Padel Rules Explained: Serve, Walls and Scoring

Padel borrows its scoring from tennis, but the court is enclosed and the walls are part of the game. That changes how a point is served, how a rally is kept alive and how points are lost. Everything below follows the International Padel Federation's Rules of Padel, the edition in force from 1 January 2026.

The court and equipment

A padel court is a rectangle 20 metres long and 10 metres wide, measured inside the walls. A net across the middle is 88 cm high at the centre and 92 cm at the posts, a little lower than a tennis net. On each side, a service line runs parallel to the net 6.95 m away from it, and a centre line divides the space between the net and the service line into two service boxes.

The court is enclosed. Each end has a 3 m wall of glass or another solid material, topped by 1 m of metal mesh. The sides have glass panels near each end and mesh in the middle. Doors or openings in the side walls let players in and out, and on some courts they let the ball out too (more on that below).

The racket has no strings. It is a solid, perforated paddle up to 45.5 cm long and 26 cm wide, with a head no thicker than 38 mm. It must have a wrist cord, and wearing it is compulsory. The ball looks like a tennis ball. The FIP sets its diameter at 6.35 to 6.77 cm and requires a new ball dropped from 2.54 m onto a hard surface to bounce back 135 to 145 cm.

How scoring works

Points go 15, 30, 40 and game, exactly as in tennis. A set goes to the first pair to win six games with a two-game lead. At 6-6 a tie-break is played to seven points, with a two-point lead needed. Matches are the best of three sets.

What happens at 40-40 depends on the scoring option the organiser chooses. The FIP rules allow three:

• Advantage. Traditional deuce and advantage: a pair must win two points in a row to take the game.
• Golden point. At 40-40, one deciding point is played. The receiving pair chooses which of them receives it, and the winner takes the game. It keeps games short, so matches are easier to fit into a court booking.
• Star Point. Advantage is played twice. If the score reaches deuce a third time, a single deciding point settles the game. Both Premier Padel and the CUPRA FIP Tour use Star Point in their 2026 rulebooks.

Organisers can also shorten matches, for example with a 10-point "super tie-break" instead of a third set.

The serve

The serve is where newcomers from tennis need to adjust most. Every serve is underarm, and the rules are strict about how it is hit:

1. Position. The server stands behind the service line, between the centre line (extended) and the side wall. Neither foot may touch the service line or the imaginary centre line before the ball is struck.
2. Bounce first. The server drops the ball and lets it bounce on the ground behind the service line before hitting it.
3. Height. The ball must be hit at or below waist height, with at least one foot on the ground.
4. Direction. The serve goes diagonally over the net and must bounce inside the receiver's service box. The lines count as in.

Each game starts with a serve from the right-hand side. After every point the server switches sides. For technique and where to aim, see how to serve in padel. Like tennis, you get two attempts: if the first serve is a fault you take a second, and two faults in a row lose the point.

Serve faults and lets

A serve is a fault if the server misses the ball, if it lands outside the correct box, or if it hits the server or their partner. There is one padel-specific fault. If the serve bounces in the right box but then hits the metal fence before it bounces again, it is a fault. If it bounces in the box and then hits the glass, it is a good serve and the receiver must play it.

If the serve clips the net and lands in the correct box, it is a let and is taken again, unless it then hits the mesh. A let on the first serve means the server still has two serves. A let on the second serve replays only the second serve.

Returning the serve

The receiver must let the serve bounce in their box and then hit it before it bounces a second time. You cannot volley a serve in padel: if the ball hits the receiver or their racket before bouncing, the server wins the point.

Each pair decides who receives first in the opening game of a set, and partners then take turns receiving for the rest of that set. The server's order is fixed the same way. The receiver's partner and the server's partner can stand anywhere on their own side.

How the walls work in a rally

The walls are what make padel different from other racket sports. Two principles cover almost every situation:

• On your opponents' side, the ball must hit the floor first. Your shot has to bounce on the opponents' floor before it touches their walls or fence. If it hits their glass or mesh before the floor, you lose the point.
• On your side, once the ball has bounced, the walls are in play. After a ball bounces on your floor it can hit your back or side glass, or the fence, and you can still play it as long as it has not bounced a second time.

You can also use your own walls to attack or defend. The FIP rules allow a return that hits a wall on your own side first and then carries over the net, as long as it lands in the opponents' court.

There is one exception on your own side: the mesh. A shot you hit that touches the metal fence or the floor on your side is lost. Your own glass can be used, but the fence cannot.

A few other situations come up often:

• Net cord. A return that clips the net or posts and still lands in the opponents' court is good.
• The corner. A ball that bounces into the corner where the wall meets the floor is still a good shot.
• Spinning back. If a ball bounces correctly on the opponents' side and then spins back over the net, the opponents may reach over and play it. They must not touch the net, posts or your court.
• Ball stuck in the fence. If your shot bounces on the opponents' side and then goes through a hole in the fence, gets stuck in it, or lodges on top of the wall, you win the point.

Ways to lose a point

Beyond serving faults, the FIP rules list the ways a pair loses a point during a rally. The common ones:

• The ball bounces twice on your side before you return it.
• Your shot hits the opponents' walls or fence before their floor.
• Your shot hits the mesh or the floor on your own side.
• You, your racket or anything you are wearing touches the net or posts while the ball is in play, or you touch the opponents' court.
• The ball hits you or your partner. If an opponent's shot hits you directly, before bouncing, they win the point.
• You hit the ball twice, or you and your partner both hit it.
• You hit the ball before it has crossed the net to your side.
• You hit the ball by throwing your racket, or you drop it, or your safety cord breaks.

A single continuous swing that happens to touch the ball twice, without changing its direction much, is not a double hit.

Playing outside the court

On courts with enough space around them, players may leave the court through the side openings to chase a ball. The FIP sets the conditions: each side needs two openings and a clear safety area outside of at least 3 m by 4 m, and 3 m high. Where this is allowed, a ball that bounces correctly and then goes out over a side wall or through a door stays live. You can run out and hit it back before it bounces a second time or touches anything outside.

A ball that bounces and then goes out over the back wall is always a winner for the pair who hit it.

On courts that do not meet the safety rules, out-of-court play is not allowed. There, a ball that bounces and then leaves the court wins the point, and you may not hit the ball from outside the court. If you are not sure which applies at your club, agree on it before you start.

Changing ends and time between points

Pairs change ends after the first game, the third game and every odd game after that in each set. During a tie-break they change every six points. The rules allow up to 20 seconds between points and 90 seconds at a change of ends, with no rest at the change after the first game of a set. Between sets the break is two minutes, and before a match there is a compulsory three-minute warm-up.

Lets and interference

A point is replayed if the ball breaks, if something enters the court, or if an outside event interrupts play. The player must claim the let immediately. If the umpire refuses it, the claiming player loses the point. If a player is disturbed on purpose by an opponent, they win the point. If the interference is accidental, the point is replayed, but a second accidental interference by the same pair loses the point.

Rules to remember for your first match

If you only keep a few rules in mind, make it these:

1. Serve underarm, after a bounce, at or below the waist, into the diagonal box.
2. Your shot must land on the floor before it touches the opponents' walls.
3. On your side, let the ball bounce and use the glass. Never let it touch your own fence.
4. At 40-40 in a club game, expect a golden point.

Once the walls stop surprising you, the rest of the game follows tennis logic. New to the sport? Our guide to what padel is explains where it comes from and why it has spread so fast.