Padel rules are refreshingly simple — if you have ever watched tennis, you already know most of them. The scoring is identical, and the few things that make padel different (an underhand serve, and the fact that you can play the ball off the glass walls) are exactly what make it so much fun and so easy to pick up. This is the complete, beginner-friendly guide to how padel works, based on the official International Padel Federation (FIP) rules.
The 30-second version: padel is played as doubles, scored exactly like tennis (15–30–40–game), the serve is underhand and diagonal, and the ball stays live off the glass walls. New to it all? See what padel is, the padel court explained, and how to play.
Padel rules at a glance
- Format: almost always doubles (two vs two) on an enclosed 20 m × 10 m court.
- Scoring: same as tennis — 15, 30, 40, game; six games win a set; best of three sets.
- Serve: underhand, hit below waist height after one bounce, diagonally into the opposite service box.
- Walls: after the ball bounces on the floor, it can rebound off the glass and stay in play.
- Winning a point: your opponents fail to return the ball before it bounces twice, or they hit it out / into the net.
How padel scoring works
Padel uses the exact tennis scoring system. Each point won moves you up the ladder:
| Points won | Score called |
|---|---|
| 0 | Love |
| 1 | 15 |
| 2 | 30 |
| 3 | 40 |
| 4 (win by 2) | Game |
If both teams reach 40–40 it is deuce: a team must then win two points in a row to take the game (the first is “advantage”). Many clubs and all professional events instead use a faster sudden-death point at deuce — long called the golden point, and updated by the FIP to the Star Point format for 2026 — where a single point decides the game.
Six games win a set (you must lead by two; at 6–6 a tie-break to 7 is played), and the first team to two sets wins the match.
The padel serve — the rule that trips up newcomers
The serve is where padel differs most from tennis. There is no power overhand serve; it is deliberately gentle so rallies can build. The rules:
- Stand behind the service line, with both feet between the centre line and the side wall.
- Bounce the ball once on the floor first, then strike it.
- Contact must be at or below waist height (underhand).
- Serve diagonally into the opposite service box, just like tennis.
- You get two serves. After the bounce in the box, the ball may hit the side glass and stay good — but if it touches the metal fence, it is a fault.
There is a lot of nuance here — foot positioning, illegal serves, the let, and recent FIP tweaks — so we cover it fully in our dedicated guide to the padel serve rules.
Playing off the walls
This is the skill that makes padel feel different from every other racket sport. The key principle: the ball must bounce on the floor first, and after that it is fair game off the walls.
- Your own walls: if a shot flies past you, let it hit your back glass, then play it back over the net after the rebound. Totally legal and a core tactic.
- Glass = predictable. The smooth glass gives a clean, readable bounce you can plan for.
- Hitting the opponent’s wall on the full = your point. If you strike the ball and it hits their wall or fence before bouncing on their floor, you lose the point.
- Out: a ball that leaves the court (over the glass/fence) or hits the surrounding structure is out.
When do you win or lose a point?
A point ends — and you win it — when the opposing team:
- lets the ball bounce twice on their side;
- hits the ball into the net;
- hits the ball out of the court or directly into their own wall/fence before it bounces;
- is struck by the ball, or touches the net with body or racket while the ball is live;
- hits the ball twice or carries it.
Padel rules vs tennis rules
If you play tennis, here is everything that is different — and everything that is the same:
| Element | Padel | Tennis |
|---|---|---|
| Scoring | 15/30/40, sets, tie-break | Same |
| Serve | Underhand, below waist | Overhand, powerful |
| Walls | Played off the glass | No walls |
| Format | Almost always doubles | Singles or doubles |
| Court | 20 m × 10 m, enclosed | Larger, open |
See the full comparison in padel vs tennis.
The bottom line
Padel rules boil down to tennis scoring, an underhand serve, and walls you can play off — learn those three things and you can start playing today. Next, get the detail on the serve, see the court explained, read how to play padel, and pick up a paddle from our best padel rackets guide.
Frequently asked questions
Exactly like tennis: points go 15, 30, 40, game; you need six games (winning by two) to take a set, with a tie-break at 6–6, and the first team to two sets wins. At deuce, many clubs and all pro events use a single sudden-death point.
To keep rallies long and the game accessible. The server must bounce the ball once, then hit it below waist height, diagonally into the service box — there is no power serve, so points are won through rallies rather than aces.
Yes — after it bounces on the floor first. You can let a ball pass, take it off your own back glass, and play it back. Using the walls is the core skill that sets padel apart.
A sudden-death point played at deuce (40–40) where a single point wins the game instead of having to win by two. It speeds up matches and is standard at professional events (updated to the FIP “Star Point” format for 2026).
Almost always. The court is small (20 m × 10 m), which makes doubles the natural format. Singles is possible on a narrower court but is rare.
Lucas Sánchez is the founder of SimplePadel. Born and raised in Spain, Lucas has been living in the US and UK for the last 20 years and currently calls Miami his home. While he’s never played professionally, the dream is still alive.
Lucas loves nothing more than playing (and talking) about padel, and he considers himself lucky to have a wife and family that share his love for the game.