In tennis, a score of zero is called "love." This term is believed to have originated from the French term "l'oeuf," which means 'an egg,' due to the resemblance between the number zero and the shape of an egg. However, this etymology is not definitively proven. The scoring system in tennis is quite unique and uses a sequence of terms that include "love," "fifteen," "thirty," and "forty" to represent the points scored by a player during a game. When a player has zero points, they are said to have "love." The server's score is always called out first, so for example, if the server has zero points and the opponent has fifteen, the score is announced as "love-fifteen." read more >>

Although the theory is often heard that it represents the French word l'oeuf, meaning 'an egg' (from the resemblance between an egg and a nought) this seems unlikely. "Love" means zero. In tennis, the server's score is given first, so "love-fifteen" means the server has no points, the opponent has fifteen.read more >>