What Is Padel? Rules, Scoring, Court and How to Play

Padel at a glance

Players

Four, two per team

Court

An enclosed rectangle measuring 10 × 20 metres

Serve

Bounce the ball, strike it at or below waist height and serve diagonally

Scoring

15, 30, 40 and game

Walls

The ball stays in play after bouncing on the floor and rebounding off a wall or fence

Bounces

Return the ball before its second bounce on the floor

Typical match

Best of three sets

Essential equipment

Padel racket, padel balls, court shoes and the racket's safety cord

Padel compared with tennis

Padel is sometimes described as a mixture of tennis and squash, but that description is only a starting point. It has its own equipment, court, service rules and tactical patterns. The enclosure does not simply keep the ball inside. It changes how players defend, attack and create time.

What does a padel court look like?

A regulation padel court measures 10 metres wide by 20 metres long on the inside. A net divides it into two equal halves, and service lines sit 6.95 metres from the net on each side.

The net is 10 metres long and measures 0.88 metres high in the centre, rising to 0.92 metres at the ends. Glass or solid walls and metallic fencing form the enclosure. The precise construction can vary within the official specifications, but the inside surfaces form part of the playing area.

How does a point work?

Every point starts with a serve. After a valid serve and return, either team can volley the ball before it bounces or let it bounce once before playing it.

A return is normally valid when it:

1. Crosses the net.
2. Bounces inside the opponents’ court.
3. Then possibly rebounds from their glass or fence.

A team loses the point when, among other faults:

• The ball bounces twice on its side.
• Its return hits the opponents’ wall or fence before touching the opponents’ floor.
• A player or their racket touches the net while the ball is in play.
• The ball touches a player instead of the racket.
• The team hits the ball twice.
• The server commits two consecutive service faults.

Lines count as in unless a particular rule states otherwise, so a ball landing on a line is normally good.

How do the walls work?

The simple wall rule: Bounce → Wall → Return

1. 1. Bounce

   When an opponent’s shot reaches your side, you may volley it or allow it to bounce once on the court.

2. 2. Wall

   After that first floor bounce, the ball may rebound from the glass or metallic fence and remain in play. Watch its direction instead of rushing towards the wall.

3. 3. Return

   Strike the ball before it touches the floor for a second time.

How do you serve in padel?

1. Stand behind the service line between the centre-line extension and the side wall.
2. Bounce the ball on your side of the court.
3. Strike it at or below waist height, keeping at least one foot on the ground.
4. Send it diagonally into the opposite service box.
5. Start from the right side and switch sides after every point.
6. Fault the first serve and you get a second try.

The receiver must let a valid serve bounce before returning it. If the served ball lands inside the correct box and then touches the glass, it remains valid. If it touches the metallic fence before its second bounce, it is a fault.

The lines around the receiving service box count as in.

How does padel scoring work?

Padel uses the familiar tennis sequence:

• First point: 15
• Second point: 30
• Third point: 40
• Fourth point: game

Under traditional advantage scoring, 40–40 is called deuce. A team must then win two consecutive points to take the game.

A set is normally won by the first team to reach six games with a lead of at least two. At 6–6, a tie-break is normally played. A standard match is the best of three sets.

What happens at deuce?

The 2026 FIP rules include three permitted systems.

The competition, league or group should confirm its scoring method before play begins. FIP introduced Star Point for Premier Padel, the CUPRA FIP Tour, FIP Promises and FIP Beyond from 2026. Casual and club competitions may use a different permitted format.

What equipment do you need?

A padel racket

A padel racket has a solid hitting surface with holes rather than strings. Official rackets must also have a safety cord attached to the handle, and the player must wear it around the wrist during play.

For a first session, renting a racket is sensible. When buying one, prioritise comfort, manageable weight and a forgiving hitting area over maximum power.

Padel balls

Padel balls resemble tennis balls, but official padel balls have their own pressure, bounce, size and weight requirements. Use balls marked for padel rather than assuming every tennis ball will behave the same way.

Court shoes

Choose padel shoes that provide stability and suitable grip for the court surface. Running shoes are designed mainly for forward movement and may not offer the same support during repeated lateral changes of direction.

Clothing

Wear comfortable sports clothing that allows unrestricted movement. Specialist clothing is not necessary for a first match.

Explore padel gear

Basic positioning and strategy

Padel is a team game, so the two partners should generally move forwards, backwards and sideways together. When one player stays at the net while the other remains deep, opponents can attack the space between them.

These are practical starting principles rather than formal rules:

• Favour control over maximum power.
• Recover your position after each shot.
• Communicate about balls through the middle.
• Use a lob to move opponents away from the net.
• Let difficult balls rebound from the glass instead of striking them too early.
• Move forwards as a pair when an opportunity to take the net appears.

What to expect in your first match

• Arrange four players of a roughly similar level.
• Book a doubles padel court.
• Rent a racket if you do not own one.
• Bring padel balls or confirm that the venue supplies them.
• Wear stable court shoes.
• Agree on the scoring format before starting.
• Put the racket cord around your wrist.
• Spend a few minutes practising serves and wall rebounds.
• Start with controlled rallies rather than trying to hit winners immediately.

You do not need to understand every advanced shot before playing. If you can serve into the correct box, keep track of the score and recognise the one-bounce rule, you can begin learning the rest during the game.

Six common beginner mistakes

Volleying the serve

The returner must let the serve bounce inside the service box first.

Smashing straight into the opponents' glass

Your return has to touch their court before it touches their wall or fence.

Panicking when the ball reaches the back glass

The rebound buys you time and space. Use it instead of rushing the shot.

Standing in a different zone from your partner

Move as a pair. Split up and opponents will find the gap between you fast.

Trying to win every point on power

Consistency, placement and position beat brute force for most beginners.

Forgetting the second-bounce rule

The ball stays alive after a wall rebound, but not after it bounces twice on the floor.

Where did padel originate?

Padel was created by Enrique Corcuera in Acapulco, Mexico, in 1969. Without enough room for a regulation tennis court at his home, Corcuera built a 20 × 10-metre enclosed court. His wife, Viviana Corcuera, prepared the first written rules.

The sport reached Spain in the early 1970s through Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe, who built courts at the Marbella Club Hotel. Julio Menditeguy subsequently helped introduce it to Argentina.

Quick padel glossary

Volley:

Hitting the ball before it bounces.

Lob:

A high shot that pushes the opponents back from the net.

Service box:

The diagonal area where a serve must first bounce.

Glass:

The playable wall surface around most of the court.

Fence:

The metallic mesh that forms part of the enclosure.

Deuce:

A 40–40 score under the game-scoring system.

Tie-break:

A deciding game normally played when a set reaches 6–6.

Frequently asked questions

Is padel the same as tennis?

No. The scoring looks similar, but padel is played on a smaller enclosed court with solid rackets, a bounced serve and walls you can play off. It's also normally doubles, not singles.

Is padel the same as pickleball?

No. Different court, different racket, different ball, different rules. Padel is played inside an enclosure and lets you use wall rebounds; pickleball doesn't.

Is padel usually played as singles or doubles?

Standard padel is four people in two pairs. Recreational singles variants and narrower singles courts exist, but doubles is the format described in the official rules.

Can the ball hit the wall in padel?

Yes. Once the ball has bounced on your court, it can rebound off your wall or fence and stay in play. You just have to return it before it bounces on the floor twice.

Can a padel serve hit the glass?

Yes, once it has landed correctly in the service box it can then rebound off the glass. A serve that touches the metallic fence before its second bounce is a fault.

Do you get two serves?

Yes. Fault the first serve and you get a second attempt.

How many sets are in a padel match?

A standard match is best of three sets: first team to two sets wins. Social events and tournaments often run shorter or timed formats instead.

Is padel easy for beginners?

Learning to serve and hold a rally doesn't take long. Reading the walls, moving with a partner and holding your position on court take real practice.

Do you need tennis experience to play padel?

No. Tennis experience helps with racket contact and understanding the scoring, but it also brings habits you'll need to unlearn, especially around the shorter swing, the walls and doubles positioning.

Is the sport spelled padel or paddle?

The sport governed by FIP is spelled padel. Paddle tennis and platform tennis are different sports entirely.

Sources

• 1. International Padel Federation — Rules of Padel, effective 1 January 2026
• 2. International Padel Federation — History of Padel
• 3. International Padel Federation — Star Point scoring announcement