Viewers glance at the scorebug to see who's serving, so the serve marker has to be right on every point. In ScoreCastr you set it once, before the first point, and the app switches it as games are won, including the trickier order in a tiebreak. This guide covers how that works and how to correct it.
Set the first server
A new match starts with Player 1 (the first name you entered) serving. If the other player won the toss and serves first:
- Open the match's Control Dashboard, on the Scoring tab.
- Click Serving under the player who's serving. The button turns solid to show it's on.
You can change it the same way at any point in the match.
Switches after every game
When a game is won with the +1 button, the serve passes to the other player, ready for the next game. That includes the game that wins a set: the other player serves first in the new set.
Only games won with +1 switch the serve. If you fix the score with the GAMES buttons or the 0, 15, 30, 40, ADV buttons, the serve stays where it is, so check it after a fix.
The serve in a tiebreak
At 6-6, the game that makes it 6-6 switches the serve as usual, and that player serves the first point of the tiebreak. Then ScoreCastr follows the tiebreak order for you:
- After the first point, the serve changes.
- After that, it changes every two points.
Use the -1 in the TIE-BREAK panel to take a point back, and the serve goes back with it.
When the tiebreak is won, the player who received first in the tiebreak serves the first game of the next set.
Doubles
In a doubles match, the serve is tracked by team. Each team has one Serving button, and the scorebug marks the serving team. ScoreCastr doesn't track which partner is serving in tennis.
Where the serve shows
- The scorebug: a serve marker next to the serving player on Classic, Apex and Primetime. It disappears once the match is complete.
- Match Statistics: with the Starter plan, the sidebar shows Currently Serving with the player's name and seed.
- The point tab: on Apex and Primetime with AUTO POINT TAB on, BREAK POINT appears when the receiving player is one point from winning the server's game.
ScoreCastr tracks who is serving. It doesn't count aces, double faults or serve percentages.
Serve from a Stream Deck
There's no ready-made tennis profile, but two universal codes set the serve. Build them with the Text action in the Stream Deck app:
| Code | Action |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Player 1 serving |
| 2006 | Player 2 serving |
Listening Mode must be on for codes to work. See Set up a Stream Deck.
Fix common problems
The wrong player is marked as serving. Click Serving under the right player. Nothing else changes.
The serve didn't switch after a game. The game was probably added with GAMES +1 rather than won with +1. Click Serving for the right player.
The serve buttons do nothing. The match is complete. You'll see "Cannot change serve for completed match."
The tiebreak serve is off. Check who served the first tiebreak point. If the wrong player started it, click Serving for the right player; the rotation carries on from there.
Checklist
- First server set before the first point
- Games won with +1, so the serve switches by itself
- Serve checked after any manual fix
- Tiebreak points scored in the TIE-BREAK panel