The Serve — Wrong Side, Wrong Player, Wrong Receiver Order

The serve is not a free shot. Who serves, from where, and in what rotation — all of this is precisely regulated, and when something goes wrong, the consequences can vary.

Wrong service box. A server stays on the same side by mistake and serves again from there. Once the error is spotted, it gets corrected; all points already won remain valid. If there was already a service fault, that fault still counts — the player then has only one serve left. Rule 6, Point 7.

Wrong server. The partner should have served, but the other player did. The player who should have served takes over immediately, all points remain valid — but unlike the wrong-side case: a fault already taken does not count. If the game is already over before anyone notices, the altered serve order stays in place until the end of the set. Rule 6, Point 9.

Receiver order switched. The wrong player in the receiving pair returns serve, and nobody notices until the middle of the game. Unlike the serve error, this is not fixed on the spot. The game in progress continues with the switched positions, and only when the next game starts does the pair go back to their chosen order. Rule 8, Point 4 — the Spanish wording is the narrower one here. The foundation: at the start of each set, the receiving pair chooses who takes the first serve, and that player keeps taking the first serve of each game — until this mistake is discovered, and then only the current game uses the scrambled positions.

Volleys in Padel

Volleys are permitted in padel — the rulebook explicitly names the volley as a valid return stroke. They are forbidden at two specific points: during the return of serve (Rule 8, Points 1 and 5) and before the ball has crossed the net (Rule 13, Letter f). That there are exactly two forbidden scenarios is our count, not a statement in the rulebook — the rules only specify where volleys are not allowed.

The Serve — Readiness, Volley, and Edge Cases

Not ready. The serve is coming, the receiver waves and calls out not ready — but has already started the swing. If you tried to hit it back, you cannot claim you were not ready. But if the receiver genuinely was not ready and can prove it, the serve gets repeated and no fault is called. This is not a right to take unlimited time: the receiver owes the server the courtesy of adapting to a reasonable serving pace. Rule 6, Points 10 and 11; Rule 9, Point 2.a.

Volleying the return. The receiver takes the serve out of the air because the ball is high and slow. Not allowed — the serve must bounce first. Touching it with the racket before it bounces costs the point to the server. Rule 8, Points 1 and 5.

Serve on the line, in the fence, through the door. A serve that lands on the line of the service box is good. A serve that bounces in and rolls into the fence is a fault — but only before the second bounce. A serve that bounces in and flies through an open door is a fault, unless the court has an authorized safety area for out-of-court play; in that case, play continues. Rule 7, Letters c, e and f.

Let on the Serve

The serve grazes the net edge or a net post and still lands correctly in the service box. That is a let — serve gets repeated. But it matters which serve.

On the first serve. A let on the first serve means both serves are repeated. Rule 9, Points 1.a and 2.b.

On the second serve. A let on the second serve means only the second serve is repeated. Rule 9, Point 2.c.

Key detail: For a let, just the net touch is enough. The ball must not touch the metal fence before the second bounce. Rule 9, Point 1.a.

Hitting the Wall or Fence

The net and the opponent's fence. Touching the net, net post, the net's retention rope, or the opponent's half-court including its metal mesh results in loss of point — as long as the ball is in play. The Spanish text explicitly mentions the opponent's fence; the English refers instead to the retention rope. Knowing both interpretations completes the picture.

The ball can hit wall or fence on the opponent's side and stay in play — but only under certain conditions, and whether it bounced first is crucial.

Contrapared off your own wall. The ball is behind you; you hit it deliberately against your own back wall so it goes over the net. Hitting your wall is allowed. Hitting your fence costs you the point immediately. The rulebook makes the distinction clear: contrapared (Rule 14, Letter b) specifically mentions the wall. The fence error comes from Rule 13.1.l, which forbids hitting the fence on your own side.

Directly at the opponent's wall — no bounce. A hard, flat shot hits their glass or fence without bouncing on their ground first. That is a lost point. The ball must bounce on the opponent's court first. Rule 13.1.g. The flip side: if the ball bounces on the opponent's court first and then hits wall or fence, the return is good. Rule 14, Letter c.

The corner. A ball that lands in the angle where wall meets ground on the opponent's side is explicitly counted as good and stays in play. Rule 14, Letter i.

Net edge in the rally. Your shot grazes the net edge or a post — two different outcomes follow. If it lands in the opponent's court afterward, the return is good. If it goes directly at their wall or fence after the net touch, you lose the point. This does not exist in tennis and gets called wrong regularly. Rule 14, Letter e (good); Rule 13.1.h (lost point).

Ball stuck in fence or stuck on top of wall after your shot. The ball goes directly to fence or lands on the wall's flat top surface after your shot — provided it bounced in the opponent's court first. If after a correct bounce the ball gets stuck in the fence, leaves the court through a hole or damaged section of fence, or remains motionless on the flat top of a wall, the point is over (Rule 15, Letters a and b). If it bounces and then just strikes wall or mesh, it stays in play (Rule 14, Letter c); without a bounce, Rule 13, Letter g applies. Who wins the point is not stated explicitly in Rule 15 — that is our interpretation from the game flow.

Hits, Double Touch, and Dropped Racket

Serve hits a player. The serve catches someone — three different cases:

• Hits the server's own partner (or the server): service fault. Rule 7, letter d.
• Hits an opponent after touching the net: a let; serve is repeated. Rule 9, Point 1.b — the Spanish wording is the narrower one here.
• Hits the receiver or their partner before the ball bounces, without net contact: point to the server. Rule 8, Point 5.

Ball hits a player in the rally. A volley slams into an opponent's body: the side that got hit loses the point, and for the striker that is expressly a valid return (Rule 14, Letter a). If your own shot catches your own partner, your side loses the point (Rule 13, Letter j) — that is not a valid return at all. A key point: the loss rule (Rule 13, Letter k) explicitly excludes the racket — Spanish "excepto la pala" — while the valid return rule (Rule 14, Letter a) explicitly includes hitting your own racket ("en la propia pala"). Both statements appear in the rulebook as written — we report them and draw no conclusion from the contradiction.

Double contact. The ball slips on the frame and gets touched twice in the same swing — that costs the point, unless it happens in one motion and does not substantially change the ball's natural direction. Rule 14, Letter h.

A second case that gets confused: both partners hit the ball, at the same time or one after the other. You lose the point — except one hits the ball and the other only hits their partner's racket. Then only one actually played it, and that is allowed. Rule 13.1.o and its Note. This is the case where two partners react on instinct and one is faster — the other just tipped the partner's racket.

Racket drops from your hand. During a smash the racket slips away, or the safety cord breaks — the ball was hit cleanly and lands on the other side. You lose the point immediately, regardless of whether the shot was good. Rule 13.1.r.

Running Off Court and Playing It Back

Not all courts permit out-of-court play, and where it is allowed, there are strict boundaries.

Ball goes out of bounds. After bouncing correctly on your side, the ball flies out over the court edge. Over the back wall the point is over on every court — regardless of whether the court allows out-of-court play. Over the side wall or through the door you may continue playing — but only if the court meets the requirements: a designated safety area under Rule 16. Common mistake: "If the court has a door, you can run outside." Wrong. The requirement is not the door, it is the safety area.

Hitting with a foot outside. Hitting the ball with one or both feet or any body part outside your court is a lost point — unless out-of-court play is authorized. Rule 13.1.p.

The door divider post. The vertical post between the doors may be touched and held — but only from 0.92 meters upward, and only on courts where out-of-court play is authorized. It is a neutral zone for all four players above that height. Rule 13.1.b.

Interruption, Interference, and Side Change

Ball bursts or foreign ball enters. In the middle of a point your ball splits, or a ball from the next court rolls in. The point is repeated — but only if you call it immediately. If you keep playing, you lose the right to the let. Rule 10, Points 1.a and 1.b; Rule 10.1.e.

Interference. During the opponent's smash someone yells "out!" or a player runs into the hitter's motion. Deliberate interference costs the point immediately. Unintentional interference on the first occurrence means the point is repeated — on the second occurrence by the same pair, that pair loses the point. Rule 11. This is what the rulebook prescribes, and it assumes an umpire is present. Without an official, there is no established procedure for this.

A related topic is coaching: instructions are allowed during rest times and only from a properly accredited coach — so not between points. For medical timeouts, external interruptions, suspension of play or bathroom breaks, the umpire decides. Rulebook, subsection CONSEJOS E INSTRUCCIONES. In recreational padel this is usually informal anyway.

Forgot to change sides. After the third game someone notices nobody switched sides, and points have already been played. Correct it immediately; all points already won remain valid. If there was already a service fault, only one serve remains. Rule 5, Point 3. Background: switch after every odd-numbered game (Rule 5.1), in the tiebreak every six points (Rule 5.2).

The Deciding Point — Star Point and Golden Point

It is deuce, and now the deciding point is played. The position is the question — which side receives, and can the positioning change?

Choosing sides. The receiving pair picks which side of the court they want to receive the deciding point — right or left. But they cannot swap positions. In mixed matches, the receiver must be the same gender as the server. Rule 1, Método 2 and Método 3.

Star Point versus Golden Point. Star Point: at 40-40 the score is deuce 1, the next point is advantage 1. Lose it and you are back to deuce 2, then advantage 2. Lose that too and it is deuce 3, where one single point — the Star Point — decides the game. Every advantage can end the game outright; there is no advantage 3. The pair that wins the deciding point wins the game (Rule 1, Método 2). Golden Point means: a deciding point starts right at deuce. Both methods are listed equally in the rulebook — in practice the tournament regulations decide which method is played; the rulebook itself says nothing about it.

What the Rulebook Does Not Cover

There are situations on court where the rulebook is silent — not because it is unclear, but because it intentionally makes no statement.

Ground lines in the rally. A ball lands just behind the service line and someone calls "out." In a rally there is no "out" on the ground — the only line that matters is the service box line (and only on serve). The rulebook regulates the rally throughout without reference to ground lines — neither permitting nor forbidding them. The practical understanding that ground lines do not apply in rallies emerges from this silence.

Ceiling or light in an indoor court. A high lob touches the ceiling in an indoor facility before bouncing in the opponent's field. Before the first bounce, the rulebook does not specifically address the ceiling. For the case after the bounce, it is explicit: if the ball bounces first on the opponent's court and then touches ceiling or lighting, the return is valid. And it provides a general rule: a ball that touches an out-of-court object without bouncing first costs the point, if that object is not on the ground of the opponent's side. Whether a ceiling qualifies as such an object is our interpretation, not an explicit rule for indoor courts — the facility rules or tournament draw will decide in case of doubt.

Without an umpire: who decides? The rulebook assigns every dispute resolution to an umpire — from challenges to serves (Rule 10.1.e/f) through interference (Rule 11) to fouls and conduct violations (Rule 2.1, 4.2). It provides no procedure for matches without officials. This is not frustrating — it is actually the most honest part of the entire rulebook. The most debated situation in recreational padel simply isn't covered by the rules. What is commonly recommended (repeat on doubt, give the doubt to the opponent) is court etiquette, not rulebook.

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Frequently asked

Can you volley the serve in padel?

No — the serve must bounce first, and touching it with your racket before it bounces costs you the point to the server. → Rule 8.

What happens if the serve hits the opponent?

It depends. If it hits the receiver before the bounce, it is a point for the server. If the serve touched the net first, it is a let instead. → Rule 8 and Rule 9.

Is the ball still in play if it goes into the fence?

Depends on when and where. After bouncing on your own side, yes. On serve before the second bounce, no. After your own shot into your own fence, the point is gone. → Rules 12.3, 7.1.e and 13.1.l.

Can you run off the court and play the ball back in padel?

Only over the side wall or through the door, and only if the court allows out-of-court play. Over the back wall the point is over on every court. → Rule 16.

What happens if both partners hit the ball at the same time?

You lose the point — unless one hits the ball and the other only hits their partner's racket. → Rule 13.1.o.

What happens if my racket drops from my hand?

The point is lost immediately, even if the shot was good. → Rule 13.1.r.

Who receives on which side during the deciding point?

The receiving pair chooses the side; positions cannot be swapped. In mixed matches, the receiver must be the same gender as the server. → Rule 1.

We forgot to change sides — do the points count?

Yes, all points already won remain valid; you correct it as soon as you notice. → Rule 5.