one.