The scoring in tennis is already complicated as it is— with words like “love” and “ad”— but gets even more confusing when players reach a tiebreak.
In high school girls tennis, a tiebreak is played at 6-6 in JV and 8-8 in Varsity. This means that if you and your opponent have both won those many games, then your match is decided by a tiebreak. Tiebreaks are played to 7 points, but they are win by two— which means you have to have a two point lead to win the match. These few nerve wracking points are high intensity and put anxiety even in spectators. Here are a couple personal experiences from our own girls tennis players at Brownell!
While tiebreakers may be stressful for some, doubles team Tess and Natalie tend to motivate themselves by the thrill of a tiebreak.
After leading 5–2 as a freshman, JoJo Anderson was forced into a tiebreak against Bennington High School that became one of the toughest moments of her tennis career, an experience that stuck with her so deeply that she hasn’t gone into another tiebreak since.
After playing a long game, a tiebreak is the last thing a tennis player wants to go into. The points reset and it is like the match started all over again. With only 7 points to win, the player needs to play their hardest, which can be difficult after playing for 16 games (varsity tiebreak) already. The tiebreak is a measure of a player’s true skills and mental capacity.
