Rules and scoring

The serve

The server stands behind the service line, on the right for the first point of each game, then alternating sides. The sequence is fixed:

1. Bounce the ball once on the floor behind the service line.
2. Strike it at or below waist height, underarm. No overhead serve exists in padel.
3. The ball must land in the service box diagonally opposite, then may touch the side or back glass.

If the served ball hits the metal mesh fencing after bouncing in the correct box, it is a fault. If it hits glass only, it is good. Two attempts are allowed, and the same partner serves the entire game before the serve passes to the opposing pair.

Walls and the double bounce

This is the rule that defines the sport. On your side of the net:

• The ball must bounce on the floor first. After that bounce it may hit any wall, and you can play it off the rebound.
• A ball that goes directly into your wall without bouncing on the floor first is your opponents' point.
• You may volley, taking the ball out of the air before it bounces — but then no wall is involved.
• You may not let the ball bounce twice on the floor.

When you hit the ball back, it must go over the net and land in the opponents' court before touching their walls. Sending it directly into their glass on the full is out.

You can also deliberately use your own back wall as extra time. A deep ball coming at you is often easier to handle after it has bounced and come off the glass than it was on the way in. This is the single habit that turns a nervous beginner into someone who looks like they know what they are doing.

When the ball is out

A point ends against you when the ball:

• bounces twice on your floor;
• hits your wall or fence before bouncing on your floor;
• is hit into the net, or out of the enclosure entirely;
• touches you or your partner's body;
• lands outside the court after clearing the glass.

Two advanced situations are worth knowing. A ball that bounces on your side and then flies out of the enclosure over the wall is still in play — you may run out through the court's side gate and return it from outside, provided it has not bounced twice. That shot is called por tres or por cuatro depending on which gap you exit through. Second, a ball that hits the top edge of a wall and drops in is live. Both are rare in social play and spectacular when they happen.

Scoring

Identical to tennis. Points run 0, 15, 30, 40, game. Win four points with a two-point margin and you take the game.

Golden point

Most competitive padel, including the professional circuit and the majority of Malaysian club leagues, uses the golden point (punto de oro). At 40–40 there is no advantage: a single point decides the game. The receiving pair chooses which side receives it.

It exists to keep matches to a predictable length, which matters enormously when a venue has bookings stacked in 60 and 90 minute blocks. Toggle it off in the scoreboard above to see traditional deuce play out instead.

Games, sets and match

Six games wins a set, with a two-game margin. At 6–6 a tie-break is played to seven points, again with a two-point margin. Matches are best of three sets.

In social Malaysian play this rarely survives contact with the booking system. A 90-minute slot usually produces one full set plus whatever fits, or a single long set played to 9. Agree the format before you start — nothing sours a session like discovering at 7–7 that the lights go off in four minutes.

Faults, lets and etiquette

• Let: a serve that clips the net and still lands in the correct box is replayed.
• Foot fault: stepping on or over the service line before contact.
• Double hit: only one player may touch the ball per shot, and only once.
• Wrist cord: most clubs require the racket strap around your wrist. A flying racket in an enclosed glass box is a genuine hazard.

Calls are made by the pair on whose side the ball landed, and in social play the convention is to give the point away if you genuinely are not sure. Padel courts are small and everyone can hear everything, which does a good job of keeping arguments short.

Common questions