Rules
Padel scoring rules, explained.
Padel uses tennis scoring, so the numbers are familiar. The serve, the walls and the golden point are where people come unstuck. Here is all of it in one place.
Short answer. Padel scoring is identical to tennis. Points go 15, 30, 40, game. Six games with a two-game lead wins a set. Matches are usually the best of three. The only common variation is the golden point, where 40–40 becomes a single sudden-death point instead of deuce.
Most people arriving at padel already know the numbers. What trips them up is everything around the numbers: who serves, which side, when the wall counts, and what happens at 40–40 when the court is booked for another group in six minutes. This page covers all of it.
Points: 15, 30, 40, game
A game is scored 0 (called love), 15, 30, 40, then game. The serving side's score is always called first. So 30–15 means the servers have two points and the receivers have one.
At 40–40 the game reaches deuce. From deuce a side must win two consecutive points: the first takes them to advantage, the second wins the game. Lose the point at advantage and the score returns to deuce.
The golden point
Many leagues and every professional Premier Padel match replace deuce with a golden point. At 40–40 the next point wins the game outright. The receiving pair decides which of the two of them receives the serve.
The golden point exists for a practical reason. Deuce games can run for several minutes, and courts are sold in fixed blocks. If your crew plays on a booked hour, use the golden point. It is the single easiest way to make matches finish when you expect them to.
Games and sets
Six games wins a set, provided you lead by two. At 5–5 you play on to 7–5. At 6–6 you play a tie-break.
| Score | What happens |
|---|---|
| 6–0 to 6–4 | Set over. |
| 5–5 | Play on. Next side to lead by two at 7–5 takes the set. |
| 6–5 | Play on. 7–5 wins it, 6–6 goes to a tie-break. |
| 6–6 | Tie-break to seven points, win by two. |
The tie-break
A tie-break is played to seven points, won by two clear points. The player due to serve serves one point from the right. Serve then passes to the opposition, who serve two points, and it alternates in twos from there. Sides change ends every six points. If it reaches 6–6 you keep going until someone leads by two.
How many sets
The standard match is the best of three sets. In club and social play, a shortened format is far more common because court time is booked by the hour:
- One set — fits comfortably in a 60-minute booking.
- Best of three with a champion's tie-break — if the match reaches one set all, a ten-point tie-break replaces the third set.
- Timed play — play until the clock runs out and whoever is ahead on games takes it. Rough, but it settles the argument.
Serving
The serve is the biggest departure from tennis, and it is where new players lose the most points.
- Stand behind the service line, feet still, ball in hand.
- Bounce the ball once on the floor behind the line.
- Strike it at or below waist height. Contact above the waist is a fault.
- The ball must land in the service box diagonally opposite.
You get two attempts. A serve that lands in the correct box and then hits the side fencing before the second bounce is a fault, even though the same contact would be legal in open play. A serve that lands in and then hits the back glass is fine.
The same player serves for a whole game. Serving order alternates between the pairs, and within a pair the two players alternate games, so each of the four serves once every four games.
The walls
This is what makes padel padel, and the rule is simpler than most people expect.
Your own walls
After the ball bounces on your side, you may let it come off your own back wall or side wall and then hit it. The ball may touch as many of your own walls as it likes. What it may not do is bounce twice on the floor.
Their walls
You may hit the ball so that it clears the net and strikes the opponents' glass. It must bounce on their floor first. A shot that flies over the net and hits their glass on the full is out.
The fencing
The metal mesh is different from the glass. If the ball hits the fencing on your own side after bouncing, it is still live. If your shot hits the fencing on the opponents' side before bouncing on their floor, you lose the point.
Common faults
- Two bounces on the floor before you return it.
- Serving above waist height, or without bouncing the ball first.
- Hitting the ball into your own glass before it crosses the net.
- Touching the net, posts or opponents' side of the court with your body or bat.
- The ball hitting you or your partner.
- Hitting the ball before it has crossed to your side of the net.
Rule variations worth agreeing before you start
Padel's written rules are set by the International Padel Federation, but club and social play varies. Agree these three before the first serve and you will avoid most arguments:
| Question | Options | Most common in UK club play |
|---|---|---|
| 40–40 | Deuce or golden point | Golden point on booked court time |
| Match length | One set, best of three, timed | One set in a 60-minute slot |
| Ball out of the court | Chase it outside or dead ball | Dead ball, unless there is a gate and everyone agrees |
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Get early accessFrequently asked questions
How does padel scoring work?
Padel uses the same scoring as tennis. Points run 15, 30, 40, game. A game tied at 40–40 is deuce, and a side must win two points in a row to take it, unless the league uses a golden point. Six games wins a set, and you must lead by two. Most matches are the best of three sets.
What is a golden point in padel?
A golden point replaces deuce. At 40–40 the next point decides the game outright. The receiving pair chooses which of them takes the serve. It is standard on the professional tour and common in club leagues because it keeps matches to a predictable length.
How long does a padel match last?
A best-of-three match usually runs 60 to 90 minutes. Most UK clubs sell court time in 60 or 90 minute blocks, so casual games are often played as a single set or to a time limit rather than the full three.
Can you score a point off the wall in padel?
Yes. After the ball bounces on your side of the court you may let it hit your own back or side wall and then play it. You may also hit the ball into the opponents' wall on the full, provided it crosses the net first and lands in their court before touching their glass.
How does the padel serve work?
The server bounces the ball behind the service line, then strikes it underarm at or below waist height. The serve must land diagonally in the opposite service box. You get two attempts, exactly as in tennis. A serve that lands in and then hits the side fencing is a fault.
Is padel scoring the same as tennis?
The point and game scoring is identical. The differences are in play, not in numbers: the ball may be played off the walls, the serve is underarm, and the court is smaller and enclosed.
What is a tie-break in padel?
At 6–6 in games, most formats play a seven-point tie-break, won by two clear points. Serve changes after the first point and then every two points.