The court and equipment
FIP specifies a 20 by 10 meter court divided by a net. A padel racket is perforated and has a wrist cord, which must be worn. The service lines divide each half into two receiving boxes.
A legal serve is a separate sequence
The ball is bounced in the serving box before contact at or below waist level. At least one foot remains on the ground at contact. Feet must not touch the service line or imaginary central line. The ball must bounce in the diagonally opposite service box; lines count as in.
Three common point-ending mistakes
These are basic FIP outcomes, not coaching preferences.
- The ball hits the opposing enclosure before bouncing in that court.
- The ball bounces twice on your side before you return it.
- You touch the net or opposing court while the ball is in play.
The enclosure is part of the rules
A rally ball can bounce on the floor and then rebound from the enclosure. A serve that bounces correctly and then hits the receiving fence before the second bounce is a fault; a glass rebound alone does not make it a fault. Read the serve and walls guides for the distinction.
Check the event format
This summary uses the FIP Rules of Padel with application date January 1, 2026. Competition regulations determine the selected scoring option and other event procedures. In a sanctioned match, resolve a dispute with the official rather than treating this short guide as the complete rulebook.
Choose servers and receivers for the set
Each pair chooses its first server and first receiver before its opening service and receiving games. One player serves a complete game, changing between right and left after every point; service alternates between pairs, with partners taking their established turns. A receiving pair keeps its chosen order through the set, including a tie-break. The special receiving-side choice at Golden Point or Star Point does not let partners swap their established receiving positions. In a mixed match, the same-sex receiving requirement applies to the deciding point.
Worked rulings: bounce and next contact
A rally ball lands on your side, touches the fence and comes away: it can still be returned before a second ground bounce. Change only one fact, making that incoming ball a serve, and fence contact before the second bounce makes it a service fault. A rally shot that touches the net and then lands in the opposing court can be good; a serve touching the net is governed by the separate net-service rule. Judge the sequence, not whether the ball touched any structure at all.
Winning games and changing ends
A standard set is six games with a two-game margin, with a tie-break at 6–6. Agree which deuce option applies before play: advantage, Star Point and Golden Point are different. Players change ends after the first, third and subsequent odd games, and after every six points of a tie-break. For a timed social session, agree an ending before starting rather than changing the format when one pair is about to win. The event’s published format governs a competition.
Who may hit and what contact loses the point
Partners do not need to alternate rally shots, but only one partner may make each return. Both partners hitting the ball consecutively is not a legal team combination. Touching the net while the ball is live, being hit on the body by an opponent’s ball or letting your own shot touch your partner loses the point. Keep the wrist cord on; the rules also make a broken cord or dropped racket a point-ending event. An open doorway does not by itself authorise out-of-court play.