Serve underarm, diagonally
The server bounces the ball once behind the service line and hits it at or below waist height into the box diagonally opposite. The lines count as in. A fault gives you a second serve.
THE RULES
Padel rules,
explained in ten minutes
Padel rules are tennis rules with three changes: you serve underarm, the ball can come off the glass, and deuce is usually settled by one point. This page sets out the rules of padel as the International Padel Federation (FIP) writes them, from serve to tie-break, plus the mistakes that cause most club arguments.
- Best of three sets
- Serve underarm
- Bounce before glass
- Golden point at deuce
THE POINT
How a padel point
is played
Every rally follows the same four beats. Learn these and the rest of the padel rules are detail.
Return after the bounce
The receiver must let the serve bounce. A serve that bounces in the box and then comes off the back glass is good; one that touches the metal fence before its second bounce is a fault.
Rally, using the walls
Each pair hits alternately, and the ball must bounce on the floor before it touches any wall. You may take it after the bounce, off your own glass, or hit your own back wall to send it over the net.
Win the point
You win the point when the ball bounces twice on the other side, when an opponent hits the net or the fence, or when their shot reaches your glass or fence before your floor. Touching the net loses the point.
PADEL SCORING RULES
The scoring system,
score by score
Points, games and sets follow tennis. The options come from FIP Rule 1.
| Score | When it is called | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Love | No points won in the game | The server's score is called first: "love-15" means the receivers lead. |
| 15, 30, 40 | First, second and third point | Four points win the game with a lead of two. |
| Deuce | Three points each (40-40) | Two points in a row are needed, or a golden point if the club plays it. |
| Advantage | One point ahead after deuce | Win the next point for the game. Lose it and it is deuce again. |
| Golden point | Deuce, "no advantage" option | One point decides the game. The receivers choose the side and may not swap positions. |
| Star point | Third deuce, on the professional tours since 2026 | Two advantage cycles, then one deciding point if still level. |
| Game | Four points with a lead of two | Serve passes to the other pair. Ends change after odd games. |
| Set | Six games with a lead of two | 5-5 goes to 7-5. At 6-6 a tie-break decides it, 7-6. |
| Tie-break | Games level at 6-6 | Points count 1, 2, 3. First to seven, lead of two. Ends change every six points. |
| Match | Best of three sets | By prior agreement the third set can be a super tie-break to ten. |
THE DETAIL
The serve, the walls
and the lets in depth
Here is what the padel rules say about the serve, the walls and the lets, where most club arguments start. The full text is the FIP Rules of Padel, in force from 1 January 2026; the LTA Padel page gives the UK short form.
Padel rules for the serve
The service line is 6.95 m from the net on a 20 m by 10 m padel court. The server keeps one foot behind that line without touching it, bounces the ball once behind it, and hits it at or below waist height, diagonally into the opposite box. Serves start from the right and alternate sides each point.
A serve is a fault if it misses the box, if the server swings and misses, if it hits the server or their partner, or if it lands in the box and then touches the metal fence before its second bounce. The full list, with the tie-break serving order, is on padel serve rules.
The walls
Once the ball has bounced on the opponents' floor, it stays in play if it then hits any part of their court: the glass, the metal mesh, the net posts or the ground. Floor first, then wall, is good. Wall first, without a bounce, is out: if your shot reaches the opponents' glass or fence before their floor, you lose the point, even when it clips the net on the way.
You may also play the ball into your own back or side wall and let it rebound over the net; it is a correct return if it then bounces in the opponents' court. Your own fence and floor are not allowed.
Lets and the net cord
A serve that clips the net and lands in the box is a "net" and is replayed, unless it then touches the fence. In a rally, a ball that clips the net and lands in is good.
A point is replayed as a let if the ball splits, if anything outside the game comes onto the court, or if the ball hits a loose object on the opponents' floor and moves it. Stop at once; play on and the claim is lost.
Bodies, nets and stepping outside
A ball that touches a player or their clothing loses the point for that player, and so does hitting the ball before it has crossed the net, unless it bounced on your side and spun back over: then you may reach over, as long as you do not touch the net.
Out-of-court play is legal only on a court built for it: two openings per side and a clear safety area at least 3 m wide, 4 m long and 3 m high outside each. There a ball that bounces in court and leaves through the door or over the side wall can be returned before its second bounce; over the back wall it is lost.
Ends and serving order
A coin toss decides who serves and who picks an end. Ends change after the first, third and every following odd game, and every six points in a tie-break. Each set, the serving pair picks who serves first and the receivers who receives first; both hold for the set.
New players can start with how to play padel, the padel game rules for a first session. In the app, padel lessons start with the rules and the free padel scoreboard keeps count, applies golden point or tie-break rules, and calls the score out loud.
CLUB-LEVEL MISTAKES
What counts as out
under the padel rules
Glass before the bounce
A shot that reaches the opponents' glass before their floor is out, however hard it was hit.
Fence off the serve
A serve that lands in the box and then touches the mesh before the second bounce is a fault. Off the glass it is good.
Volleying the serve
The receiver must let the serve bounce. Volleying it, or being hit by it before the bounce, gives the point to the server.
Touching the net
Any contact with the net, the posts or the tension cable while the ball is in play loses the point, even after a winner.
Chasing a ball out of the door
Legal only on a court with the FIP safety area outside each opening. On a fenced-in club court that ball is a point for the pair that hit it.
FAQ
Questions about
the rules of padel
Can the ball hit the wall in padel?
Yes, after it has bounced on the floor. A ball that bounces in the opponents' court and then hits their glass or fence stays in play until its second bounce; before the bounce it is out.
Can you serve overarm in padel?
No. FIP Rule 6 says the ball is bounced once behind the service line and hit at or below waist height, with one foot on the ground. Above the waist is a fault.
What is a golden point in padel?
It is the FIP "no advantage" option: at deuce one point decides the game. The receivers choose which side receives and may not swap positions. Most UK club matches and Americanos use it.
How many sets are in a padel match?
The best of three. A set goes to six games with a lead of two, and a tie-break to seven settles 6-6. If agreed beforehand, a super tie-break to ten can replace the third set.
What happens if the ball hits the net on a serve?
If it lands in the correct box it is a "net" and the serve is replayed: two serves again after a first-serve net, one more second serve after a second-serve net. If it touches the fence before its second bounce, it is a fault.
Can you volley the serve in padel?
No. FIP Rule 8 says the receiver must let the ball bounce in the service box. If the serve hits the receiver or their racket before it bounces, the server wins the point.
Is padel scoring the same as tennis?
Almost. For padel tennis rules, scoring is the part that carries over: 15, 30, 40, game, six games for a set, a tie-break at 6-6. The differences: padel usually plays a golden point at deuce, and since 2026 the professional tours use the Star Point, two advantages then a deciding point.
KEEP READING
More guides
worth reading
Padel serve rules
Underarm, below the waist, diagonal, two serves. Every serve rule plus the technique.
How to play padel
From booking a court to keeping score: the grip, the serve, four shots and the two rules.
Padel scoreboard
Score the match out loud, track who serves, and keep every point you ever played.
Learn the rules,
then learn your level
Once the rules are second nature, film a match and find out which shots cost you points.