Why Do We Say ‘Love’ In Tennis? The Answer’s More Complicated Than You Think

Did you know that David Attenborough is the reason tennis balls are bright yellow? 

Yup – the hue used to be decided by the court (dark for a light court, and vice versa, for visibility). 

But when the then-controller of BBC 2 noticed these didn’t stand out on-screen, he asked them to change the spheres to a brighter colour, officially known as optic yellow. 

To me, though, that only answers one of tennis’ many mysteries. For instance, up until recently, I still had no idea why “love” was used to mean a score of zero.

Why do we call a score of zero “love” in tennis?

There are plenty of theories, but one seems more likely than the others. 

The BBC suggested the term came from the French word for “egg” (l’oeuf, which is pronounced almost like “love” to English speakers), as the food item looks like the number zero. 

But the dictionary Merriam-Webster points out that there’s no record of French people using l’oeuf to mean nought.

The egg theory has been largely written off as “folk etymology”.

The BBC also said that the term might come from the Dutch and Flemish “lof”, meaning “honour” – as in, a player with no points could be playing for honour.

This is closer, but not identical, to Merriam-Webster and Oxford Reference’s preferred theory: that “love” comes from, well, love. 

Both think the term comes from “love” as in “love of the game”. 

Why would “love” stand for “love of the game” in tennis? 

It sounds a bit like an insult – as if people are saying someone’s doing badly, so must not be in it to win.

But Oxford Reference stated it’s probably linked to money, or the lack thereof. 

“This usage apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money,” they said. 

Merriam-Webster is aligned with the publication, adding: “A similar idea is found in the origin of the word amateur, which can refer to a person who does something strictly for love.”