Padel rules: the serve, the walls, and the two-bounce logic

Padel rules in one line: two teams of two on an enclosed 20 m × 10 m court, tennis scoring, an underarm diagonal serve, and one bounce per side — after which the ball can play off the glass. Everything below unpacks the details in the order the on-court arguments usually happen.

The court, in numbers

A padel court is 20 m long and 10 m wide (a 0.5% tolerance is allowed), enclosed on all four sides. The back walls rise to 4 m — typically 3 m of glass or solid wall topped by 1 m of metallic mesh — while side-wall heights vary by build. The net spans the full 10 m width, 0.88 m high at the center and 0.92 m at the posts. Service lines sit 6.95 m from the net on each side, split by a center line into two service boxes.

If you're new enough that the enclosed court itself is the surprise, start with what padel actually is — this article assumes you're past that and into the disputed calls.

Padel rules for the serve

Every serve in padel is underarm. The sequence:

1. Stand behind the service line, on the right side for the first point of each game.
2. Bounce the ball on the ground behind the service line.
3. Strike it at or below waist height, sending it diagonally into the opposite service box.
4. Alternate sides after every point. You get two attempts per point, as in tennis.

Foot rules: at contact you must have at least one foot on the ground behind the service line, and touching the line — or the court beyond it — before you strike is a fault. No walking, running, or jumping into the serve.

What happens after the bounce decides everything:

• Serve bounces in the box, then hits the glass: good serve. Play on.
• Serve bounces in the box, then hits the metallic fence before its second bounce: fault.
• Serve clips the net cord and lands in the box: let, replayed — unless it then touches the fence before the second bounce, which makes it a fault.

The receiver must let the serve bounce. Volleying the return is the receiver's fault — one of the few places padel forbids the volley.

Can the ball hit the wall in padel?

Yes — and this is the rule that separates padel from every racket sport it resembles. The condition is simple: floor first. On your opponents' side, your shot must bounce on the ground before it touches any wall. Once it has bounced, it can carom off the back glass, a side wall, even the metallic fence, and it's still one bounce — your opponents must return it before it touches the floor a second time.

The padel wall rules, scenario by scenario:

Situation	Ruling
Shot bounces on the opponents' floor, then hits their glass or fence	In play — return it before the second floor bounce
Shot hits the opponents' glass or fence before bouncing	Out — point to the opponents
You play a rebound off your own glass to send the ball back over	Legal
You hit the ball into your own fence, even if it then crosses the net	Fault — point to the opponents
Ball rebounds off the glass and flies back over the net untouched	Point to the striking team once it lands

One detail from that last row: while the rebound is carrying the ball back over the net, you may reach over the net to play it, as long as you never touch the net, the posts, or your opponents' court.

Using your own walls

Your own glass is a legitimate tool, not a last resort. The contrapared — deliberately playing the ball against your own back wall so it flies back over the net — is a defensive staple at every level. The one wall you can never use is your own fence: the rules treat any contact with your own metallic fence as the end of the point, even if the ball then lands in.

Lets and faults beyond the walls

A let (replayed point) is called when the serve clips the net and lands in, when a ball or player from a neighboring court interrupts play, or when the ball breaks mid-point.

You lose the point outright if:

• the ball bounces twice on your side;
• the ball touches you, your clothing, or your partner;
• you touch the net, posts, or the opponents' court while the ball is in play;
• you strike the ball on the opponents' side of the net (the rebound exception above notwithstanding);
• you hit the ball into your own fence.

An accidental double contact within a single swing, tennis-style, is fine.

Playing the ball outside the court

On courts built for it — open gates, a safety zone beyond them — a ball that bounces on your side and flies out over the walls can be chased through the door and hit back in before its second bounce outside. It's spectacular, and it's also conditional: the court needs the required access and run-off space, and the club or competition has to permit out-of-court play. It is not automatic everywhere. The flip side is the smash that wins outright: bounce the ball on the opponents' side and clear the 4 m back wall on a court where exits aren't allowed, and the point is yours.

Padel doubles rules worth settling before the first serve

Padel is a doubles game by default, and a few conventions cause most of the confusion:

• Serving order is locked for the set. Decide who serves first on each team; the rotation alternates from there and can't change until the set ends.
• Receiving sides are locked too. Each pair picks who returns on the deuce side and who takes the ad side, and keeps that arrangement for the whole set.
• Either partner may hit any rally ball. There's no alternation — but only one hit per side, and a ball that touches your partner loses you the point.
• A serving mistake is fixed the moment it's spotted. If the wrong partner serves, the right one takes over as soon as anyone notices, and every point already played stands. Only if the whole game finished in the wrong order does that order stay as it is.

Scoring, briefly

Padel borrows its scoring from tennis wholesale — the reason "padel tennis rules" is such a common search. Points run 15, 30, 40, game; six games with a two-game margin win a set; 6–6 triggers a tiebreak to 7 points (win by two); matches are best of three sets. The honest footnote is deuce, which now comes in three versions. Traditional advantage — win two straight points from 40–40 — survives in plenty of clubs. The golden point, one deciding point at 40–40 with the receivers choosing which side returns, took over most competitive play. And since 2026 the professional tour uses the Star Point: up to two advantages, and if the game still isn't settled, one final deciding point. None of them is "the" rule; agree before you start.

Keeping the count straight is genuinely the hardest part while the wall logic is still occupying your head — Padel Scoreboard, a padel scoreboard app for iPhone and Apple Watch that tracks match scores, spares you replaying the last three points from memory mid-set.

FAQ

How many times can the ball bounce in padel?

Once per side, on the floor. Wall contact doesn't count as a bounce: floor-then-glass is still one bounce, and the ball stays live until it touches the floor a second time.

Can you volley in padel?

Yes, anywhere on the court and at any moment in the rally — with one exception. The serve return must be allowed to bounce; volleying it costs the receiver the point.

What happens at 40–40 in padel?

It depends on where you play. Many clubs and leagues use a golden point: one point decides the game, with the receiving pair choosing which side returns. Traditional advantage — win two points in a row from deuce — is still common too. Since 2026 the professional tour plays the Star Point: up to two advantages, then one deciding point if the game is still level.

Do the rules change for padel singles?

The rules of padel are essentially identical in singles; the court is what changes — still 20 m long but only 6 m wide. It's a niche format, and almost all organized padel is doubles.