A tie-break in tennis is a special game played to decide the winner of a set when the score reaches 6-6 in games. Instead of continuing to play regular games until one player leads by two games, a tie-break is used to quickly determine the set winner

. How a tie-break works:

• The first player to reach 7 points with at least a 2-point margin wins the tie-break and thus the set.
• If the score reaches 6-6 points in the tie-break, play continues until one player leads by 2 points.
• Points in a tie-break are counted numerically (1, 2, 3, etc.) rather than the traditional 15, 30, 40 scoring.
• The player who was due to serve next serves the first point from the right (deuce) court.
• After the first point, players alternate serving two points each, starting from the left (advantage) court, then the right court, and so on.
• Players change ends after every 6 points to keep conditions fair (e.g., wind, sun)

Variations:

• In some matches, especially doubles or deciding final sets, a "match tie-break" (or super tie-break) is played to 10 points instead of 7, still requiring a 2-point margin to win.
• Grand Slam tournaments have slightly different final set tie-break rules, sometimes playing tie-breaks at 12-12 or 6-6 depending on the event

The tie-break was introduced to prevent excessively long sets and matches, providing a quicker, high-pressure conclusion to a tied set while maintaining fairness and excitement

. In summary, a tie-break is a mini-game played at 6-6 in a set where players race to 7 points (or 10 in some cases), needing a 2-point lead to win, with alternating serves and side changes to decide the set winner efficiently.