Official padel rules explained

New to the game and want to learn more about the rules of padel? Don't worry, we've got you covered.

Padel is played only as doubles on a specific padel court.

The court is divided into two service boxes either side of the net – like in tennis – but it’s surrounded by glass walls, a metal cage, and doors on either side.

Here is a breakdown of padel rules:

• Points are started by an underarm serve before the rally is live
• Each shot must clear the net and bounce in the court before hitting the wall or cage, to be considered in
• If it hits the wall or cage without bouncing, the shot is out, and your opponents win the point
• Serves can bounce and hit the wall but if it hits the cage instead - the serve is out
• You're only allowed one bounce before you have to hit the ball. If it bounces twice on your side of the court, your opponents win the point
• Sometimes the shots (e.g. smashes) can bounce and then go out-of-bounds. You can use the doors to run outside and try and return the ball to keep the rally going

How to score in padel

Padel scoring is the same as tennis and is most commonly played as sets and games:

• To win one set, you have to win six games and be leading by two clear games
• Similarly, to win a game, you must win four points with a two-point advantage. Games are scored as:
  • 15 – one point
  • 30 – two points
  • 40 – three points
• If the game goes to 40-40, this is called ‘deuce’
• You will still need to win by two clear points – whoever wins the next point will have ‘advantage’ and will then need to claim the following point to seal the game
• If you lose the advantage point, it’s back to deuce

Padel service rules

To serve in padel, stand behind the service line and hit the ball cross court into the opposite service box. Here are some useful tips and rules you need to know about padel serving:

• The ball must bounce before you hit it and you must serve underarm
• You can only hit the ball below waist height after it bounces
• You must keep one foot on the ground and behind the service line
• If you land the ball in the service box and then it bounces and hits the cage first, this is out. If it hits the back wall, the point is live
• If the ball hits the net cord and lands in on your opponents side of the court, this is a let - you can re-take your serve
• Like in tennis, if you make a mistake on your first serve, you get a second serve
• If you make a mistake on first and second serve, it's a point to your opponents
• Players take it in turns to serve for a whole game

Padel rules for the walls

You can use the walls to your advantage in two ways. You can either let the ball bounce and hit the wall before hitting it back, or you can hit the ball against the wall to try and land it on your opponents’ side of the court.

In a rally you can also aim your shots to bounce and hit the cage to create awkward rebounds for your opponents.

Padel walls: what's in?

• If the ball bounces and hits the back glass after one bounce - the shot is in and the point is live. This counts for the serve as well
• During a rally (not including a serve), if the ball bounces once and comes off the cage - the shot is in and the point is live
• If the ball bounces once and goes over the back glass or over the cage, the shot is in

Padel walls: what's out?

• If the ball hits the back glass or cage without bouncing, the shot is out
• If the ball bounces twice or more before hitting the the back glass or cage then the point is over
• If the ball bounces and hits the cage off a serve, the shot is out

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Test your knowledge of padel rules

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