The rules of padel fit on one page. What confuses new players is the glass, the fence and the serve, so that is where this page spends its time. Everything here follows the official rules of the International Padel Federation (FIP).
The serve
- Stand with one foot behind the service line, on your side of the centre line. Your feet may not touch either line.
- Bounce the ball behind the service line first.
- Hit it at or below waist height, with at least one foot on the ground.
- Send it diagonally into the opponent's service box. The first point of every game is served from the right.
- You get two attempts, as in tennis.
A serve that bounces in the box and then hits the glass is good. A serve that bounces in the box and then hits the metal fence is a fault. If the serve clips the net and lands in the box, it is replayed. The receiver has to let the serve bounce: volleying the return of serve is not allowed.
The glass and the fence
| What happens | Result |
|---|---|
| Ball bounces on the floor, then hits the glass | In play. Hit it before it bounces a second time. |
| Ball bounces on the floor, then hits the fence | In play during a rally. On a serve it is a fault. |
| Your shot hits the opponents' glass or fence before bouncing | You lose the point |
| You hit the ball against your own glass to get it over the net | Allowed |
| Your shot touches the fence on your own side | You lose the point |
| Ball clips the net during a rally and lands in | In play |
| Ball lands on a line | In |
The fence rule catches most beginners. The mesh is part of the court, so a ball that bounces and then rattles into the fence is still live. It may come back at a strange angle, or die against the mesh. Either way, you have to play it.
When you lose a point
- The ball bounces twice on your side.
- You or your racket touch the net or the net posts while the ball is in play.
- You hit the ball before it has crossed the net to your side.
- The ball hits you or your partner.
- You hit the ball twice, or both partners hit it.
- You drop your racket or the wrist strap breaks during the point.
That last one surprises people. Throwing your racket at a ball, or losing it mid-swing, costs you the point.
Scoring
Padel uses tennis scoring: 15, 30, 40, game. A set goes to six games with a two-game lead, so 6-4 ends a set but 6-5 does not. At 6-6 you play a tie-break: first to seven points, two clear. A match is best of three sets. Some tournaments and many social games replace the third set with a super tie-break to ten points.
At 40-40 there are three official ways to finish the game. Agree on one before you start.
- Advantage
- The classic tennis format. You need two points in a row to win the game, so a game can go on for a long time.
- Golden point
- One deciding point at 40-40. The receiving pair chooses which side receives the serve. Short and tense, which is why social games often use it.
- Star point
- New in 2026 and used in Premier Padel. Advantage is played twice; if the score returns to deuce a third time, one deciding point settles the game.
Changing ends
Teams swap sides after the first game and then after every odd game: 1, 3, 5 and so on. In a tie-break you change ends every six points.