What is a tiebreak?

How does a tiebreak work in tennis?

A tiebreak: those who are new to tennis have undoubtedly heard of it, but it's not surprising that they don't know the rules of it exactly. This isn't surprising, because a tiebreak isn't played every match, and the rules and scoring are quite different from those of regular tennis matches. Sjeng Sports provides a detailed explanation below, so next time you'll know exactly how a tiebreak works and be able to play it without any problems!

Tiebreak rules

First, we'll explain how a tiebreak is played in tennis. When both players have won six games in a set, and the score is 6-6, a tiebreak follows. From this point on, things are a bit different from the previous twelve games. First, it's important to know that the scoring is different. Instead of 15, 30, 40, and so on, the score is now 1, 2, 3, and so on. Naturally, the tiebreak begins with a 0-0 score and continues until one of the two players reaches seven points. Note: you only win when you have two points more than your opponent. If you're ahead 7-6 in the tiebreak, you'll need to score an additional point to actually win.

Serving during a tiebreak is also different from regular games. When the score is 0-0, player A serves on the right. After just one point, it's player B's turn. They serve on the left and then serve on the right. Player A then does the same, and so on. This continues until the tiebreak ends and the set goes to player A or B at 7-6. Incidentally, the tiebreak rules stipulate that you switch sides occasionally, just like during the rest of the match. In both the regular tiebreak and the super tiebreak, this happens after six points, after twelve points, after eighteen points, and so on. There are also tournaments where the match is decided by a so-called super tiebreak instead of a deciding set. This super tiebreak follows the same rules as a regular tiebreak, but this version goes up to ten points won.

Longest tiebreak ever

Now that you're familiar with the most important tiebreak rules, you might also like to read some facts about tiebreaks. In some cases, especially because a two-point win is required, the tiebreak can take a very long time to finish. For example, in 1985, a tiebreak at Wimbledon ended 26-24. This occurred during the men's doubles match featuring Jan Gunnarson/Michael Mortensen and John Frawley/Victor Pecci. Even in women's matches, there are occasional outliers when it comes to the length of a tiebreak. For example, during the second round of the 1999 WTA tournament in Madrid, the tiebreak ended 21-19 during the match between Tara Snyder and Emanuelle Gagliardi. Another example of a long tiebreak at Wimbledon dates back to 1973, when Björn Borg defeated Premjit Lall from India in the tiebreak 20-18.

Hopefully, you're now fully familiar with how to play a tiebreak. Still a little worried that you won't quite grasp the rules on court when the time comes to play a tiebreak or super tiebreak yourself? No problem, because you and your opponent can often figure it out together. If they're also confused, there's always someone available to help you. Think of someone from the tournament committee or the match officials, for example.