Take your position
Stand with both feet behind the service line, in the half you serve from. Neither foot may touch the line or the imaginary extension of the centre line until you have hit the ball.
THE SERVE
Padel serve rules,
every fault and let explained
Padel serve rules are short but strict: underarm, after one bounce, at or below the waist, from behind the service line, diagonally into the box. This guide covers every rule in the official FIP rulebook, including the 2026 change, and the technique that turns a legal serve into a useful one.
- Underarm only
- Two serves per point
- Glass OK, mesh is a fault
- Service line at 6.95 m
THE PROCEDURE
A legal padel serve
in five steps
FIP Rule 6, in the order you actually do it.
Bounce the ball once
Let the ball bounce once on the ground behind the service line. Since 1 January 2026 it may not cross the service line or the centre line in the air before contact, so drop it straight down.
Hit it at or below the waist
Strike the ball underarm, with contact at or below waist height and at least one foot on the ground. A swing and a miss counts as a serve.
Send it diagonally into the box
The ball must clear the net and bounce inside the opposite service box; lines count as in. After the bounce, glass is fine, but the metal mesh before its second bounce is a fault.
Follow it to the net
Move forward as soon as you have hit the ball and set up to volley. The serve is your ticket to the net.
FAULT, LET OR GOOD
What the padel serve rules say
in each situation
Rule numbers follow the 2026 FIP rulebook.
| Situation | Result | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bounces in the box, then hits the back or side glass | Good serve | The walls are in play. The receiver must play it. |
| Bounces in the box, then touches the metal mesh | Fault | Rule 7.1(e). The one surface a serve may not touch. |
| Touches the net, lands in the box, misses the mesh | Let | Rule 9. Replay that serve: two serves after a first-serve let, one after a second-serve let. |
| Touches the net, then hits the mesh | Fault | Rule 9.1(a). The net cord does not save it. |
| Contact above the waist, or both feet off the ground | Fault | Rule 6.4. Waist height and one foot down at contact. |
| A foot touches the service line or the centre-line extension | Fault (foot fault) | Rule 6.3. Feet stay behind the line until you strike. |
| Ball crosses the service line in the air before contact | Fault | Rule 6.2, new for 2026. Drop the ball beside your foot. |
| Receiver hits the ball before it bounces | Point to the server | Rule 8. The serve must bounce first. |
THE RULES IN DETAIL
Who serves, in which order,
and what happens when you get it wrong
Scoring and open play live on the padel rules page. This page stays on the padel service rules: Rules 6 to 9 of the FIP Rules of Padel.
Padel serve rules for order and rotation
A coin toss decides who serves first: the winner chooses to serve, to receive, or to pick an end. One player serves a whole game, then the serve passes to the other pair. Before each set each pair picks which partner serves first and which receives first; both orders hold until the next set. Games start from the right, into the box diagonally opposite, and the server switches side after each point.
Wrong side, wrong server, not ready
Serve from the wrong side and you correct it as soon as anyone notices; points stand, and a first-serve fault counts. Serve out of turn and the right player takes over at once; points stand, but a single fault before the error is wiped. Once a game has finished, the order stays until the set ends. A serve made before the receiver is ready is replayed, but a receiver who swings at the ball was ready.
The receiver
The receiver may stand anywhere on their side, but must let the ball bounce in the box and hit it before the second bounce. No volleying the serve: if the ball hits the receiver or their racket first, the server wins the point. The service line sits 6.95 m from the net, about 3 m from the back glass; see padel court dimensions.
TECHNIQUE
How to serve in padel
so the point starts your way
A legal padel serve is easy. A useful one is low, sliced and deep, so the receiver has no good option while you walk in. Placement beats power; the LTA serve guide tells players to stop chasing aces.
The two grips
The continental grip, racket held like a hammer, is the one to learn: it opens the face at contact, which gives you slice for nothing, and you volley with it next. The eastern forehand grip that beginners favour hits a flat ball that sits up and forces a grip change on the run in.
The slice serve
Bounce the ball beside your front foot, let it drop towards knee height, and brush under and across it with a short high-to-low swing. The ball should cross the net low and skid. Keep the backswing short.
Where to aim
- The T. Deep and central, at the junction of the service line and the centre line.
- The body. At the hip, so the receiver cannot swing freely.
- The side glass. Deep and wide, so the ball bounces and then hits the wall. A poor read gives you a weak lob.
Serve and net
Move as the ball leaves the racket. Aim for a volley position about a racket length from the centre line, level with the second fence post. Split-step as the receiver hits, then volley deep. The 30 Padel AI lessons build the serve and the approach in that order.
Returning the serve
Stand near the back of the box. The default return is a deep lob over the partner of the server, so the serving pair cannot settle at the net. Against a slow serve, drive low at the feet of the incoming server. The video analysis scores serve and return as one of its six techniques.
COMMON MISTAKES
Five serve mistakes
we see at club level
Bouncing the ball ahead of the line
The bounce must be behind the service line, and since 2026 the ball may not cross the line in the air either. Drop it beside your foot.
Hitting at chest height
The limit is the waist at contact. Let the ball drop to the knee; a lower contact makes a lower serve.
Serving flat and hard
A flat serve bounces high and comes back at your feet as you run in. Slice and depth win more points than speed.
Staying at the baseline
A serve nobody follows hands the initiative to the receiver. Hit a slower serve you can follow.
Arguing about the mesh
Off the glass the serve stands; off the mesh it is a fault. Watch the first thing the ball touches after the bounce.
FAQ
Questions about
padel serve rules
Can you serve overhand in padel?
No. The ball must be struck at or below waist height after one bounce. An overhand serve is a fault.
Does the ball have to bounce before you serve?
Yes. The ball bounces once behind the service line, in your own half, and you hit it after that bounce. Hitting it out of the hand is a fault.
Where do you stand to serve in padel?
Behind the service line, 6.95 m from the net, diagonally opposite the receiver. Neither foot may touch the line or the centre-line extension.
Can the serve hit the glass?
Yes, once it has bounced in the box. Glass is good; the metal mesh before the second bounce is a fault.
Is it a let if the serve hits the net?
Yes, if it touches the net or a post, lands in the correct box and does not touch the mesh. You replay that serve only. Net cord then mesh is a fault.
Can the receiver volley the serve?
No. FIP Rule 8 says the receiver must let the ball bounce in the box. If the serve hits the receiver or their racket first, the server wins the point.
How many serves do you get in padel?
Two. A fault on the first serve gives you a second; a fault on the second loses the point. Lets do not count.
KEEP READING
More guides
worth reading
Serve by the rules,
then serve with a plan
Padel AI scores your serve and return from one match video and tells you where to aim next.