Can the ball bounce off the wall in padel?

Yes, but only after it has bounced on the floor first. A ball that strikes a wall before bouncing on the ground loses the point for the player who hit it.

Is padel scoring the same as tennis?

Yes — 15, 30, 40, deuce and advantage, sets to six games with a tiebreak at 6–6. The one common variation is the golden point, where deuce becomes a single sudden-death point.

Why is the padel serve underarm?

It keeps rallies long. An overarm serve on a court this small would dominate the game, so the rules require contact at or below waist height after bouncing the ball behind the service line.

Can you play padel as singles?

It exists, but it is rare and usually played on a narrower court. Padel is designed as a doubles game and virtually all social and competitive play is doubles.

What is a golden point in padel?

A sudden-death point played at 40–40 instead of advantages. The receiving pair chooses which of them takes it. It is used widely in social play and leagues to keep matches inside their booked court time.

Padel rules and scoring

8 min read · Updated 2 August 2026

Padel borrows its scoring from tennis and almost nothing else. The court is enclosed, the walls are in play, the serve is underarm, and it is played as doubles nearly all of the time.

This guide covers the rules you need for your first game, then the handful of situations that reliably cause arguments.

The court

A padel court is 20 metres long and 10 metres wide — about a third the area of a tennis court — divided by a net and enclosed by glass walls and metal mesh.

The net is 88cm high in the middle and 92cm at the posts. Service lines sit 6.95m from the net, and a centre line splits each service area into two boxes.

The serve

The serve is underarm. You must strike the ball at or below waist height.
Bounce the ball on the ground behind the service line first, then hit it.
At least one foot must stay on the ground, behind the service line, and you may not touch or cross the line before contact.
Serve diagonally into the opposite service box, as in tennis.
The ball must bounce in the service box. If it then hits the side glass, the serve is good. If it hits the metal fence, it is a fault.
You get two attempts. A serve that clips the net and lands correctly in the box is a let, and is replayed.

Scoring

Scoring is identical to tennis: 15, 30, 40, game. Deuce at 40–40, then advantage, then game.

Sets are first to six games with a two-game margin, and a tiebreak at 6–6. Matches are usually best of three sets.

Many clubs and leagues use the golden point — punto de oro — where deuce is a single sudden-death point instead of playing advantages. The receiving pair chooses which side receives it. This keeps matches inside their court booking, which is why it is so widespread in social play.

The walls — the part that makes it padel

The single most important rule: the ball must bounce on the floor before it touches any wall.

Your shot lands in your opponents' court, bounces, and may then hit their walls. That is normal play and they can return it off the glass.
If your shot hits their wall before bouncing on the floor, you lose the point.
After the ball bounces in your court you may let it come off your own back or side wall and play it. This is one of the core skills in padel.
You may not touch the walls or net with your body or racket while the ball is in play.
You cannot play the ball off a wall on your own side before it has crossed the net — the ball must go over the net, not around your own glass, on the way back.

Situations that cause arguments

Ball hits the fence then goes over: If the ball bounces in your court, then leaves the court over the fence, the point is yours only if it left after a legal bounce. Balls hit directly out over the fence without bouncing are out.
Por tres: A ball hit so hard off the glass that it flies out of the court. If your opponents can run out through the gate and return it before its second bounce, play continues. Most clubs allow this; some do not, so check.
Ball hits a player: If the ball strikes a player or their clothing before bouncing, that player's team loses the point — regardless of whether the ball was heading out.
Double bounce: Two bounces on the floor ends the point, exactly as in tennis. A bounce and then a wall is not a double bounce.
Racket leaves your hand: If you lose your racket and it touches the net or opponents' side, you lose the point.

Positioning basics

Padel is a game about the net. The pair controlling the net wins the majority of points at every level, because hitting down is far easier than hitting up.

Partners move as a unit: both back, or both forward, side by side and roughly four metres apart. One up and one back is the most common beginner mistake and leaves a gap through the middle that good players will target all night.

Common questions

Can the ball bounce off the wall in padel?: Yes, but only after it has bounced on the floor first. A ball that strikes a wall before bouncing on the ground loses the point for the player who hit it.
Is padel scoring the same as tennis?: Yes — 15, 30, 40, deuce and advantage, sets to six games with a tiebreak at 6–6. The one common variation is the golden point, where deuce becomes a single sudden-death point.
Why is the padel serve underarm?: It keeps rallies long. An overarm serve on a court this small would dominate the game, so the rules require contact at or below waist height after bouncing the ball behind the service line.
Can you play padel as singles?: It exists, but it is rare and usually played on a narrower court. Padel is designed as a doubles game and virtually all social and competitive play is doubles.
What is a golden point in padel?: A sudden-death point played at 40–40 instead of advantages. The receiving pair chooses which of them takes it. It is used widely in social play and leagues to keep matches inside their booked court time.