What is a break point in tennis?

The term break point in tennis describes a stage in a game when the player who is not serving (the receiver) can win the game if they win the next point (i.e., when the score is 0-40, 15-40, or 30-40, or there is a “deuce” and the receiver has the “advantage”). If the receiver wins this point, they have “broken” their opponent’s serve.

In professional tennis, most games “go with serve,” which means that the server wins the game. This is because having the serve makes it easier to win a point.

A break point is therefore a significant stage in a set because if you “hold” (win) all your service games in a set, you only need to break your opponent’s serve once to win the set, by six games to four or seven games to five.

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