Tennis score counter · Free · No sign-up
Tennis Score Counter
A tennis score counter keeps the points as love, 15, 30, 40 and game, the games in each set and the sets in the match. This one also names the server and the court, calls every change of ends under Rule 10, runs 7- and 10-point tie-breaks and No-Ad, and gives the doubles serving order.
Free, no sign-up, works offline, and nothing leaves this browser.
Call: Love all
| Set | Side A | Side B | Tie-break | Won by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No set finished yet | ||||
Tap the side that won the point. A or ← scores side A, L or → scores side B, Ctrl+Z undoes. In doubles, Swap server changes which partner serves, before a pair first serves in a set, and Swap receiver changes who takes the right court, before a pair first receives in a set. For mixed doubles, enter the players so that player 1 on each side is the same gender: under No-Ad the deciding point goes to the receiver of the server’s gender.
This scores a match; it does not umpire one. It cannot see a fault, a let, a foot fault or a ball on the line, so it records whichever side you tap, and it has no clock for the 25 seconds between points. It follows the 2026 Rules of Tennis and leaves out the short-set tie-break to 5, tie-breaks at 3–3, the match tie-break to 7 and point penalties. If a pair serves out of turn and Rule 27 keeps the altered order, the board still shows the original one. In a sanctioned match the chair umpire’s scorecard is the record.
Counting to 40 is easy. What a scoreboard of two numbers cannot tell you is which court to serve from, whether to change ends at 6–4, who serves after a tie-break, or which partner receives the deciding point. This counter follows the 2026 Rules of Tennis so the court does not have to argue.
Tennis is scored in points, games and sets. A game is won by the first player to win four points with a lead of two (Rule 5), a set by the first to six games with a lead of two, usually with a tie-break at 6–all (Rule 6), and a match is the best of 3 or 5 sets (Rule 7). The Rules are published by the ITF, renamed World Tennis in June 2026.
- No sign-up
- No ads
- Counts never leave your browser
- Works offline
- Unlimited counters
Key facts
| Detail | Answer |
|---|---|
| Price | Free, no sign-up, no ads |
| Game | Love, 15, 30, 40; deuce and advantage, or a No-Ad deciding point |
| Set | To 6 by 2 with a tie-break to 7 at 6–all, or short sets to 4 |
| Match | Best of 3 or 5 sets |
| Final set | Tie-break to 7, 10-point tie-break at 6–all, advantage set, or a match tie-break to 10 |
| Service | Server and court named on every point; 1 then 2 each in a tie-break |
| Doubles | Server and receiver named; each pair chooses its order once per set; mixed doubles deciding point |
| Change of ends | After odd games, the set-end rule, and every 6 points or after 1 and every 4 in a tie-break |
| Breaks | 90 seconds, none after game 1 of a set, 120-second set break |
| Undo | Every point, every choice of server or receiver, and every setting |
| Where data goes | Nowhere. Local storage in this browser only |
| Official record | No. It scores; it does not umpire |
How to keep score in tennis with the counter
Set the match up after the toss, then it is one tap per point, to whoever won it.
Set the format
Best of 3 or 5, advantage or No-Ad games, sets to 6 or short sets to 4, and how the final set ends. Your event should have announced all of these.
Set who serves first
The toss winner chooses to serve, to receive or an end (Rule 9). Pick the side that serves the first game.
Name the players
In doubles, type all four. Before a pair first serves in a set, Swap server picks its server; before it first receives, Swap receiver picks who takes the right court.
Tap the side that won each point
A and L on a keyboard do the same. The board shows the score with the server’s first, who serves, from which court, and in doubles who receives.
Read the flag line
It calls every change of ends and the rest allowed, the set break, break, set and match points, the tie-break and the deciding point.
Undo a mis-tap at once
Undo unwinds the last point completely, including a game, a set or a tie-break it ended.
Where a tennis score counter gets used
Any court without a chair umpire, which is nearly every tennis match played.
Club and league matches
Doubles where the serving order, the receiving courts and the change of ends at the set break are settled by the board, not by memory.
Social and park tennis
A phone on the bench so 30–40 is not disputed and nobody forgets who served the last game.
Junior and school matches
Short sets, No-Ad and match tie-breaks, with the rules shown as they apply.
Coaching
Scoring practice sets from the side, with break points flagged for pressure drills.
Parents and spectators
Following a junior match from the fence and knowing whether a change of ends is due.
Mixed doubles
The No-Ad deciding point handed to the right receiver without a debate.
When to change ends in tennis, and who serves after a tie-break
Every free tennis scoreboard near the top of a search for one, checked on 2026-10-04, keeps love, 15, 30, 40, deuce and the tie-break: scorecounter.com, KeepTheScore, Digital Tally Counter, Racketlovers and ScoreCount.com all do. What their pages barely mention is the part players actually argue about between points: when to change ends, whether there is a rest, which court to serve from, who serves the set after a tie-break, and in doubles who serves and who receives. Only scorecounter.com mentions end changes at all, and none of the five describes the set-end rule below.
| Rule | Free scoreboards checked | This counter |
|---|---|---|
| Love, 15, 30, 40, deuce and advantage | All five | Yes (Rule 5) |
| Tie-break to 7 at 6–all | All five | Yes (Rule 5b) |
| No-Ad deciding point | Four of five | Yes, with who receives it (Appendix VI) |
| Which court to serve from | Not described | Named on every point (Rule 17) |
| Change of ends after odd games | One mentions end changes | Called as it falls (Rule 10) |
| No change at the end of a set with an even number of games | Not described | Called (Rule 10) |
| Ends every 6 points in a tie-break | Not described | Yes, or after 1 and every 4 (Appendix VI) |
| The rest at each break | Not described | 90 seconds, none, or 120 seconds, as it falls (Rule 29) |
| Who serves the set after a tie-break | One explains it | Applied automatically (Rule 5b) |
| Doubles: who serves to whom | No page describes the rotation | Server and receiver named on every point (Rules 14, 15) |
Odd games, and the exception at the end of a set
Rule 10 of the Rules of Tennis says the players change ends at the end of the first, third and every subsequent odd game of each set. So within a set the change comes after games 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11, counting both players’ games together: at 1–0, 2–1, 4–1, 3–2 and so on, whoever won them. The second sentence is the one most often forgotten. At the end of a set the players change ends only if the set had an odd number of games. If it had an even number, they stay where they are, play the first game of the next set, and change then.
| Set score | Games | At the end of the set | Next change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6–0 | 6 | Stay | After game 1 of the next set |
| 6–1 | 7 | Change ends | After game 1 of the next set, again |
| 6–2 | 8 | Stay | After game 1 of the next set |
| 6–3 | 9 | Change ends | After game 1 of the next set, again |
| 6–4 | 10 | Stay | After game 1 of the next set |
| 7–5 | 12 | Stay | After game 1 of the next set |
| 7–6 | 13 (the tie-break is one game) | Change ends | After game 1 of the next set, again |
Either way, nobody plays more than two games in a row at the same end, which is the point of the rule: sun, wind and background are shared. The counter works the set total out for you and says “Stay at this end” or “Change ends” at the set break.
Inside a tie-break: every 6 points, or after 1 and every 4
A tie-break is a single game, so without a rule of its own one player could serve into the sun for all of it. Rule 10 changes ends after every six points, so at 4–2, 3–3 or 6–0, and again at 12 and 18 points, with no rest (Rule 29a). Appendix VI of the Rules allows an alternative: change after the first point and then after every four, at 1, 5, 9 and 13 points. Some USTA sections use it in league play, publishing it as the Coman tie-break procedure. Pick the one your event uses under Tie-break ends; the counter calls the change at the right point. A 13-game set always ends on an odd total, so the players also change ends when the tie-break finishes.
Rest: 25 seconds, 90 seconds, none, and 120 seconds
| Moment | Maximum | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Between points | 25 seconds | 29a |
| Change of ends at the end of a game | 90 seconds | 29a |
| Change of ends after the first game of a set | None: play is continuous | 29a |
| Change of ends during a tie-break | None | 29a |
| End of each set | 120-second set break | 29a |
| Before a match tie-break that replaces the final set | 120-second set break | Appendix VI |
| After the 3rd set of 5, or the 2nd set of 3 | Up to 10 minutes, only if announced in advance | 29d |
Each maximum runs from the moment one point finishes until the first service of the next is struck. Event organisers may apply for approval to extend the 90 and 120 seconds, and a treatable medical condition can earn one three-minute medical time-out. The counter names the right allowance each time the ends change, so nobody sits down after the first game of a set.
Who serves first after a tie-break
Rule 5b settles it in one sentence: the player or team whose turn it was to serve first in the tie-break receives in the first game of the following set. The tie-break counts as one game, the 13th of the set, and service alternates game by game, so who won the tie-break makes no difference, and nor does who served its last point. Suppose A served the first point of a tie-break that B wins 9–7. B serves the first game of the next set, and because 13 games is odd the players change ends first. The counter records who opened every tie-break and hands the serve on accordingly.
Doubles: who serves, who receives, and the deciding point
Doubles adds two orders to remember: who serves each game, and who receives each point. Both are chosen by the pairs, both are fixed for the rest of the set once chosen, and both can be chosen afresh at the start of every set.
The serving order: each pair chooses once per set
Under Rule 14 the pair due to serve the first game of a set decides which partner serves it. Before the second game their opponents decide the same for their side. From then on it rotates: the partner of the first game’s server serves game 3, the partner of the second game’s server serves game 4, and so on to the end of the set. Each player serves every fourth game.
| Game | Server | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A1 | Pair A’s choice |
| 2 | B2 | Pair B’s choice, made before game 2 |
| 3 | A2 | Partner of the game 1 server |
| 4 | B1 | Partner of the game 2 server |
| 5 | A1 | The rotation repeats |
| Tie-break | Next in the rotation for 1 point, then 2 each | Rule 5b: the order within each pair continues |
The receiving order: one court each, for the whole set
Rule 15 works the same way for receiving. The pair receiving in the first game of a set decides which partner receives the first point; before the second game the other pair decides for itself. Because the first point of every game is served from the right half of the court (Rule 17), that choice is really a choice of courts: the player who receives the first point takes the right, or deuce, court and keeps it, and the partner takes the left, or ad, court, for every game that pair receives in the set. In a tie-break the serve still alternates courts point by point, starting from the right, so the counter names the receiver on every point there too.
Under Rule 27e, a pair that receives in the wrong order keeps the altered order until the end of that game, then goes back to the original. The counter always shows the original order, which is the one the pair returns to.
The deciding point under No-Ad, and the mixed doubles rule
No-Ad scoring, in Appendix VI of the Rules, replaces deuce and advantage with a single deciding point at 40–40. In singles the receiver chooses whether to receive it in the right or the left court. In doubles the receiving pair makes the same choice, but its players may not change positions to do it, so choosing the court is choosing which of them receives. In mixed doubles there is no choice: the player of the same gender as the server receives the deciding point, and again neither may change positions.
| Play | Who chooses | Who receives |
|---|---|---|
| Singles | The receiver | The receiver, from the right or left court |
| Doubles | The receiving pair | Whichever partner is in the chosen court; no switching |
| Mixed doubles | No one | The partner of the same gender as the server |
At 40–40 the counter’s flag line says which of these applies and, in mixed doubles, names the receiver. It identifies that player by position in the settings, which is why player 1 on each side should be the same gender.
Final-set formats: tie-break, 10-point tie-break, advantage set, match tie-break
The standard match is the best of 3 or 5 tie-break sets (Rules 6 and 7), but the Rules let an event choose how the final set ends, and nearly every level of the game uses a different answer. The format has to be announced before the event, and a scoreboard has to know it before the final set reaches 6–all.
| Format | How it ends | Where | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tie-break set | 6 games by 2, or a tie-break to 7 at 6–all | Most sets at every level | 6b |
| 10-point tie-break at 6–all | A tie-break to 10, by 2, at 6–all in the final set | All four Grand Slams since the 2022 French Open | Appendix VI.5 |
| Advantage set | Games continue until one side leads by 2; no tie-break | Grand Slam final sets before 2019 at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, and before 2022 at the French Open | 6a |
| Match tie-break to 10 | At one set all (or two sets all), a tie-break to 10 by 2 replaces the final set | Professional doubles and many club and league matches | Appendix VI.4 |
| Short sets | 4 games by 2, a tie-break at 4–all (or 3–all if the event says so) | Junior, timed and social formats | Appendix VI.1 |
The 10-point tie-break is not the match tie-break
Both are played to 10 points by a margin of 2, and both get called a super tie-break, which is where the confusion comes from. The Grand Slam rule is a final set played as normal until 6–all, then decided by a 10-point tie-break, so the set is recorded as 7–6. The match tie-break replaces the final set entirely: at one set all the players go straight into a tie-break to 10, after a 120-second set break, and it is recorded as a set won 1–0 or as the tie-break score. The counter offers both under Final set, and a third: the advantage set, with no tie-break at all.
Serving in a match tie-break
Appendix VI says the original order of service continues into a match tie-break: whoever was due to serve the next game serves its first point, then the serve goes two points each, exactly as in a set tie-break. In doubles each pair may change which partner serves and receives first, as at the start of any set, and the counter’s Swap keys come back on for it. The balls are not changed before a match tie-break, even if a change is due.
Why the Grand Slams changed
Until 2019, three of the four Grand Slams played the final set as an advantage set, which could run without limit: John Isner and Nicolas Mahut’s final set at Wimbledon in 2010 finished 70–68. From 2019 to 2021 the four each ended a final set a different way. The Grand Slam Board announced in March 2022 that all four would trial the same 10-point tie-break at 6–all in the final set, starting at that year’s French Open, to make the rule consistent for players and spectators. It has been used at all four since.
Online counter vs a clicker, an app, paper and a spreadsheet
Every counting method trades something away. This is what each one actually costs you.
| Feature | This online counter | Handheld clicker | Counter phone app | Pen and paper | Spreadsheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | $5–$15 | Free with ads, or paid | Cost of paper | Subscription |
| Anything to install | No | Buy the device | App store download | No | Yes, or a web login |
| Several counts at once | Unlimited | One per device | Usually limited | Yes, messy | Yes |
| Fix a miscount | Undo and redo | Start over | Sometimes | Cross it out | Edit the cell |
| Counts by more than one | Any step size | One at a time | Sometimes | Manual maths | Yes |
| Below zero | Yes | No | Rarely | Yes | Yes |
| Keeps the count if you close it | Saves automatically | Until you reset the dial | Yes | If you keep the paper | Yes |
| Works with no signal | Yes, after first load | Yes | Yes | Yes | Often not |
| Keyboard and shortcuts | Full | None | None | None | Partial |
| Sends your data anywhere | Never | Never | Often, for accounts and ads | Never | Yes, to the cloud |
Other counter types
The same counter, set up and explained for a specific job. Your counters are shared across all of them.
Everyday6
The general-purpose counters: one number, many numbers, or counting on a timer.
Online counter
The all-purpose counter. Any step size, any number of counters, negative values allowed.
Open online counter →Tally counter
Tally marks in groups of five for surveys, stock takes and wildlife counts.
Open tally counter →Click counter
A browser clicker that replaces the handheld thumb counter for door headcounts.
Open click counter →Multi counter
Run as many counters as you like at once, side by side in a grid.
Open multi counter →Auto counter
Counts on its own from every 0.1 seconds to once an hour, and stops at your limit.
Open auto counter →Yes/No counter
Two options, a live percentage, and the sample size and caveats the percentage needs.
Open yes/no counter →
Sport & scores19
Scoreboards that know the rules of their game, not just two numbers that go up.
Score counter
A scoreboard for cards, darts and board games. One counter per player, negatives allowed.
Open score counter →Pitch counter
Count pitches, then get the rest days owed and the next eligible date.
Open pitch counter →Golf scorecard
Strokes per hole with the course handicap allocated by stroke index, net and Stableford.
Open golf scorecard →Badminton score counter
Rally scoring with the service court and doubles positions, for 3x21 and the 2027 3x15 system.
Open badminton score counter →Pickleball score counter
The 0-0-2 call with the right server and side, in side-out or 2026 rally scoring.
Open pickleball score counter →Squash score counter
Point-a-rally to 11 with the server, the service box, hand out and lets.
Open squash score counter →Penalty shootout counter
Five kicks each that stop the moment a team cannot catch up, then sudden death.
Open penalty shootout counter →Basketball score counter
Points by period with team fouls and the bonus as FIBA, NBA, NCAA or high school count them.
Open basketball score counter →Baseball score counter
Balls, strikes, outs and the line score, with foul bunts, dropped third strikes and walk-offs.
Open baseball score counter →Cricket score counter
Runs, wickets and overs by legal balls, with wides, no-balls, free hits and the chase.
Open cricket score counter →American football score counter
Touchdowns and the try at each level, with NFL, college and high school overtime rules.
Open american football score counter →Boxing score counter
Three judges' 10-point must cards and the verdict they give, split and majority draws included.
Open boxing score counter →Hockey score counter
Ice hockey goals and shots by period, with each league's overtime, shootout and standings points.
Open hockey score counter →Pool score counter
Straight pool with the breaking foul and three-foul penalties, and 8-ball, 9-ball and 10-ball races.
Open pool score counter →Rugby score counter
Union, sevens and league points, conversions tied to tries, golden point and bonus points.
Open rugby score counter →Soccer score counter
Goals by minute, five subs in three windows, second yellows, extra time and aggregate.
Open soccer score counter →Table tennis score counter
Games to 11 with the server named, doubles order, the swap at 5 and the expedite system.
Open table tennis score counter →Padel score counter
The 2026 Star Point, golden point or advantage, who serves and receives, and every change of sides.
Open padel score counter →Volleyball score counter
Rally scoring with the six-position rotation, the next server, time-outs, subs and beach mode.
Open volleyball score counter →
Fitness & health5
Reps, laps, breaths and daily habits, where the count is part of the activity.
Lap counter
Count pool lengths, track laps and treadmill intervals without losing your place.
Open lap counter →Rep counter
Track reps and sets during a lifting session, with a step size for supersets.
Open rep counter →Click speed test
Measure your clicks per second over 1 to 60 seconds, with your personal best kept on-device.
Open click speed test →Habit counter
Count toward a daily target and keep the streak, with a day boundary you choose.
Open habit counter →Breath counter
Count breaths one to ten for meditation, with lost count recorded, or time breaths per minute.
Open breath counter →
Work & field5
Counting that produces a record someone else relies on: stock, occupancy, lab work.
Differential counter
Six keys for a manual white cell differential, with an auto-stop and live percentages.
Open differential counter →People counter
In and out at a door, with live occupancy against a capacity and a fix for drift.
Open people counter →Bird counter
A row per species recording the high count, so a circling flock is not counted twice.
Open bird counter →Inventory counter
A count sheet holding the book quantity beside the counted one, with the variance per line.
Open inventory counter →Knitting counter
Rows, pattern repeats and a shaping schedule that names the increase rows and then ends.
Open knitting counter →
Faith2
Counts with their own rules about when a day turns over and what completes a set.
Frequently asked questions
How does tennis scoring work?
Points, games and sets. Points are called love, 15, 30 and 40, and the fourth point wins the game unless both players reach 40, which is deuce: from there a player needs two points in a row, through advantage, to win the game. Six games with a lead of two win a set, with a tie-break at 6–all, and a match is the best of 3 or 5 sets.
What is a tiebreak in tennis?
A single game that decides a set at 6 games all. Points are counted 1, 2, 3 rather than 15, 30, 40, and the first player to 7 points with a lead of 2 wins the tie-break and the set, 7–6. The player due to serve serves the first point, then each serves two in turn, and the players change ends after every six points.
What is the difference between advantage and no-ad scoring?
Under advantage scoring a game at 40–40 needs two consecutive points, deuce then advantage then game, so it can run on. Under No-Ad the game is settled by one deciding point at 40–40. The receiver chooses the court for it; in doubles the pair cannot switch positions to do so, and in mixed doubles the player of the server’s gender receives.
Who serves first after a tiebreak?
Whoever received the first point of the tie-break serves the first game of the next set. Rule 5b of the Rules of Tennis says the player or team that served first in the tie-break receives first in the following set. The tie-break counts as one game, so the serve simply alternates. Who won the tie-break, and who served its last point, make no difference.
When do you switch sides in tennis?
After the first, third and every odd game of each set, under Rule 10. At the end of a set, players change only if the set had an odd number of games, such as 6–3 or 7–6; after 6–4 they stay and change after the first game of the next set. In a tie-break they change every six points, with no rest.
How does serving work in doubles tennis?
Each pair chooses which partner serves its first game of the set, and the partners then alternate, so the order runs A1, B1, A2, B2 and repeats. Receiving is chosen the same way: one partner takes the right court and the other the left for every game that pair receives in the set. Both orders can be chosen again at the start of each set.
What is a 10-point match tiebreak?
A tie-break to 10 points, won by a margin of 2, played in place of a deciding final set when the match reaches one set all. It is common in professional doubles and club leagues. It is different from the Grand Slam rule, where the final set is played to 6–all first and then decided by a 10-point tie-break.
What is the difference between best of 3 and best of 5 sets?
How many sets are needed to win: two in a best of 3, three in a best of 5. Most matches, including women’s Grand Slam singles and nearly all men’s tour events, are best of 3. Men’s singles at the four Grand Slams are best of 5. The counter handles both and applies the final-set format to set 3 or set 5.
Is this an official tennis scorecard?
No. It is a scorer for club, social, junior and self-umpired matches. It follows the 2026 Rules of Tennis for scoring, service order, courts and changes of ends, but it cannot see a fault, a let or a ball on the line, and it does not time the 25 seconds between points. Everything stays in this browser, and nothing is sent anywhere.
Counting guides
Longer answers to the questions behind the counting.
- Swimming
How to count laps while swimming
Why swimmers lose count at length 14, and five methods that actually hold up.
- Tallying
Tally marks explained
Groups of five, the five-bar gate, and why the convention has survived for centuries.
- Events
How to do an accurate headcount
Counting people is easy. Counting them accurately, twice, is not.
- Habits
Track a daily habit streak
Why streak apps fail, and what a plain daily counter does better.
- Click speed
How to click faster
Hardware and grip account for most of the gap. Practice accounts for less than people think.
- Inventory
How to do a stock take
Counting is the easy part. Preparing, and knowing your count is right, is the job.
- Reference
Types of counters explained
Synchronous vs asynchronous, mod-N, ring and Johnson, plus mechanical and software counters.
- Build it
How to make a counter
Twenty lines gets you counting. Here is what to add after that, and why.
- Baseball
How to keep an official pitch count
Little League requires an official recorder at every game. Almost nobody explains the job.
- Dhikr
One tasbeeh is equal to how many?
The same phrase means a bead loop, a single dhikr, or a full set of a hundred. Which one is meant, and when.
- Haematology
How to do a manual differential count
Why the pattern matters, how many cells is enough, and the imprecision built into the method itself.
- Birding
How to count a flock of birds
Blocks, tens, and why the number to report is the most seen at one time.
- Knitting
How to read knitting shaping instructions
Every 4th row, alt rows, at each end, AT THE SAME TIME — translated, with the rows they land on.
- Golf
Stableford points and net scores
Stroke index, strokes received, net score, points — in the order you actually need them.
- Surveys
How many people do you need to survey?
Why 385 answers a city and 45 answers a club, and the margin each sample size buys.
- Training
Reps and sets explained
What 10 reps and 3x10 mean, where 3 sets of 10 came from, and what the 2026 ACSM review changed.