How padel scoring works
Padel normally uses the same point language as tennis: 15, 30, 40, game, set, and match. Games can use advantage scoring or a golden-point style deciding point depending on the competition rules.
The walls are legal, but only in the right order.
Padel uses tennis-style scoring on an enclosed court, but the rally logic is different. The key question is usually whether the ball bounced in the court before it hit glass, fence, a player, or something outside the playing area.
Quick ruling: a normal rally ball must land in the opponent's court before using their glass. A player may use their own glass after the ball bounces on their side, but direct fence or out-of-court contact usually ends the point.
The serve is underhand
- The server stands behind the service line and serves diagonally.
- The ball must bounce before it is struck.
- Contact is made below waist height.
- The serve must land in the correct service box.
- A serve that hits the side fence after bouncing in the service box is normally a fault.
When wall contact is legal
If the ball lands in the opponent's court and then hits their glass, the ball remains playable. On your side, you may let the ball bounce, rebound off your own glass, and then return it before it bounces again.
The fence is not the glass
Fence contact is treated more strictly than glass contact. A ball that hits the opponent's fence before bouncing is out, and many serve faults turn on whether the ball hit glass or fence after landing.
Why positioning matters
Padel is usually doubles. Partners can switch sides during rallies, but they need enough court coverage to defend lobs, balls off the back glass, and angled shots that die near the side fence.
Misunderstandings to avoid
- "It hit the wall, so it is out" is wrong if the ball bounced in first and then hit glass.
- "The serve is like tennis" is wrong because padel serves are bounced and struck underhand.
- "Glass and fence are the same" is wrong; many rulings depend on which surface was touched.
- "A ball leaving the court always ends the point" depends on the court setup and whether outside play is allowed.
Source material
This overview is tied to the FIP rules effective 1 January 2026
The governing text for these worked examples is the International Padel Federation Rules of Padel in force as of 1 January 2026. Use a tournament's published regulations alongside it for the match format and any authorised scoring option. The overview is a navigation aid; where an edge case turns on exact wording, the current FIP document and the event regulation take priority.
For a rally dispute, write a short timeline instead of jumping straight to the outcome. Identify the correct server and score, check the service sequence, follow the ball's first bounce and enclosure contacts, and note any player, net, or equipment contact while the ball remained live. For a match-format dispute, keep that rally record separate and verify the scoring method announced for the competition.
This division matters because padel combines tennis-like scoring with an enclosed playing area. The scoreboard cannot resolve a wall-contact question, and a legal rebound cannot correct a service-order error. Classifying the question first leads to the right FIP rule family and a ruling that another player can reproduce.