The Official Rules of Padel:
The Definitive A-to-Z Regulatory Handbook
An authoritative, regulation-by-regulation guide to the sport of padel as governed by the International Padel Federation (FIP). This document provides an exhaustive breakdown of court geometry, legal serving mechanics, wall physics, point resolution, the Golden Point sudden-death protocol, technical shot classifications, out-of-court play, and tournament officiating standards.
1. The Nature, Objective & Philosophy of Padel
Padel is a fast-paced racket sport characterized by its enclosed court structure, stringless composite rackets, and reliance on spatial geometry rather than sheer ball speed. Under official FIP Article 1, the game is contested between two pairs of players (four players in total) on an enclosed court.
The primary objective is to propel the ball over the central net into the opposing half in such a manner that the defending team is unable to return it legitimately before the ball makes a second contact with their court surface. Because the boundary walls and metal wire mesh enclosure remain active throughout live play, defensive teams can utilize wall rebounds to rescue seemingly unplayable shots.
Core Tactical Distinctions From Tennis & Squash:
- No Overhand Serving: Serves are strictly delivered underhand below the waist, preventing unreturnable serve aces and immediately initiating extended tactical baseline-to-net rallies.
- Two-Layered Boundaries: The court perimeter consists of structural tempered glass (which creates predictable, true rebounds) and electro-welded wire mesh (which produces unpredictable, low-angle deflections).
- Positional Specialization: Teams typically operate with a specialized left-side player (Revés, who controls aerial smashes and aggressive diagonal angles) and a right-side player (Drive, who governs tempo, precision lobs, and defensive consistency).
2. Court Architecture & Dimensional Specifications (FIP Rule 1)
A regulation padel court is a rectangle measuring exactly 20.00 meters (65.61 feet) in length and 10.00 meters (32.81 feet) in width (internal clear dimensions between glass faces), with a permissible margin of error of ±0.5%.
| Component | Official Dimension | Structural Material & Regulatory Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Playing Floor | 20.00m × 10.00m (200 m²) | Textured fibrillated or monofilament synthetic turf with silica sand infill. |
| Back Walls | 4.00m Total Height | 3.00m tempered safety glass (10mm or 12mm thickness) topped by 1.00m metal mesh. |
| Side Walls | 3.00m to 4.00m Stepped | Combination of glass panels and electro-welded metal mesh (mesh opening 50mm × 50mm). |
| Central Net | 88 cm (Center) / 92 cm (Posts) | 10.00m length, suspended by a steel cable with a white band (5.0 cm to 6.3 cm width). |
| Service Line | 3.00m from Back Glass | 5 cm wide line painted parallel to the net. |
| Center Service Line | 5.00m from Side Walls | Divides the service box into two equal 5.00m × 6.00m rectangles; extends 20 cm past service line. |
| Ceiling Clearance | 8.00m Minimum | Minimum obstacle-free height across the entire playing area (9.00m recommended for premier events). |
| Lateral Doors | 1.05m to 2.00m (W) × 2.00m (H) | Access openings located on both sides of the net to facilitate authorized out-of-court play. |
3. Official Equipment Standards (FIP Rules 2 & 3)
To maintain competitive equity and player safety, all rackets and balls used in sanctioned play must comply with strict physical parameters certified by the International Padel Federation.
Padel Racket (Pala) Structural Specifications:
Official Ball Specifications (Padel vs Tennis Comparison):
While padel balls use optic yellow pressurized rubber cores encased in felt, their internal pressure is deliberately calibrated lower than tennis balls (between 4.6 kg and 5.2 kg per 2.54 cm², compared to ~8.2 kg for tennis) to manage rebound velocity within enclosed glass walls.
4. Legal Serve Execution, Sequence & Service Faults (FIP Rules 4, 5 & 6)
The serve in padel is strictly tactical. It must be delivered underhand, initiating play from the right side of the court at the start of every game and alternating sides on successive points.
Official Service Faults (FIP Article 7):
- Server commits a foot fault (stepping on or over the service line or center extension line prior to ball contact).
- Server strikes the ball above waist level or hits the ball in the air without letting it bounce.
- The served ball fails to land inside the diagonally opposite service box.
- The served ball hits the server or their partner before crossing the net.
- The served ball bounces in the box and subsequently touches the side wire mesh fence.
- The server completely misses the ball when attempting to hit it (attempting a stroke and whiffing is a fault; catching the ball without swinging is not a fault).
The Service "Let" (Replay) Conditions:
A service is ordered to be replayed ("Let") if the ball touches the net, net posts, or cable and subsequently lands inside the correct service box without touching the wire mesh fence after the bounce. If a net-cord serve bounces in the box and then hits the wire mesh, it is a service fault, not a let.
5. Wall, Glass & Metal Mesh Physics: The Universal Law
Wall play is the fundamental signature of padel. Every wall interaction operates under one inviolable rule: The ball must always bounce on the court floor before touching any perimeter wall or fence.
Back & Side Glass Walls (Paredes de Cristal)
Glass produces predictable, true angular rebounds. Players can let deep shots bounce on the turf, rebound off the back glass (or side glass), and strike the ball as it travels forward into the court before it bounces a second time.
Self-Wall Returns (*Auto-Pared*)
A player is fully permitted to smash the ball directly into their OWN glass walls (back or side) to propel it over the net into the opponent's court. This is a common defensive escape when pinned deep in the corner.
Metal Wire Mesh (Malla Metálica)
During active rallies (excluding serves), if the ball bounces on the floor and strikes the side wire mesh, it remains live. Because wire mesh produces unpredictable, low-skidding rebounds, defending off the mesh requires rapid reflexes.
Prohibition of Self-Mesh Hits
While hitting into your own glass wall is legal, hitting the ball directly into your OWN metal wire mesh fence is an immediate loss of point.
6. Official Scoring System, Golden Point & Tiebreaks
Padel matches are played to the best of three sets. Game scoring mirrors tennis with values of 15, 30, 40, and Game.
The Golden Point (*Punto de Oro*) Protocol in Official Tournaments:
Adopted by the International Padel Federation and Premier Padel, when a game score reaches 40-40 (Deuce), the Advantage system is discarded. Instead, a single sudden-death point is contested:
- The receiving pair has the strategic right to choose which player receives the serve (right court or left court).
- In mixed doubles competitions, the server must serve to the receiver of the same gender.
- The team that wins the Golden Point immediately wins the game.
Set & Tiebreak Regulations:
- Standard Set: A team wins a set by reaching six (6) games with a minimum margin of two games (e.g., 6-4, 6-3, 6-2).
- Extended Set (7-5): If the score reaches 5-5, the set continues to 7-5.
- 7-Point Tiebreak at 6-6: If the game score reaches 6-6, a standard 7-point tiebreak is played. The first team to reach 7 points with a 2-point margin wins the tiebreak and the set (7-6).
- Tiebreak Service Order: The player due to serve serves Point 1 from the right side. The opposing team then serves Points 2 and 3 (starting from the left side). Service rotates every two points thereafter. Teams change ends every six (6) points played (e.g., at 3-3, 6-6).
- Super Tiebreak (Match Tiebreak): In specific tournament formats (or FIP Senior/Masters championships), a deciding third set may be replaced by a 10-point Super Tiebreak (first to 10 points by 2).
7. Point Losses, Net Contact & Technical Infractions (FIP Rule 13)
Under official FIP tournament rules, a team immediately forfeits the point upon committing any of the following infractions:
The Official Exception: Reaching Over the Net (FIP Article 14):
As a general rule, a player cannot strike the ball on the opponent's side of the net. However, if an opponent's shot bounces on your court and spins or rebounds back over the net onto their side, you are legally entitled to reach over the net (without touching the net) and strike the ball before it lands on the ground.
8. Out-of-Court Play (*Juego Exterior*): Por Tres & Por Cuatro
In professional padel venues equipped with safety clearance zones, players are permitted to exit the court through lateral access doors to retrieve balls that have been smashed outside the enclosure.
A heavy topspin or flat smash that bounces on the opponent's turf and flies straight over the 4-meter high back glass wall. Because the ball leaves the court enclosure entirely over the back, it is an immediate, unretrievable winner.
A topspin smash hit with sharp diagonal trajectory that bounces and kicks out over the 3-meter side wall. If out-of-court play is authorized, defending players can sprint through the side door to hit the ball back into the opponent's court before it bounces on the external ground.
9. Tactical Shot Classifications & Regulations
10. Officiating, Time Clocks & Video Review (VAR) Protocols
Professional padel championships governed by the FIP and Premier Padel employ official timing regulations and video review technology to ensure transparency:
Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Review Rules:
In televised Premier Padel fixtures, each team is allocated two (2) challenges per set. A team may challenge line calls, net invasions, double bounces, or foot faults. If the challenge overturns the chair umpire's call, the challenge count is preserved; if the original call is confirmed, one challenge is lost.
11. Frequently Asked Questions & Rule Disputes
Direct official answers to common situational padel disputes and regulatory interpretations.
Q1:How does the Golden Point (Punto de Oro) rule work in professional padel?
When a game reaches 40-40 (Deuce), the Golden Point rule is triggered in Premier Padel and FIP Tour events. There are no Advantage points. The receiving team chooses which side (left or right) the server must deliver the serve to, and whichever pair wins that single sudden-death rally wins the entire game.
Q2:What are the exact legal serving rules in padel?
All serves in padel must be delivered underhand. The server must stand with both feet behind the service line and between the imaginary continuation of the center line. The ball must bounce once on the floor behind the service line before contact, and the racket must strike the ball at or below waist height at the exact moment of impact. The ball must travel diagonally over the net and land inside the receiver’s service box without touching the metal wire fence after the bounce.
Q3:Can a padel ball hit the glass wall directly on a return?
No. The ball must always bounce once on the opponent’s court surface before touching their glass walls or metal mesh. If a player hits the ball and it strikes the opponent’s glass wall or wire fence directly on the fly, it is out and the player immediately loses the point.
Q4:Can you hit the ball into your own glass wall to return it over the net?
Yes. You are legally permitted to hit the ball directly into your own back glass wall or side glass walls (Auto-pared) to propel it over the net into the opponent’s court. However, you can never hit the ball into your own metal mesh fence—striking your own fence is an immediate loss of point.
Q5:What happens if a padel serve hits the metal wire fence after bouncing in the box?
If a served ball bounces cleanly inside the receiver’s service box and then makes contact with the metal wire mesh fence before a second bounce, it is ruled an immediate service fault. If it hits the glass wall after bouncing, the serve is 100% legal and play continues.
Q6:Are players ever allowed to reach over the net to hit a padel ball?
Generally no, a player cannot strike the ball on the opponent’s side of the net. However, there is ONE critical exception: if an opponent’s shot bounces in your court and has so much backspin or wall rebound that it travels back over the net onto the opponent’s side, you are legally permitted to reach over the net (without touching the net) to smash the ball before it bounces on the ground.
Q7:What are the official dimensions of a regulation padel court?
A standard regulation padel court is 20.00 meters (65.61 ft) long and 10.00 meters (32.81 ft) wide. The net is 10 meters wide, measuring 88 cm high at the center and 92 cm high at the posts. The court is enclosed by 3-meter to 4-meter glass walls and metal mesh fence panels.
Q8:What is the difference between a "Por Tres" and "Por Cuatro" in padel?
"Por Cuatro" (Out of 4) occurs when a smash bounces on the court and flies directly over the 4-meter high back glass wall, ending the point as an unreturnable winner. "Por Tres" (Out of 3) occurs when the ball bounces and exits over the 3-meter high side wall. In official tournaments with authorized out-of-court play, a defending player can sprint out through the court door to retrieve a "Por Tres" before it bounces on the ground outside.
Q9:What happens if a player touches the net with their racket or body?
If a player, their racket, clothing, or anything they wear makes contact with the net, net posts, tension cable, or the opponent’s court surface while the ball is live in play, they immediately lose the point.
Q10:How does a 7-point tiebreak work in padel?
When a set reaches 6-6 in games, a standard 7-point tiebreak is played. The player whose turn it is to serve delivers Point 1 from the right side. Then, service alternates every two points (starting from the left side). The first pair to reach 7 points with at least a 2-point margin wins the tiebreak and the set (7-6).
Q11:What is the time limit between points and on changeovers in professional padel?
Under FIP regulations, a maximum of 25 seconds is allowed between points. During end-of-game changeovers (after odd games), players receive 90 seconds of rest. Between sets, a rest period of 120 seconds (2 minutes) is granted.
Q12:How does the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) challenge system work in Premier Padel?
Each pair receives two (2) video review challenges per set in televised Premier Padel matches. Challenges can be used for ball in/out line calls, double bounces, net touches, and foot faults. If a challenge is successful, the pair retains their challenge count; if unsuccessful, one challenge is deducted.
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