JACKIE BOHANNON
Guest Writer
news@lbknews.com
Recently, I was playing a doubles tournament, and all four of us were confused about the
format. We couldn’t agree on when to play the tiebreaker, how to play the tiebreaker, who served in which order, who served first in the tiebreaker, or who served next after the tiebreaker, or if it was seven or ten points. HELP!
Tiebreakers can be confusing for even the most experienced players, because there are a lot of moving parts. I will try to answer all of your questions, as simply as possible, while sometimes reiterating the points with different verbiage that actually means the exact same thing.
The first step in any tournament is to look at the entry form or ask the tournament director what the exact format is. Tournaments have many varying formats, but the most common are 2 out of 3 sets and 2 out of 3 sets with a 10 point tiebreaker in lieu of a 3rd set. Therefore, the only time you play a 10 point tiebreaker is when you and your opponents have each won a set. The first team to get to 10 and win by two is the winner. For example, the score could be reported 6-3, 4-6, 10-8. 10 point tie breakers are sometimes also referred to as super tiebreaks.
The next step is to know when to play tiebreakers during sets. The terminology can be confusing because a 12-point tiebreaker and a 7-point tie breaker are the same thing. In a match if the game score reaches 6-6 then you play a tiebreaker. This tiebreaker is the first person to reach 7 points but wins by 2. The winner of the tiebreaker then gets the winning game for that set. For example, the score could be reported as 7-6 (7-5). The tiebreaker is played until someone gets to 7 or wins by two. Therefore, the tiebreaker could still report a score of 10-8 or 12-10 if no one was 2 points ahead when someone reached 7. (Different tournaments may have different formats. In pro sets tiebreakers are played at 8-8 and in fast four they are played at 3-3.)
So now that we know when to play tiebreakers, and how to keep score, how do we actually play them? Traditional tennis had players switching ends of the court every 6 points, but in the early 2000s the Coman tiebreaker gained popularity as the go to tiebreak. Nowadays almost all tournaments incorporate the Coman. The Coman is perceived as being fairer, because it has players serve from the same end of the court as they had the whole match. It also gets rid of any perceived advantages like wind or sun. To play a Coman tie breaker you switch ends after the first point, and then after every 4 points. So typically you change ends when the score adds up to 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, and then 21 and so forth if needed. That is how you change ends. Now let’s dive in to changing sides.
In tennis if the score is even you should be serving to the deuce side. If the score is odd you serve to the add side. When a tiebreak begins the score is 0-0 therefore the first point is served to the deuce side. After that all new servers start on the ad side. In a tiebreaker, the first person to serve serves 1 point, and then everyone else serves 2 points until the desired score is reached.
But who serves next? The serving order continues the same throughout the tiebreak as it did throughout the set. If Joe served first, then Bob ( Joe’s opponent), then Steve (Joe’s partner), then Jeff (Bob’s partner) that same order stays during the tiebreak. So if the score reaches 6-6, the person who is supposed to serve next in the game is actually the person who serves the first point in the tiebreak. Since the game score is 6-6 all players have served 3 times, and now Joe would start the tiebreak. Joe serves at 0-0 from the deuce side. Because the score was 6-6 there is no changing of ends or a water break. Joe serves the first point. Now both teams change ends of the court. Now Bob serves two points starting at the ad side. Now Steve serves two points. Five points have now been played so players change ends again. This process continues until a player reaches 7 points and wins by two. Basically, the first person to serve serves once, and then from that point on everyone serves twice. If the score is even you serve from the deuce side, if the score is odd you serve from the ad side, and when the score adds up to 1, 5, 9 , 13, or 17 you change ends of the courts. Deuce side is the right side of the court, and ad is left. Try to refrain from saying the forehand and backhand side, because some players are right while others are left handed.
Ok, so say you are Joe and you just won the first set 7-6. Who serves next? Joe’s opponent. Why? Because if Joe serves first in a set that goes to a tiebreak, he will always return first in the next set. Another reason is because Joe served first in the tiebreak. It doesn’t matter what the score is when the tiebreak ends. This does not affect serving or receiving order. When the tiebreak is over the score is now considered 7-6, so you now have a break (typically 2 minutes), and change sides with your opponent. You didn’t ask this but at the beginning of a new set, either partner can serve, so using our fictious characters Bob or Jeff can serve. Joe’s team served first in the first set, so now Bob’s team will serve first in the second. Also note that when a set ends you can switch sides with your partner if you prefer to return from the other side. No changes can be made mid set, only after the set is complete.
I hope this helps! Tiebreakers can be very confusing, but with a little practice you will get the hang of it.
