What Is a Break Point?

If you’ve ever heard a commentator say “Huge break point here!” — and had no idea what that meant — we’ve got you. Break points are high-stakes moments. Here’s how it works:

1. What Is a “Break” in Tennis?

In tennis, the person serving usually has the advantage. So when the returner wins the game? That’s called a break of serve (or “a break”).

It’s a big deal — especially in the men’s game, where strong serving is more dominant.

2. What’s a Break Point?

A break point happens when the returner is one point away from winning the game. These show up when the server is losing, and the score looks like:

• 30–40

• 15–40

• 0–40

Each of those is a break point — and if the returner wins the next point, boom: they “break serve.”

If they don’t win the point? The game continues or we head to deuce.

Break points are momentum-shifting moments. They create pressure, swing matches, and almost always result in someone yelling.

👂 Where You’ll Hear It

“He’s got two break points here.”
Translation: The returner has two chances in a row to win the game. If he wins one of the points, he breaks serve.

“She saved three break points in that game.”
Translation: She was down and nearly lost the game on her serve — but won all three pressure points and held on.

“That was a huge break at 5–5.”
Translation: The returner won the game late in the set — now they can serve it out. Major momentum swing.

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