MAHALAKSHMI MURALI, Tennis BloggerAnswered Nov 17, 2017Originally Answered: What does love means in tennis?The origin of “love” in tennis is disputed. It technically corresponds to zero. One of the possible derivations of the word “love” could be the French expression “L’œuf” which translates into the egg because an egg looks like the number zero. Another possible theory of the origin of “love” could be that at the beginning of the match when the scores are zero the opponents have love of each other, hence “Love All”.
Etymonline further illuminates:
Old English lufu "feeling of love; romantic sexual attraction; affection; friendliness; the love of God; Love as an abstraction or personification," from Proto-Germanic *lubo (source also of Old High German liubi "joy," German Liebe "love;" Old Norse, Old Frisian, Dutch lof; German Lob "praise;" Old Saxon liof, Old Frisian liaf, Dutch lief, Old High German liob, German lieb, Gothic liufs "dear, beloved"). The Germanic words are from PIE root *leubh- "to care, desire, love."
The weakened sense "liking, fondness" was in Old English. Meaning "a beloved person" is from early 13c. The sense "no score" (in tennis, etc.) is 1742, from the notion of playing for love (1670s), that is, for no stakes.
So, love is playing for nothing. Love is playing for no score. This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 13:1-7. I don't usually, but I'm going to share those verses from Eugene Peterson's The Message:
If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.
2 If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.
3-7 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back, but keeps going to the end.
Right in the center of all those qualities is that love "doesn't keep score."
I can't tell you how many times I've fallen into the trap of keeping score with someone I love. "I've given and given to them, but they haven't given back." Or, "They've hurt me so many times!" It's like the tennis score is 40-love, where "love" means "nothing," and that's my score. Zip. Zero. That's what keeping score gets you.
But what if we change the meaning of the tennis score "love" and understand it this way: "Man, you really got one on me--but I still love you! Well, you're scoring more than I am, but I still love you." You get to the point where if your score is "love," you're no longer keeping score at all--becaue what's the point? In fact, there are no points. You're not in the relationship to win. You're in it for the love of the game, for the love of the other person. So let them score. Or better yet--if you quit keeping score then their triumphs aren't scores anymore anyway. You simply get to say, "Good one! Way go go! Look at how well you've done!" And that's a much better way to play the game than competing anyway.
Have you ever gotten frustrated in an argument, thrown up your arms and said, "I can't win!?"
Why are you trying to win, anyway? That's not a very nice way to play the game where "love" means neither of you is keeping score. Instead, when you're in a disagreement, step aside. Go back to 1 Corinthians 13, and remind yourself what love is all about.
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