Padel Rules: Scoring, Golden Point and the Walls Explained
If you come from tennis, padel scoring feels familiar right away. Still, your first match raises questions fast: what happens at deuce? Can the ball hit the wall? And why is the fence sometimes a fault and sometimes not? Here are the essential padel rules on scoring, the golden point and the walls – short and free of rulebook jargon.
How scoring works
You know the counting from tennis: 15, 30, 40, game. A set runs to six games with a two-game lead; at 6-6 you play a tiebreak to seven points. Matches are almost always best of three sets. The serve alternates between the teams after every game, and within a pair both players take turns serving a full game each.
Golden point: one rally decides
At 40-40 (deuce), most tournaments no longer play advantage. Instead there is a single deciding point: the golden point. The receiving pair chooses whether the serve comes to the right or the left side – then that one rally decides the game. It keeps matches shorter and tighter. Traditional advantage scoring still exists, though; the tournament regulations state which applies.
Walls and fence: when the ball stays in play
The short version:
- On your side: once the ball has bounced on the floor, it may touch glass or fence – you can keep playing it until it touches the floor a second time.
- On the opponents' side: your shot must bounce on the floor there first. If it hits glass or fence directly, it's a fault.
- Using your own wall: you may play the ball against your own glass to send it back over the net. Your own fence doesn't count – that loses the point.
The biggest differences from tennis
Four things to relearn: the serve is underarm after a bounce, the court is much smaller at 20 by 10 metres, padel is always doubles, and the walls are part of the game – a lob sailing over your head is far from a lost point. You'll find all rules in detail, including the serve and edge cases, on our rules page. Ready to test the theory in a real match? Our tournament calendar lists events for every level near you.
Frequently asked questions
How do you score in padel?
Exactly like tennis: 15, 30, 40, game. A set goes to six games with a two-game lead, with a tiebreak at 6-6. Matches are usually best of three sets.
What is the golden point in padel?
At 40-40, a single deciding point is played instead of advantage. The receiving pair chooses which side the serve goes to – whoever wins the point wins the game.
Is the ball out when it hits the wall?
If the ball comes from your opponents and bounces on the floor first, it may then touch glass or fence and stays in play. If your shot hits the glass or fence on the other side directly, it's a fault.