Why is 0 score called LOVE in tennis?
In: Other
The “it’s french for egg” theory is generally considered debunked.
A different blog had this to say:
> Another, and far more accepted, theory is that this sense of love comes from the expression “to play for love.” The idea is that a person who fails to make any points doesn’t care because they are playing for love of the game, rather than playing to win
https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/word-origin-of-love-in-tennis
This might not be the true origin but there are writings going back to the 1600s that seem to imply using love in this way so it’s the best that we seem to have at the moment.
In tennis, “love” is used to represent a score of zero because the game needs to sugarcoat the fact that you’re failing miserably. Some say it comes from the French word “l’œuf,” which means “egg,” symbolizing the shape of a zero. But let’s be honest, they just wanted a nicer way to say, “Hey, you’re scoring a big fat nothing.” So next time you’re at love, just remember it’s a fancy way of saying you’re starting from zilch, nada, zero.
I’ve heard from an excellent tennis coach that tennis used to be scored on a clock. The long hand represented one player, and the shorter the other. They start together on the clock, hence “love”. Then, when one point won, is they move to 15 minutes. Then, to 30 minutes. Then, they move to 45 minutes. But, 45 is three syllables, which is a lot to say mid-game. So, they shortened it to 40. Only explanation I’ve heard that makes perfect sense.
Latest Answers