Padel Rules Explained 2026: A Complete UK Guide

Padel rules borrow scoring and a few habits from [tennis](/blog/padel-vs-tennis/), but the walls, the underarm serve, and a doubles-only format make it a different game once you start playing. This guide covers the core rules a UK player needs in 2026 — what the court looks like, how serving works, what counts as in or out, and the changes the International Padel Federation (FIP) brought in on 1 January 2026 that catch out even experienced players.

The official rulebook is published by the FIP, with the current edition dated 1 January 2026. The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) governs padel in Great Britain and applies the same rules in domestic play. Where local clubs add their own variations — usually around exterior play and house etiquette — we flag it.

The court: layout and key dimensions

A regulation padel court is a 10 m wide by 20 m long rectangle (interior measurements), with a 0.5% tolerance permitted under FIP rules. The court is divided in half by a net, and each half is split into two service boxes by the service line and the central service line. Glass walls and a metal mesh fence enclose the playing area on every side.

Knowing the dimensions matters because the walls aren't decoration — they're in play. The service line determines where the served ball must land, and the back wall determines what's recoverable after a deep shot.

Padel court specifications

Specification	Value
Interior dimensions	10 m × 20 m (200 m²), tolerance 0.5%
Net length	10 m
Net height	88 cm at the centre, up to 92 cm at the lateral posts
Service line	6.95 m from the net on each side
Central service line	Perpendicular to the service line; extends 20 cm past it
Line width	5 cm
Back walls	3 m glass + 1 m mesh fence (4 m total)
Side walls	Glass and mesh; 3 m mesh continues along the sides
Overhead clearance	6 m minimum (existing courts), 8 m recommended for new builds

How a padel game works

Padel is played only as doubles — there is no singles format under FIP rules. The team that wins the toss chooses to serve, receive, or pick the side; the other team gets the remaining choice. Service alternates between teams each game, and within a team the two players take turns serving across the match.

Scoring follows the same numbers as tennis: 15, 30, 40, game. A set is the first team to win 6 games with a 2-game margin; at 6–6 you play a tiebreak (first to 7, win by 2) unless your competition specifies otherwise. Most matches are best of three sets.

Serving rules: where most disputes happen

Padel uses an underarm serve. The server stands behind the service line, between the central service line and the side wall, on the side of the box they're serving into. The ball must be bounced on the floor first, then struck at or below waist height. The serve is diagonal — into the opposite service box — and the server has two attempts.

After the served ball lands in the correct service box, it may continue and touch the side glass wall before being returned. What it cannot do is touch the metal mesh after the bounce — that's a fault. A ball that hits the net but still lands legally in the box is a let, replayed without penalty.

✓

Stand behind the service line

One foot must be in contact with or behind the line at the moment of impact (relaxed under the 2026 rules — see below).

✓

Bounce the ball on the ground first

No ball-toss tennis-style serves. The ball must touch the floor before you strike it.

✓

Hit at or below waist height

Contact must be at or below the waist. Tall players can legitimately strike higher in absolute terms, which is a frequent point of dispute at amateur level.

✓

Serve diagonally into the opposite box

Right-side server delivers into the receiver's right-hand box; left-side server into the left-hand box. Two attempts.

✓

Wear the safety wrist cord

A safety strap between the racket handle and your wrist is mandatory under FIP rules — and from 2026 a broken or detached cord during a point loses the point automatically.

Wall play: the rule that makes padel padel

The walls turn padel from a smaller-court racket sport into a tactical game. Two rules govern them:

On your own side — once the ball has bounced in your court, you can let it carry into the back glass or the side wall and play it off the rebound. You can also smash the ball into your own walls deliberately to set up a return angle. There's no restriction here.

On the opponent's side — the ball must bounce in their court first before touching any wall. If the ball hits their back glass or mesh on the full (without bouncing first), the point is yours. This is the rule that catches out tennis players, who instinctively expect any in-court return to count.

Scoring at deuce: the 2026 Star Point

Until 2026, two scoring formats were widely used at deuce: the traditional Advantage (you must win two points in a row to win the game) and the Golden Point (a single sudden-death point at 40–40). Most professional events used Golden Point; most LTA grassroots play used Advantage.

The 2026 FIP rulebook adds a third option called the Star Point. Under Star Point, when the score reaches 40–40, the players play up to two regular advantages. If neither team has secured the game after those two advantages, a single Golden Point decides it. This format is now the default across [Premier Padel](/blog/premier-padel-london-2026-guide/), the CUPRA FIP Tour, FIP Promises and FIP Beyond. Most UK club and league competitions still default to Advantage or Golden Point — check your competition rules before the match.

What changed on 1 January 2026

The 2026 FIP rulebook is the biggest revision in years. The headline changes affect serving, pace of play, equipment, and safety:

Star Point at deuce

Two regular advantages, then a Golden Point if still tied. Default at FIP-sanctioned events.

Serve trajectory clarified

The served ball must not cross the service line or its imaginary extension before being struck. This effectively outlaws the side-bounce serve where players bounced the ball toward the side wall.

One foot behind the line

Only one foot needs to be in contact with or behind the service line at impact (previously stricter wording about both feet).

Wrist cord forfeiture

If the safety cord breaks or detaches during a point, the player loses the point automatically. Safety has moved from recommendation to enforced rule.

Shorter warm-up

Pre-match warm-up cut from 5 minutes to 3 minutes. Restart warm-ups after interruptions are also reduced.

No eating between points

Food and drink can only be consumed during permitted side-changes. Snacking between points is no longer allowed.

Wider safety zone

The exterior safety zone behind the back walls is now a minimum 3 m (up from 2 m), maintaining 4 m in length. New courts only — existing venues are not retrofitted.

Racket hole shapes

Peripheral holes on padel rackets may now be non-circular, provided they don't exceed 20 mm in diameter.

Common rule confusions

Some rules are technically simple but routinely misunderstood at amateur level. These are the ones that cause the most arguments at UK clubs:

Where the receiving team can stand

A common assumption is that both receivers must stand behind the service line. They don't. Only the server is required to be behind their service line at the moment of impact. The two receivers can stand anywhere within their half of the court, and so can the server's partner. In practice both receivers usually stand near or behind the service line because the serve must be allowed to bounce (no volleying the return), but the rule itself doesn't require it.

First serve of the set: receiver flexibility

For the first serve of any set, the receiving team chooses which player will return — not necessarily the one diagonally opposite the server. Whichever receiver takes that first ball is then locked into receiving from that side for the rest of the set. This rarely changes outcomes, but it's a useful tactical flexibility worth knowing.

Standstill on the serve

Padel serves must be made from a standstill: the first step into the court can only land after the ball has been struck. Run-in serves — taking a step into impact, tennis-style — are technically faults. They're commonly seen at amateur level and even on the pro circuits, but they're rarely called. Knowing the rule helps if you're umpiring or want to clean up your own technique.

Waist-height enforcement is subjective

The waist-height rule on the serve is a common source of disputes because the waist is a moving target — a tall player legitimately strikes higher in absolute terms than a shorter player. Without a fixed reference (like a net-height rule in badminton), enforcement comes down to the umpire's judgement at competitive play and the players' agreement at amateur level. Don't expect this rule to settle every argument cleanly.

Playing a ball that left the court

Under FIP rules, if the ball bounces in court and then exits through an open door or over a wall, a player may step outside and try to return it. In practice, most UK clubs disallow exterior play as a venue rule — for safety, because surrounding space and surfaces aren't designed to be played on. Always check the house rules before assuming exterior play is allowed at your local court.

Touching the net

Touching the net — with your racket, your body, or anything you're wearing — while the ball is still in play loses the point. Reaching over the net to play a ball that hasn't yet crossed to your side also loses the point, with one narrow exception: if the ball has bounced on your opponent's side and the spin or wind brings it back across, you may reach over to play it, provided you don't touch the net.

Equipment rules in brief

The [padel racket](/blog/best-padel-rackets-uk-2026/) is solid and perforated, without strings. The maximum length, including the handle, is 45.5 cm; the maximum width is 26 cm. The racket must carry the FIP approval mark for sanctioned competitions. Under the 2026 update, peripheral holes can be non-circular as long as no single hole exceeds 20 mm in diameter.

Padel balls look like tennis balls but have slightly less internal pressure (4.6–5.2 kg/cm² instead of tennis's higher pressure), giving them a softer bounce. Approved balls carry FIP approval; in domestic UK play any of the major brands (Head, Wilson, Bullpadel, Babolat) used in LTA events will be fine.

Etiquette and house rules

Beyond the rulebook, padel has a few customs worth following at UK courts:

Call your own faults

At amateur level there's no umpire. Players are expected to call lines on their own side honestly.

Walk behind the court when changing ends

Don't cut across an active rally on the next court.

Replace stray balls before serving

If a ball from another court ends up in your half, throw it back before the next point.

Respect noise rules at indoor venues

Loud celebration is fine; sustained shouting between points isn't.

Check the venue's exterior-play rule

Some courts allow it, most don't. When in doubt, treat the door / fence as the boundary.

How padel rules differ from tennis

If you're coming from tennis, the scoring will feel familiar but several other rules will catch you out. The big ones:

Feature	Best Overall Padel	Tennis
Price	—	—
Rating	—	—
Format	Doubles only	Singles or doubles
Serve	Underarm, after a floor bounce, at or below waist height	Overhead from a toss, struck at full height
Walls	In play after a floor bounce on your side	No walls; out is out
Court size	10 m × 20 m	8.23 m × 23.77 m (singles)
Racket	Solid + perforated, no strings	Strung head, much larger frame

Frequently asked questions

Is padel only doubles?

Yes. Under FIP rules padel is played only as doubles. Some venues offer 1v1 sessions on a padel court for practice, but it's not a sanctioned format and the rules don't cover it.

Can the served ball touch the wall?

After landing in the correct service box, the ball may continue and touch the side glass wall — that's still a legal serve. What it cannot do is touch the metal mesh fence after the bounce, or hit any wall before it bounces in the service box. Both of those are faults.

What happens if my serve hits the net?

If the ball hits the net cord and still lands correctly in the diagonal service box, it's a let — the serve is replayed with no penalty (and no count against your two attempts). If it hits the net and falls back on your side or lands outside the service box, it's a fault.

Can I play a ball that came back over the net?

Yes, but with restrictions. If a ball lands on the opponent's side and spin or wind brings it back over the net to your side before the opponent has played it, you may reach over the net and play it — as long as you don't touch the net itself with your racket, body, or anything you're wearing.

What is the Star Point in 2026?

The Star Point is the new deuce-resolution format introduced in the 2026 FIP rulebook. At 40–40, two regular advantages are played; if the game is still tied, a single Golden Point decides it. This is the default at FIP-sanctioned events including Premier Padel.

Do UK club leagues use the 2026 FIP rules?

The LTA aligns with FIP rules and progressively adopts revisions. Most UK leagues will use the 2026 wording for serves, equipment, and safety, but local competition rules sometimes specify Advantage scoring rather than Star Point or Golden Point. Check your competition's regulations before the match.

What happens if my safety cord breaks during a point?

Under the 2026 rules, if the wrist-cord breaks or detaches during play, you lose the point automatically. The cord is a safety device and its function is now enforced — previously a broken cord was usually treated as a let or ignored entirely.

Can I leave the court to retrieve a ball that's still in play?

Technically yes, if the ball has bounced in court before exiting through an open door or over a wall. In practice most UK clubs disallow exterior play as a house rule because the surrounding space isn't safe to play on. Always check the venue's policy.

New to padel?

If you're getting started, our complete UK beginners' guide walks through kit, costs, etiquette, and the LTA pathway alongside the rules.

Read the beginners' guide