Padel is the fastest-growing racket sport in the world, from Spain and Argentina, where it is a national habit, to the UK, the US and the Gulf, where new indoor centres open every month. The basics feel familiar to anyone who has played tennis: doubles, a net, tennis scoring. What makes it different are the walls, the underhand serve and a scoring change the International Padel Federation (FIP) introduced for 2026. This guide follows the FIP Rules of Padel in force from 1 January 2026, explains the parts that cause most arguments at the club, and shows how to keep score on our online scoreboard.
The court, net and enclosure
Padel is played almost always as doubles on an enclosed court.
| Element | FIP 2026 specification |
|---|---|
| Playing area | 20 m × 10 m inside (about 65.6 × 32.8 ft) |
| Net | 10 m long, 0.88 m high in the centre, 0.92 m at the ends |
| Service lines | 6.95 m from the net on each side |
| Centre service line | extends at least 20 cm beyond the service line |
| Line width | 5 cm |
| Back walls | 4 m in total: 3 m of wall (glass or solid) plus 1 m of metal mesh |
| Minimum clear height | 6 m (8 m recommended for new facilities) |
The side enclosure comes in two versions: a stepped wall (3 m then 2 m high, each 2 m long) or a single 3 m high, 4 m long glass panel at each end, with mesh completing the enclosure. That difference matters, because glass and mesh are treated differently in the rules.
The serve
Every point starts with an underhand serve, and you get two attempts. Under Rule 6 of the FIP Rules:
- The server stands with at least one foot behind the service line, between the centre line extension and the side wall, and must stay there until the ball is struck.
- The ball is bounced once on the ground inside the server’s own box (behind the service line) before being hit.
- At contact the ball must be at or below waist height, and the server must have at least one foot on the ground.
- The server may not touch the service line or the imaginary centre line with their feet.
- The serve travels diagonally and must bounce in the receiver’s service box. Lines count as in.
- The first point of each game is served from the right side, then sides alternate after every point.
Before each set the pairs choose who serves first; the service then rotates one game at a time between the four players (A1, B1, A2, B2) and cannot change until the next set.
Service faults and lets
A serve is a fault if the server breaks any of the rules above, misses the ball, the ball bounces outside the box, hits the server or their partner, or bounces in the box and then touches the metal fence before the second bounce. Bouncing in the box and then hitting the glass is perfectly legal and the receiver must play it. Two faults lose the point.
A serve that clips the net and lands in the correct box (without then touching the mesh) is a net and is replayed. If the receiver was not ready, the serve is also replayed, as long as they did not try to return it.
Walls, glass and the ball in play
The walls are what make padel feel different. The core logic:
- The receiver must let the serve bounce once. In rallies, players may volley or play after one bounce.
- After the ball bounces on the ground in your court, it may hit any wall or the mesh and remains in play until it bounces a second time.
- You may play the ball off your own glass walls into the opponents’ court (a classic defensive shot).
- Your shot must land on the opponents’ ground first. If it hits their wall, the mesh or anything else before bouncing, you lose the point.
- If your shot hits the mesh on your own side, you lose the point; your own glass is fine.
- A ball that bounces in the opponents’ court and then goes out over the wall or through a door can be chased outside, but only where out-of-court play is authorised and the court has the required safety zone.
Faults that lose the point
The FIP list in Rule 13 is long; these are the ones that come up most in amateur play:
- Touching the net, the posts or the opponents’ court with your body or racket while the ball is in play.
- Letting the ball bounce twice.
- Hitting the ball before it has crossed the net to your side.
- A double hit, or both partners hitting the ball.
- The ball touching you or your partner after your own shot, or touching you before bouncing after the opponents’ shot.
- Jumping over the net during a point.
- Dropping or throwing the racket, or breaking the safety cord.
Involuntary interference (for example a stray ball from the next court) gives a let; deliberate interference loses the point.
Scoring: games, sets and the three FIP options
Scoring is the same ladder as tennis: 15, 30, 40, game; six games with a two-game margin wins a set; a 7-point tiebreak at 6-6; matches are best of three sets. Where the FIP 2026 rules differ is what happens at 40-40. Organisers must choose one of three options:
| Option | What happens at 40-40 |
|---|---|
| 1. Advantage | Classic deuce and advantage, until one pair wins two points in a row |
| 2. Star Point | Deuce 1 and Deuce 2 are played with advantage; at Deuce 3 a single deciding Star Point wins the game |
| 3. Golden point | One deciding point straight away at the first deuce |
For both the Star Point and the golden point, the receiving pair chooses whether to receive on the right or left, and cannot change positions for that point. In mixed matches the player of the same sex as the server receives.
Why the Star Point exists
The FIP General Assembly approved the Star Point on 28 November 2025. Golden point made games short but put a lot of weight on one point, while advantage games sometimes pushed pro matches beyond three hours. The compromise caps a game at two advantages. It has been used on the Premier Padel tour since the Riyadh P1 in February 2026 and on the CUPRA FIP Tour throughout the 2026 season, and USA Padel adopted it for its sanctioned events. Clubs can still announce golden point or advantage for social and league play.
Shorter formats
The rules also allow a mini set to four games (tiebreak at 4-4), a 7-point tiebreak instead of a third set, or a super tiebreak to 10 (two-point margin) at one set all. Most UK and US club leagues use one of these to fit a 90-minute court booking.
Worked examples
Star Point game. 40-40 (Deuce 1). Pair A wins a point: Advantage 1. Pair B wins the next: Deuce 2. Pair B wins again: Advantage 2. Pair A wins: Deuce 3. The receiving pair picks a side and the Star Point is played; whoever wins it takes the game. Points from 40-40 onward: 4 played plus the Star Point = 5, versus 1 under golden point.
Super tiebreak. Sets 6-3, 4-6. The super tiebreak reaches 9-9; pair A then wins two in a row for 11-9. Score: 6-3 4-6 [11-9]. Check: 11 ≥ 10 and the margin is 2.
Tiebreak sides. In a 7-point tiebreak, pairs change ends after every 6 points. After 6 points (say 4-2) they swap sides; after 12 points (say 7-5) the tiebreak is already over, because 7 with a two-point lead wins.
Timing, equipment and sources
The FIP rules allow a maximum of 20 seconds between points, 90 seconds at changeovers and 120 seconds between sets. Rackets may not exceed 45.5 cm in length, 26 cm in width and 38 mm in thickness, and must have a wrist cord. If you are running a club americano or a knockout cup, our tournament bracket generator handles the draw, and for round-robin leagues the league schedule generator builds the fixtures.
Sources: FIP Rules of Padel (application from 1 January 2026), Rules 1 to 17 and the court specifications; FIP announcement of the Star Point system approved by the General Assembly on 28 November 2025 and the 2026 Premier Padel calendar; USA Padel 2026 Competition Structure Guide. National federations such as the LTA (which governs padel in Britain) and USA Padel apply the FIP rules with their own competition formats.