Padel Rules Explained: A Quick Guide for New Players

If you have never played padel before, the court alone can be confusing. Glass walls, metal fences, a net, and a ball that bounces off everything — it looks like someone combined tennis, squash, and a game they invented on vacation. But the rules are actually simpler than tennis, and most beginners pick them up within their first game. For a broader introduction covering gear, etiquette, and where to play, see our complete beginner’s guide.

Here is everything you need to know to step onto a padel court with confidence.

The court: smaller than tennis, enclosed by walls

A padel court is roughly 20 meters long and 10 meters wide, which is about a third the size of a tennis court. The net sits in the middle, just like tennis, but the court is fully enclosed by a combination of glass walls and metal fencing.

The back wall and parts of the side walls are glass (usually tempered glass or solid panels), while the upper sections and remaining areas are wire mesh or metal fencing. These walls are not just boundaries — they are part of the playing surface. The ball can bounce off them during play, and that is what makes padel unique.

The court is divided into two halves by the net. Each half has a service box on the left and right side, marked by lines on the ground. That is all you need to know about the layout to get started.

Scoring: same as tennis

If you know how tennis scoring works, you already know padel scoring. If you do not, here is the quick version:

Points go: 0 (love), 15, 30, 40, game
You need to win 4 points to win a game (with at least a 2-point lead at deuce)
At 40-40 (deuce), one team must win two consecutive points. The first is called “advantage” and the second wins the game
You need to win 6 games to win a set (with at least a 2-game lead)
If the set reaches 6-6, a tiebreak is played (first to 7 points with a 2-point lead)
A match is typically best of 3 sets

In casual play at clubs in Curaçao, you will often play a single set or a timed session rather than a full match. This keeps things social and ensures everyone gets court time. For an overview of all six venues on the island, see our complete guide to padel in Curaçao.

Serving: underhand and diagonal

The serve is one of the biggest differences between padel and tennis. In padel, you must serve underhand. Here is how:

Stand behind the service line on your side of the court
Bounce the ball on the ground (you cannot toss it in the air)
Hit it at or below waist height
The ball must travel diagonally across the net and land in the opposite service box

After the ball bounces in the correct service box, the receiving player can return it. If the serve hits the net and lands in the correct box, it is a let and you serve again. If it lands outside the service box or hits the net and fails to land in the box, it is a fault. You get two attempts per point, just like tennis. Two faults in a row (a double fault) gives the point to the other team.

One important detail: after the serve bounces in the service box, it cannot hit the wire mesh fence before the receiver plays it. If it does, the serve is a fault. However, if the ball bounces in the service box and then hits the glass back wall, that is perfectly fine and the receiver must play it off the glass.

The serving team switches sides after every odd-numbered game (after the first game, after the third, and so on).

The walls: what makes padel unique

This is the part that surprises newcomers and makes padel so addictive. During a rally, after the ball has bounced on the ground on your side of the court, it can hit the walls and you can still play it. Let that sink in — the ball bouncing off the glass behind you is still in play.

Here is the key rule: the ball must bounce on the ground first, then it can hit a wall, and you can still return it. The ball can bounce off the back glass, the side glass, or even go from the back wall to the side wall (or vice versa), and it is still live as long as it bounced on the ground first.

This opens up an entirely different dimension of play. Shots that would be winners in tennis become retrievable in padel. A hard smash that bounces off the back glass gives the defending team a chance to scoop it back. Rallies last longer, and some of the most spectacular points come from desperate wall retrievals.

What you cannot do with the walls

There are limits. The ball can never hit the wall on the fly (before bouncing on the ground) on the receiving side. If your opponent hits the ball and it crosses the net and hits your wall without bouncing first, the ball is out and your opponent loses the point.

Also, you can never hit the ball into your own wall to send it over the net. The ball must cross the net directly from your racket (or after bouncing on your side of the court). You cannot bank shots off your own glass to get the ball over.

One more: the ball can go over the glass wall and out of the court entirely. If a ball pops up and clears the back wall or side wall, it is out of play. However, in some venues, if the ball goes over the side fence and you can reach it before it bounces twice, you can actually run outside the court and play it back in. This is one of the most exciting plays in professional padel, though you will rarely see it in recreational games.

Doubles only: always 2 vs 2

Standard padel is always played in doubles: two players per side. There is no official singles version of the game, though some clubs (including Padel X Curaçao, which has a dedicated singles court) offer modified singles courts that are narrower.

Playing in doubles is part of what makes padel so social. You are always sharing the court with a partner, communicating, covering each other, and celebrating together. It is one of the reasons the sport has grown so quickly — it is inherently a team activity.

If you show up to a club alone, do not worry. Most clubs in Curaçao organize social sessions and mixers where individual players are matched up into teams. It is a great way to meet people and get a game in.

Let rules

A let occurs when the rally needs to be replayed. The most common let situations in padel:

Serve let: The ball hits the net but still lands in the correct service box. Re-serve, no penalty
Interference: Something disrupts play (a ball from another court rolls in, for example). The point is replayed
Ball breaks: If the ball breaks during a rally, the point is replayed

Lets are not common, but knowing they exist prevents confusion when they happen.

Common confusions for beginners

Can I hit the ball before it bounces (volley)?

Yes. Just like tennis, you can hit the ball out of the air before it bounces, except on the return of serve. The receiver must let the serve bounce before returning it.

Can the ball bounce twice?

No. If the ball bounces twice on your side before you hit it, you lose the point. You must return it after one bounce (or volley it before it bounces at all).

Can I touch the net?

No. If you or your racket touch the net during a point, you lose the point.

What if the ball hits me?

If the ball hits you before bouncing, the point goes to the other team. This includes your partner. Stay aware of your positioning, especially at the net.

Can I hit the ball off the back glass directly over the net?

Yes, absolutely. If the ball bounces on your side and then hits the back glass, you can return it while it is coming off the glass. You can even return it after it hits the back glass and then the side glass. As long as it only bounced once on the ground, it is live.

Ready to play?

That covers the essential rules you need for your first game. The beauty of padel is that the rules are straightforward, but the tactical depth from the walls, the wind (especially in Curaçao), and the doubles partnership makes it endlessly engaging.

Grab a racket, find a partner, and book a court. Most clubs in Curaçao offer racket rental, so you do not need any equipment to get started. If you are visiting Curaçao on vacation, check out our tourist guide for booking tips and club recommendations. After one session, you will understand why this sport is taking over the island.