How to Play Padel: A Beginner's Guide to the Basic Rules

Padel is quick to pick up: give it half an hour and you'll understand the rules well enough to play a decent match, even if mastering the glass rebound takes months. Here's everything you need to know about how padel is played before you step on court for the first time.

What is padel?

Padel is always played in doubles (2 vs 2), on an enclosed court made of glass and metal mesh, using a solid, stringless racket (unlike tennis) and a ball similar to a tennis ball but with less pressure. The big difference from tennis: the ball can bounce off the walls and stay in play, which completely changes the tactics.

The court: dimensions and walls

A padel court measures 20 metres long by 10 metres wide, split into two 10x10 metre halves by a net that's 88 centimetres high at the centre. The sides and back are enclosed by tempered glass and metal mesh: 3 metres high on the sides and 4 metres at the back. This is the key point: the glass rebound is part of the game, not just a wall like you'd find on a squash or pelota court.

How the serve works in padel

The serve is what confuses beginners most, so let's break it down step by step.

The ball is always served underhand, with contact made below waist height. It must first bounce once on the ground, inside your own service box (it can bounce more than once before you hit it, but only the first bounce counts toward a legal serve). After the bounce, you hit the ball diagonally into the opponent's service box. The serve is always made from behind the service line, with at least one foot planted behind that line without stepping into the box.

If the first serve is a fault, you get a second attempt, just like in tennis. If the second one also fails, it's a direct point for the opposing team (double fault).

What happens during the point: the glass rebound

Once the ball is in play, each team can return it before it bounces twice on the ground. The usual sequence: the ball bounces in your court and, if you don't volley it, it can hit your wall or mesh before you strike it, as long as it's only bounced once on the ground first. What's not allowed: hitting the ball directly against the wall before it bounces on the ground (that's a point for the opponent), or letting it bounce twice.

On the opponent's side, the same logic applies in reverse: if your ball bounces inside their court and then hits their glass or mesh, the point continues as normal. You only lose the point if the ball goes out of the court above the walls, or hits the mesh or glass before bouncing on the ground.

How padel scoring works

Scoring is identical to tennis, so if you already know tennis, there are no surprises here.

A set is won by reaching 6 games with a 2-game lead. At 6-6, a tie-break is played to 7 points (also by 2 clear points). Matches are usually played best of 3 sets.

2026 update: in official FIP competitions, once the score reaches 40-40, the golden point now applies automatically: the next point decides the game outright, no advantages. In a casual match between friends, you can still play with advantages if you'd rather, it's simply a matter of agreement between the four players.

Key differences between padel and tennis

Coming from tennis, here's what changes the most: it's always doubles, never singles; the racket is solid and stringless; the serve is underhand so you can't hit a direct ace; and above all, the glass rebound keeps the ball in play, which makes rallies longer and rewards patience and positioning over raw power.

What you need for your first match

You don't need to spend much to get started: a beginner racket, padel balls (less pressurised than tennis balls, so they're not interchangeable), and shoes with a padel-specific sole, suited to the synthetic clay or turf that most courts are covered with. If you don't have a racket yet, our padel racket collection has options for every level, including beginner-friendly picks.

If you want to speed up your progress beyond the basic rules, sign up for the Padel Intelligence free masterclass: you'll get a free video on how to master padel wall rebounds, pulled from El Método Berry, the full course taught by a world-class trainer.

And once you're ready to stop guessing which shot is holding you back, the PadelPlay sensor clips onto your racket and shows you, match after match, what's actually improving.

Want the full rulebook, including net rules, shot etiquette, strategy and tournament formats? Check out our complete padel game rules guide.