Section 5: Rules of Play
The Serve (Rules 4–5)
The serve must be made underhand. The server must bounce the ball on the ground and strike it at or below waist height. The specific rules are:
- The server must stand with both feet behind the service line, between the center service line and the side wall.
- The ball must be bounced on the ground (not tossed in the air) and struck below waist level.
- The serve must travel diagonally across the court, clearing the net and bouncing in the opponent's service box.
- After bouncing in the service box, the ball may hit the back glass wall or side wall and remain in play.
- If the served ball hits the net and lands in the correct service box, it is a let and the serve is replayed.
- If the served ball bounces in the service box and then hits the metallic mesh fencing (rather than glass), it is a fault.
- Each server has two attempts per point (first serve and second serve). Two consecutive faults result in loss of the point (double fault).
Ball in Play — Walls and Bounces
The use of walls is the defining tactical element of padel:
- After the ball bounces on the ground on the receiving side, it may rebound off any wall (back glass, side glass, or metallic mesh) and still be played by the receiving pair.
- Players may not hit the ball directly into a wall on their own side — the ball must always cross the net before touching any wall or the ground on the opponent's side.
- The ball may only bounce once on the ground on each side. If it bounces twice on the ground, the point is lost.
- A ball that hits the metallic mesh fencing directly (without bouncing on the ground first on the opponent's side) is out.
Playing Outside the Court
One of padel's most spectacular and unique rules is that players may leave the court through the side access doors to retrieve a ball that has gone over the glass walls after bouncing on their side. The ball remains in play as long as it has not bounced on the ground a second time. These "out-of-court" shots (known as "salidas" or "por fuera") are a hallmark of advanced and professional padel play.
Volleys
Players may hit the ball out of the air (volley) at any time during the rally, except on the return of serve — the receiving team must let the serve bounce before playing it. There is no non-volley zone in padel; players may volley from any position on the court, including directly at the net. Net play and volleys are central to padel strategy, and controlling the net position is widely considered the key to winning points.
Touching the Net
Players may not touch the net, net posts, or any part of the opponent's court while the ball is in play. Doing so results in loss of the point. A player may reach over the net to play a ball only if the ball has already crossed back to their side due to spin or wind — in practice, this rarely occurs in padel due to the enclosed court environment.