Whether one agrees with the 22-year-old, Gauff may have a point. Records about the scoring system indicate that 45 was initially in place during the 1400s, but the reason for shifting to 40 doesn’t have verifiable roots.
Said Elizabeth Wilson, author of Love Game: A History of Tennis, from Victorian Pastime to Global Phenomenon, “I don’t think anybody really knows how it started or why it developed how it did. There are various theories, all sorts of romantic theories have been built up about it. That’s partly what makes tennis into a kind of romantic game, because it had all this history that isn’t really history.”
Speaking of history, Gauff is bidding to become first American woman besides four-time champion Serena Williams to lift the Internazionali BNL d’Italia trophy since 2000, when Monica Seles triumphed. The Delray Beach, Fla. resident will need to turn the tables on two-time title holder Elina Svitolina, as the Ukrainian won both of their prior 2026 meetings at the Australian Open and Dubai.
