The basic rules of padel
Serve, scoring, and the bits that trip everyone up at first — explained simply, no tennis background required. Never seen it played? Start with what padel is.
Court reference — top-down view
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Always doubles
2 vs 2, every time
Padel is played 2 vs 2, on an enclosed court about a third the size of a tennis court, surrounded by glass and mesh walls.
Underarm, below the waist
Three rules cover the whole serve
Get these right and you're serving legally every time:
- Hit underarm, below waist height — no overhead serves. That's the biggest difference from tennis.
- Let the ball bounce once behind the service line before you hit it.
- Serve diagonally into the opponent's box, just like tennis.
For every serve rule in full — plus lets, faults, and the fence — see our complete serve guide.
Walls are part of the game
Walls are your friend, not a fault
Once the ball's bounced on your side, it can go off the back or side walls (or the cage) before you return it — as long as it only bounces once on the ground.
✓ DO
Let the ball bounce off the back or side wall before you return it — that's completely legal, and often the smart shot.
✗ DON'T
Panic and swing early just because the ball's near a wall — as long as it's only bounced once on the ground, you're fine to let it play out.
Scoring
Same as tennis
15 - 30 - 40 - game, then sets. If you already know tennis scoring, you already know padel scoring — see our full scoring guide for the golden point and other details.
Common faultsDeep-dive: the edge cases worth knowing
Everything else is fair game — including the walls. It's only a fault if one of these happens:
| Scenario | Ruling |
|---|---|
| Serve goes in overarm, or misses the diagonal box | Fault |
| Ball bounces twice before it's returned | Fault |
| Ball is hit before it's bounced at all, on the return | Fault |
| Ball goes off the back or side wall, then is returned after one bounce | Not a fault — play on |
The full list of faults, in the exact wording
- The serve goes in overarm, or misses the diagonal box.
- The ball bounces twice before it's returned.
- It's hit before it's bounced at all, on the return.
Quick facts
Usually the server
They call it out before each point — but don't stress about remembering it early on. Everyone on court helps each other keep track.
Best of three sets
Win 6 games (by 2) to take a set, win 2 sets to win the match. Most social matches are shorter than the full format.
You'll pick it up on court
Nobody remembers all these rules on their first game — your coach or group will talk you through it as you go. Just find a club and get out there 🩷
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