Funny, I thought the early players used a large clock to show the scores. Hence 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes.
Later they tired of saying fourty-five so they cut it back to fourty.
Hence 15, 30, 40 game.
Link to column: Why is tennis scoring so weird? – CKDH
Clocks in that era had no minute hands, so that theory’s out of the question.
Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Board, parker, glad to have you with us.
When you start a thread, it’s helpful to others if you provide a link to the column that you are discussing. Helps keep everyone on the same page. No biggie, I’ve edited it in for you, and you’ll know for next time.