Padel rules for beginners: everything you need for your first game

Padel looks like tennis in a glass box, and that is close enough to start. But a handful of rules make it its own game, and knowing them before your first match saves a lot of arguing on court.

The court

A padel court is 20 metres long and 10 metres wide, split by a net and closed in by glass walls at the back and a mix of glass and metal mesh on the sides. It is smaller than a tennis court, which is why rallies are long and nobody has to run very far.

You always play doubles: two players on each side.

The serve

The full detail is in our guide to the serve. In short:

• The serve is underhand. Bounce the ball once behind the service line and hit it at or below waist height.
• Serve diagonally, into the service box opposite you.
• You get two attempts, like in tennis.
• If the ball touches the net and still lands in the right box, it is a let and you serve again.
• A serve that lands in the box and then hits the metal mesh is a fault. Hitting the glass is fine.

The walls

This is the rule that makes padel padel:

• The ball must bounce on the ground first. After that it may hit the glass on your side and you can still play it.
• You may hit the ball against your own walls to send it over the net, as long as it then crosses the net without bouncing on your side again.
• If your shot hits the opponents' glass or mesh before bouncing on their side, it is out.

Everything else that loses a point

• The ball bounces twice on your side.
• The ball touches you or your partner.
• You touch the net with your body or racket.
• You hit the ball before it crosses to your side of the net.

The score

Padel is scored exactly like tennis: 15, 30, 40, game. Six games win a set, with a tie break at 6 all, and most matches are the best of three sets. Many clubs play the golden point: at 40 all, the next point wins the game. We explain it in its own article.

Your first game

Do not worry about remembering everything. Agree the basics with the other three before you start, play a few relaxed games, and the rules soon stop feeling like rules at all. When you are ready, read what to expect from your first game.