Padel Rules & Scoring (Official Regulations)
“Underhand serves, glass vs mesh rebounds, and Punto de Oro sudden death.”
Padel scoring matches tennis: 15, 30, 40, Game, Set, and Match, with sets played to 6 games (tiebreak at 6-6). Serves must be underhand and struck at or below waist height after one bounce behind the service line. In play, balls may bounce off glass walls but are out if they strike wire mesh on the serve.
1. The Underhand Serve Rule
The serve in padel must adhere to four strict rules:
- The server stands behind the service line and bounces the ball once before striking it.
- The point of contact must be at or below the server’s waistline (navel level).
- The ball must travel diagonally over the net and land inside the receiver’s service box.
- If the ball bounces in the box and then hits the side wire mesh fence, it is a fault. If it hits the glass wall, it is in play!
2. Glass Walls vs. Metal Mesh Rules
| Surface | During Serve | During Open Rally |
|---|---|---|
| Tempered Glass | Legal (if ball bounces on floor first) | Legal! Ball can be played after bouncing once on floor. |
| Steel Wire Mesh | Fault (automatic service loss) | Legal! Unpredictable rebound adds chaos. |
| Direct Hit (No Bounce) | Fault (out of bounds) | Out! Ball must bounce on opponent turf first. |
3. Scoring: Advantage vs. Punto de Oro (Golden Point)
Traditional tournaments use tennis deuce (Advantage/Game). However, Premier Padel and modern club leagues frequently use Punto de Oro (Golden Point): at 40-40 (deuce), a single sudden-death point decides the game. The receiving pair chooses which player takes the serve.
4. Out of Court Play (Por Tres & Por Cuatro)
When an aggressive smash bounces on the court and flies over the 3-meter or 4-meter wall ("por tres" or "por cuatro"), authorized courts with safety run-off zones allow defenders to sprint through the court doors and hit the ball back into play before it touches the ground outside.