Padel in One Paragraph
Padel is played in doubles on an enclosed court roughly a third the size of a tennis court, with solid glass walls at each end and mesh down the sides. Scoring is tennis scoring. The serve is underarm. The walls are in play. Almost every rule follows from those four facts.
The Court and the Serve
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Serve underarm | Bounce the ball once behind the service line and strike it at or below waist height |
| Serve diagonally | Into the opposite service box, as in tennis |
| Two attempts | A let off the net is replayed, exactly like tennis |
| Foot faults | Both feet behind the service line until contact |
A serve that lands in the correct box and then hits the side mesh before the returner plays it is a fault. A serve that lands in and hits the back glass is good — that is the standard serve, and returning it off the glass is the first skill a new player learns.
Scoring
Scoring is identical to tennis: 15, 30, 40, game. Six games take a set, with a tiebreak at 6-6. Most social matches are best of three sets. Many clubs, including ours, run golden point at deuce — a single deciding point rather than advantage — to keep social sessions moving and finish on time.
The Walls: the Part That Confuses Everyone
This is where padel stops resembling tennis.
- After the ball bounces on your side, it may hit any wall and stay in play. You can let it come off the glass and hit it back.
- You may not let the ball hit a wall before it bounces on the floor. Ball off the glass first, on the full, is your opponents' point.
- You may play the ball off your own back wall and over the net. It is legal and it is the shot that keeps long rallies alive.
- A ball that hits the wall on your opponents' side directly from your racquet, without bouncing on their floor first, is out. Over the net, floor, then wall — in that order.
The Three Rules That Catch New Players Out
The bounce comes first. A ball on the full into the glass is not a rally to be rescued; it is a point already conceded. Wait for the bounce.
Out is out, even through the gap. A ball that leaves the court through the side opening without touching anything is out. Some clubs allow you to play it back from outside — ask before you start.
The ball is dead after the second bounce, wall or no wall. The glass extends the rally; it does not give you a second bounce.
Etiquette Worth Knowing
Call your own lines. Announce the score before serving — it settles most disagreements before they start. And if a ball from the next court comes in, stop the point and replay it.
Where to Try It
Two glass-walled padel courts are open daily at i-City Central Mall, Shah Alam, from 10am. Racket hire is available at the desk if it is your first time, and the courts page has current rates.