Quick Guide to the Rules of Padel
Everything you need to know to get on court with confidence. Learn the key rules, scoring and gameplay essentials before your next match or Padel Ready event.
Scoring & Golden Point
Padel uses the same scoring system as tennis: 15, 30, 40 and game. Some competitions play unlimited deuces until a team wins by two clear points. At Padel Ready events, the second deuce becomes a Golden Point. The winner of that single point wins the game, and the receiving team chooses which player the server must serve to.
Serving
Serves must be underarm. The ball must bounce behind the service line and be struck below waist height.
Service Box
The serve must be delivered diagonally and must first bounce within the correct service box. After this bounce, the ball may contact the glass but must not touch the metal fence at any stage of the serve. The fence may only be used once the serve has been legally returned and the rally is in progress.
Using The Walls
After the ball bounces on your side, it may hit the glass walls before you return it. This is one of the unique features that makes padel so enjoyable and strategic.
Winning A Point
A point is won when your opponents fail to return the ball before it bounces twice, hit the ball into the net, or hit the ball out of play without a valid return.
Ball Out Of Court
At some venues and competitions, players may leave the court through the side openings to return a ball that has gone out of court. This is known as an out-of-court play and is one of padel's most exciting rules.