The padel serve
Padel's underarm serve, set out exactly — the bounce before the strike, the waist-height limit, where the server's feet must be, and the wire-mesh fault that has no tennis equivalent.
Overview
Every point begins with a serve, and if the first service is not valid the server is allowed a second. The padel serve has nothing in common with a tennis serve beyond being diagonal: the ball must be bounced on the ground first and struck at or below waist level.
At the start of the service the server must stand with one foot behind the service line, between the imaginary prolongation of the central service line and the side wall, and must remain there until the ball has been served.
The bounce and the strike
The server must bounce the ball on the ground to serve, within the box in which they are serving. The ball may not cross the service line or the imaginary line until it is struck.
The height of the ball being served must be at or below waist level at the moment of hitting it, and the player must have at least one foot in contact with the ground. The server may not touch the service line with their feet, nor the imaginary central line.
Where it must go
Serving from the right side of the court, the ball should pass diagonally over the net towards the receiving service box of the person receiving, and must bounce within the lines limiting that box. The first serve goes to the receiver's left-side box; when a side wins the point, the next service goes to the right-side box, and so on alternately.
The moment contact is made with the ball, or an intentional attempt is made to hit it, it counts as a serve.
The mesh fault
This is the fault with no tennis equivalent. The serve is a fault if the ball bounces in the receiver's service box and then touches the metallic fence around the court before the second bounce.
It is also a fault if the ball bounces in the receiver's service box and then bounces out of court directly through the gates of a court without a safety zone, where out-of-court play is therefore not authorised. Touching the glass wall after a correct bounce is not a fault — only the metallic fence is.
Net serves and lets
The serve is "net" if the ball served touches the net or the supporting posts and then lands in the receiver's service box, as long as it does not touch the metallic fence before the second bounce. It is also net if, after touching the net or posts, it hits any player or article carried or worn.
The service is repeated as a let if the ball is served when the receiver is not ready. And if the ball hits one of the receiving players or their rackets while receiving a serve before it bounces, the point goes to the server.
Key points
- The ball must be bounced on the ground before being struck.
- Contact must be at or below waist level with one foot on the ground.
- The server must not touch the service line or the imaginary central line.
- A serve touching the metallic fence before the second bounce is a fault.
- A serve off the net that lands correctly is a "net" serve, not automatically a fault.
Where it’s used
Sports that use the padel serve:
Related rules
Ball in play and the walls
What counts as part of the court in padel and how the walls change a rally — which surfaces the ball may use, the order it must use them in, and the returns the rules explicitly permit.
How a point is lost in padel
The actions that end a padel rally — the second bounce, touching the net, direct contact with the opponent's enclosure, and the neutral-zone exception on the court doors.
Out-of-court play in padel
The rule that lets a padel player leave the court to keep a rally alive — when it is authorised, what the court must provide for it, and why it depends on the safety area.
Sources
The rules, dimensions and specifications on this page were read from these documents.
- Rules of Padel — International Padel Federation (FIP), application review 01.01.2026, Rule 6 — The Serve; Rule 7 — Serve Fault; Rule 9 — Let and Net Serve (read 2026-09-12)
How it connects
The meaning-bearing relationships that place The padel serve in the wider knowledge graph — each one with the reason it exists.
Builds on
Understanding these first makes this one make sense.
Foundation of
These build directly on this one.
Commonly confused with
Close enough to be mixed up — the distinction is worth knowing.
Frequently learned together
Taught side by side in the same stage of a learning path.
- Ball in play and the wallsBoth are taught in the “Get to know the game” stage of the Padel learning path.
- How a point is lost in padelBoth are taught in the “Get to know the game” stage of the Padel learning path.
- Out-of-court play in padelBoth are taught in the “Get to know the game” stage of the Padel learning path.
- Tennis scoringBoth are taught in the “Get to know the game” stage of the Padel learning path.
- Padel scoringBoth are taught in the “Get to know the game” stage of the Padel learning path.
Explore across the knowledge base
Follow the threads that connect The padel serve to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Scoring systems
- Padel scoring and the tie-breakHow padel matches are counted — the game and set structure, the tie-break serving order, and the alternative scoring methods the FIP rules explicitly authorise.
- Tennis scoringTennis is scored in points, games and sets, using the distinctive 15–30–40 point sequence and a win-by-two margin at every level.
- Padel scoringPadel borrows tennis scoring, counting points as 15–30–40 within games and playing sets to six games decided by a tiebreak.
- Tiebreak scoringA tiebreak is a short deciding game used in racket sports to settle a set that has reached an even number of games, scored in simple numbers to a fixed target.
- Table tennis scoring and service orderHow games and matches are won — 11 points with a two-point margin, service changing every two points, and the expedite system that stops a game lasting forever.
Facilities
- Padel court dimensionsThe exact size and markings of a padel court under FIP rules — the 10 by 20 metre rectangle, the service lines, the line width, and the free height the rules require above it.
- Padel courtAn enclosed court, much smaller than a tennis court, walled with glass and mesh so the ball can be played off the walls.
- Padel walls and enclosureThe feature that makes padel its own sport — the glass and mesh enclosure, the two permitted side-wall layouts, and why the wall material is specified by how the ball bounces off it.
- The table tennis tableThe exact dimensions of a table tennis table and its markings — length, width, height, the bounce test the surface must pass, and the lines that only matter in doubles.
- Badminton courtA rectangular indoor court, divided by a high net, on which badminton is played as singles or doubles.
Equipment
- The padel netThe net that divides a padel court — its two different heights, the maximum post height, the white strip that tops it, and why the posts sit at the lateral limits.
- The padel ballThe padel ball's own specification — diameter, weight, bounce and internal pressure — and the separate altitude ball the rules provide for above 1,000 metres.
Learning paths
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How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Rule
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
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