Padel Rules: The Complete Guide to How to Play, Score & Compete (2026)
Understanding padel rules is the first step to enjoying one of the world's fastest-growing sports. Padel is played in an enclosed glass-and-mesh court, uses solid paddles, and incorporates the walls as part of play — making it unique among racket sports. The padel rules are straightforward to learn, and most beginners are playing real points within their first session. This complete guide covers all the padel rules you need to know: serving, scoring, walls, faults, and how to compete.
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What Is Padel?
Padel is a racket sport played in doubles on an enclosed court approximately 10 x 20 metres. The court is surrounded by glass walls and metal mesh, and the ball can be played off the walls — similar to squash. Players use solid paddles (no strings) and a depressurised tennis ball. Padel was invented in Mexico in 1969 and is now the second most popular sport in Spain, with over 25 million players worldwide.
Padel Court & Equipment
Before learning the padel rules, understanding the court and equipment is essential:
- Court size: 10 m x 20 m (33 ft x 66 ft) — about 25% smaller than a tennis court
- Net height: 88 cm (34.6 in) at the centre, 92 cm (36.2 in) at the posts
- Walls: Glass walls at the back (3 m high) and sides (4 m high at back, 3 m at front), plus metal mesh above the glass
- Service boxes: Two diagonal service boxes on each side, similar to tennis
- Padel paddle: Solid, no strings, maximum 45.5 cm long. Best padel rackets — Head, Babolat, Wilson, Bullpadel & NOX →
- Padel ball: Similar to a tennis ball but slightly less pressurised. Best padel balls →
Padel Rules: The Serve
The serve is the starting point of every point in padel. Under official padel rules:
- The serve must be underhand — the ball must be struck at or below waist height
- The server must stand behind the service line, between the centreline and the side wall
- The ball must bounce once in the service box before being struck
- The serve must land in the diagonal service box on the other side of the net
- The serve must not touch the metal mesh fence after bouncing (touching the glass wall after bouncing is allowed in some federations — check local rules)
- There are two serve attempts — a first and second serve, like tennis
- A let serve (clips the net and lands in) is replayed — unlike pickleball
Padel Rules: Scoring
Padel uses the same scoring system as tennis — one of the most important padel rules for tennis players to recognise:
- Points: 15, 30, 40, game (deuce at 40-40, advantage, game)
- Games: First to 6 games wins the set (must win by 2, or tiebreak at 6-6)
- Sets: Matches are best of 3 sets. First to win 2 sets wins the match
- Tiebreak: Played at 6-6 in each set, first to 7 points (win by 2). In the third set, a super tiebreak (first to 10, win by 2) is used in many competitions
- Both teams can score: Unlike pickleball, either team can score a point regardless of who is serving
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Padel Rules: Playing the Walls
The walls are what make padel unique — and understanding the wall rules is essential to mastering padel rules:
Ball Off the Back Wall (After Bouncing)
After the ball bounces on your side of the court, it may hit the back glass wall and you can still play it. This is the most common wall play in padel and creates the extended rallies that make the sport so exciting.
Ball Off the Side Wall (After Bouncing)
After bouncing, the ball may also hit the side wall and still be in play. You can play the ball off the side wall just as you would off the back wall.
Ball Over the Wall (Out)
If the ball goes over the top of the wall or fence and out of the court, it is out — a fault. Under padel rules, the ball must stay within the enclosed court area.
Hitting Through the Gate Opening
In some padel courts, there are gate openings in the side walls. Under official padel rules, a player may exit through the gate to play a ball that has gone out through the opening — a spectacular and legal play.
Ball Hitting the Net Post or Fence
If the ball hits the net post or the metal fence before bouncing on the opponent's side, it is a fault. The ball must clear the net cleanly.
Padel Rules: Faults & Let
Understanding faults is a key part of padel rules:
- Ball out of bounds: Lands outside the court lines or goes over the wall
- Double bounce: Ball bounces twice before being played
- Net fault: Ball hits the net and doesn't cross
- Serve fault: Wrong box, above waist, foot fault, or ball hits the fence
- Body contact: Ball hits a player before bouncing — point to the opponent
- Let: A let is called when a serve clips the net and lands in the correct box — the serve is replayed
Padel Rules: Rotation & Positioning
Padel is almost exclusively played as doubles. Understanding positioning is essential to padel rules and strategy:
- Both players on the serving team stand on the same side of the court during the serve
- After the serve, both teams move freely around their half of the court
- The server alternates sides after each game (right side, then left side)
- Service alternates between teams after each game, just like tennis
- Partners alternate who serves within their team each service game
Padel Rules vs Tennis Rules: Key Differences
| Rule | Padel | Tennis |
|---|---|---|
| Court | Enclosed glass/mesh walls | Open court |
| Serve | Underhand, ball bounces first | Overhand, no bounce |
| Walls | Ball can be played off walls | No walls |
| Scoring | Same as tennis (15-30-40) | Same |
| Format | Doubles only (officially) | Singles and doubles |
| Second serve | Yes | Yes |
| Let serve | Replayed | Replayed |
| Ball | Depressurised tennis ball | Standard tennis ball |
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Frequently Asked Questions: Padel Rules
What are the basic padel rules?
The basic padel rules are: serve underhand with a bounce, score like tennis (15-30-40), play the ball off the walls after it bounces, don't let the ball bounce twice, and stay within the enclosed court. Padel is played exclusively in doubles at official level.
Can the ball hit the wall in padel?
Yes — playing the ball off the walls is a fundamental part of padel rules. After the ball bounces on your side, it can hit the back or side glass walls and still be in play. This wall play is what makes padel unique and creates the extended rallies the sport is famous for.
How do you serve in padel?
Under padel rules, the serve must be underhand, the ball must bounce once before being struck, and the serve must land in the diagonal service box. The server stands behind the service line between the centreline and side wall. There are two serve attempts, like tennis.
Is padel scoring the same as tennis?
Yes — padel rules use the same scoring as tennis: 15, 30, 40, game, with deuce and advantage at 40-40. Sets are first to 6 games (tiebreak at 6-6), and matches are best of 3 sets. This makes padel very easy for tennis players to pick up.
Can you play padel singles?
Officially, padel rules are designed for doubles only. The court is too small for singles to be practical at competitive level. However, some recreational players do play singles informally on padel courts.
