Padel Rules Explained: How to Play

Padel rules are close to tennis with a few big changes. You serve underhand after one bounce, into the box diagonally across from you. Scoring is the same as tennis, and a tied game at 40-40 is often decided by one golden point. The walls are in play, and that changes everything.

You can learn all of it in one read. This is the whole rulebook in plain words, based on the official rules from the International Padel Federation.

How does the padel serve work?

The serve is where padel splits from tennis first.

You serve underhand. Stand behind the service line, bounce the ball once on the ground, and hit it at or below waist height. The ball has to land in the service box diagonally across the net, just like tennis. You get two tries. Miss both and you lose the point.

A few details that catch new players:

• Your feet stay behind the service line until you hit the ball. Stepping on the line is a foot fault.
• After landing in the box, the serve can hit the glass wall and still be good. If it hits the metal mesh before the second bounce, it is a fault.
• If the serve clips the net and still lands in the box, it is a let. You replay that serve.
• The receiver must let the serve bounce. You cannot volley a serve.

Teams take turns serving a full game each, same as tennis. Within the team, you and your partner alternate service games.

How does padel scoring work?

If you have watched any tennis, you already know it. Points go fifteen, thirty, forty, game. Win six games to take a set, with at least two games clear. At six games all, you play a tiebreak. Most matches are best of three sets.

The one twist is the golden point. In most padel, when a game reaches 40-40, you do not play advantage back and forth. One point decides the game. The receiving team picks which side takes the return, and then everyone plays the biggest point of the match. It keeps games short and it is genuinely exciting.

Some clubs still play traditional advantage scoring, so ask before you start. Either way, nothing else about the scoring will surprise you.

Are the walls in play?

Yes, and this is the rule that makes padel padel.

On your own side, the walls are your friend. If the ball bounces on the ground and then hits the back glass or side glass, it is still live. You can let it come off the wall and hit it back over the net. You can even hit the ball into your own back glass on purpose and have it fly over the net. It is a real shot, it is legal, and it wins points at every level.

The order matters. Ground first, then wall, is a live ball. Wall first is not. If your opponent's shot hits your glass before it bounces on the ground, they lose the point.

The metal mesh is meaner than the glass. A ball off the mesh comes out at strange angles, and on the serve the mesh is a fault. Treat the mesh as a wildcard and the glass as a wall you can trust.

For the record, the official court is 20 metres long by 10 metres wide. The net sits at 88 centimetres in the middle and 92 at the posts, a touch lower than tennis. The service line runs 6.95 metres from the net. You will never measure any of this yourself, but it is why every proper padel court in the world feels the same.

When is the ball out in padel?

Simpler than it sounds. The ball is out when:

• It bounces twice on your side before you hit it.
• It hits the glass or mesh on your side before touching the ground.
• It hits you or your partner, or your clothes, at any time.
• Your shot lands outside the court, or hits the net and drops on your own side.

The tricky habit to build is not giving up on balls. In tennis, a ball flying past you is gone. In padel, it hits the glass and comes right back to you, often at a friendly height. Half of learning the rules is learning to turn around and wait.

One more rule that surprises people: touching the net, with your body or your racket, loses you the point while the ball is live. Momentum carries new players into the net a lot. Watch for it.

Where do you stand in doubles?

The rules do not force positions, but the game does.

The receiving team splits the court left and right, and you generally keep those sides all match. When your team is defending, both of you stand near the back glass. When your team attacks, both of you move up to the net. The strong position in padel is at the net, and good teams fight to get there and stay there.

The main habit to learn is moving as a pair. If your partner goes up, you go up. Two players at the net and two at the back is the normal shape of a padel point. One up and one back leaves a hole in the middle, and better players will find it every time.

Common padel rule mistakes

Every beginner makes the same handful, so you may as well know them in advance.

• Serving overhand. Tennis players do it on reflex. The hit has to be at or below your waist.
• Catching a ball that was going out. If it has not bounced twice, it is live. Play it or let it land.
• Giving up on lobs. A lob over your head is not a lost point. Let it bounce, let it hit the glass, and play it off the rebound.
• Volleying the serve. The return of serve must be played after the bounce.
• Touching the net. Point over, even if your shot was already a winner.

None of these will matter after a month. The rules of padel are the fastest part of the sport to learn. The fun part is everything that comes after.

Ready to play?

You now know more rules than most people on court. Book an hour, grab three friends, and put it into practice. If you are still on rentals, our guide on how to choose a padel racket will help when you are ready for your own. Bring a fresh tube of padel balls, and if you find yourself playing every week, a pair of proper padel shoes will grip the turf better than your runners do. The rules take one read. The game takes years, in the best way.