PadelPadel Rules Explained Simply: Serve, Scoring & Wall Play
By Theo Diether · Published 23/07/2026 · last updated 28/10/2026 · 7 min read
At first glance padel looks like a mix of tennis and squash, and that is exactly what makes the rules confusing at the start. In fact, you can understand them in a few minutes. Here are the most important rules, compact and without rulebook jargon.
The short version
- It is almost always played as doubles on a 20 × 10 m court enclosed by glass and mesh.
- The serve is underarm, after one bounce, at or below hip height.
- If the serve touches the net and lands in the correct box, it is replayed.
- Scoring is as in tennis; at 40-40, depending on the match, with advantage, a Golden Point or a Star Point.
- On the opponents' side: floor first, then wall or mesh, and the ball stays in play. A ball landing right in the corner is good.
The court
A padel court is 20 metres long and 10 metres wide, much smaller than a tennis court, and fully enclosed by glass walls and metal mesh. It is almost always played as doubles (2 vs 2). Singles is allowed, but in practice the exception.
The court is divided by a net in the middle, with a service line in front of it on each side, similar to tennis but narrower.
The serve
This is where most beginners stumble:
Underarm
The ball is hit underarm, never overhead.
Let it bounce first
It must bounce once on the ground beforehand (no direct serve as in tennis).
Hip height
You hit it at or below hip height.
Diagonal
You serve diagonally into the opponents' service box, alternating between the left and right side after every point, just like in tennis.
A serving fault (hit too high, wrong box, no bounce beforehand) counts as a fault just as in tennis, and two faults cost you the point.
Net serve: replayed
If the serve touches the net or a net post and then bounces in the correct service box, it is not a fault: the serve is replayed (officially a "net", often also called a "let"). If it was your first serve, you still have two attempts afterwards; on the second serve, only the second serve is replayed. The same applies if the ball hits one of the opponents directly after touching the net.
Two cases are still a fault despite the net contact:
- The ball bounces outside the service box.
- It bounces in the box and then hits the metal mesh before bouncing a second time. On the serve that is always a fault, with or without the net.
Scoring
The scoring is identical to tennis: 0 – 15 – 30 – 40 – game. What happens at 40-40 is covered by three variants in the official rules of the world federation FIP:
With advantage
Classic, as in tennis: deuce, advantage, and a team has to win two points in a row. That can take a while.
Golden Point
At 40-40, a single point decides. No advantage, no long back and forth. Many recreational and league rounds play this way.
Star Point
The middle way, used since 2026 on the Premier Padel pro tour and at FIP tournaments: two advantages, after that a single point decides.
How the Star Point works
- First deuce (40-40): Whoever wins the next point has the advantage. If that team also wins the following point, the game is theirs.
- Second deuce: If the advantage is lost, it is 40-40 again. There is a second advantage following the same pattern.
- Star Point: If the second advantage is lost as well, a single point decides the game at the third deuce.
Before this point, just like with the Golden Point, the receiving team chooses whether the serve goes to the right or the left side, and with it which of the two returns. The two players may not swap positions for it.
Agree on it before the match
The organiser decides which variant applies; in recreational rounds, the group itself. Best to agree before the first ball.
Sets are played to 6 games as in tennis (with a two-game lead), and at 6-6 there is usually a tiebreak.
Wall play: the real speciality
This is where padel differs most from tennis:
Before the bounce: their wall is off-limits
Your shot must land on the floor of the opponents' court first. If it hits their glass wall or mesh before that, you lose the point. You may use your own glass wall: if the ball bounces off it and then lands in the opponents' court, the shot is valid. Your own mesh, however, is not.
After the bounce: in play
The ball may also touch the glass wall or metal mesh and stays in play. That is valid and part of the tactical game (many points are only decided after a wall contact). After the bounce, the mesh counts the same as the glass wall.
Two bounces: point over
If the ball bounces twice on the ground, the point is over, as in tennis.
Playing it back from outside
If the ball flies out over the boundary after a valid bounce (through an opening in the fence), players may leave the court and play it back from outside, provided it has not bounced twice yet and doesn't touch anything else outside. This produces the spectacular rescues you know from videos.
Exception on the serve
On the serve itself, touching the mesh after the bounce counts as a fault. Stricter rules apply there than in a normal rally.
Ball in the corner: good
If the ball bounces in the opponents' court right in the corner where wall and floor meet, it is good and stays in play, at the back wall just as at the side walls. The point is only lost if the ball hits the opponents' wall or mesh first and the floor afterwards. (FIP rules 13.1 g and 14.1 i, as of 2026)
| The ball in the opponents' court … | Result |
|---|---|
| bounces right in the corner | good |
| floor first, then glass or mesh | good |
| opponents' glass first, then floor | point lost |
| straight into the opponents' mesh | point lost |
With the naked eye this is often hard to judge, because the floor and glass contacts are only fractions of a second apart. In a tournament with an umpire, the umpire's call stands; in recreational rounds it pays to agree beforehand what applies to unclear balls.
Volley rule at the net
Right at the net (volley), the same basic rules apply as in tennis: you may hit the ball before it bounces, but only once it has crossed the net. Unlike in tennis, however, it is usual and tactically intended to move up to the net after the first exchange. Padel is decided far more at the net than from the baseline.
The 5 most common beginner mistakes
Serving overhead
Instead of underarm: the most common rule violation among players switching from tennis.
Missing a wall contact before the bounce
And wrongly counting the point as "valid".
Moving up to the net too late
Not a rules mistake tactically, but the reason beginners usually lose against experienced pairs.
Not agreeing on the scoring at 40-40
Advantage, Golden Point or Star Point: clarify beforehand which variant is being played.
Not playing a valid wall ball
Out of uncertainty, many beginners let a ball go that comes back off the glass wall or mesh after the bounce, even though it is still in play.
Which racket suits your playing style?
Once the rules have sunk in, it is mainly your equipment that decides how easy you find getting started. Our Racket Finder asks about your level and playing style in 7 questions and recommends suitable models. To begin with, a round, soft racket with a big sweet spot is usually the right choice.