With padel tennis gaining immense prominence in India and as well as at a globally, understanding the rules is crucial for new players and those looking to polish their skills. It offers the thrill, intensity and agility of tennis and squash elements with simple and straightforward rules that you can learn quickly.
So whether you are new to padel or an experienced player looking to improve your skills, this is a comprehensive guide to essential padel rules to help you confidently step on the court.
What is Padel tennis?
With roots in Mexico, Padel is known as Padel Sport or Padel Tennis. Padel is a fantastic racket sport as it is versatile, quick and easy to pick up. It can be played by players of all skill levels. Padel combines the elements of tennis and squash suitable for players of all ages and capabilities.
When playing, one needs to be familiar with the basic rules of padel tennis to ensure a fun, safe and enjoyable game.
Padel: Equipment, Format, Scoring System, Serving Rules & Court
Padel Equipment: The padel tennis rules regarding equipment is a ball similar to tennis, just a bit smaller in size. The padel rackets are solid, smaller and perforated than the tennis rackets with lower pressure to allow more control and longer rallies.
Padel Format: Padel is typically played in doubles format with two teams with two players each, although singles padel can be played on smaller courts.
Padel Scoring System: The basic padel tennis rules for the scoring system are similar to tennis (0), 15, 30, 40 and a game. When the score reaches 40-40 (deuce), the point won is given to the player or the team advantage, so if they win the subsequent point, they are declared game winners.
Padel Serving Rules: In padel, the serve is underhand and must be hit diagonally from the right-hand side of the court. The ball must bounce once on the serving and receiving sides before it can be volleyed. After this, the ball can be volleyed or played against the wall without bouncing.
Padel Court Dimensions: Padel is played on a standard court 10 meters wide by 20 meters with walls at 1.8 meters high up to 4 meters of glass and mesh. The court is divided into two halves by net same as tennis; the net’s peak should be 1 meter high and 0.80 to 0.09 meters wide above the centre line.
What are the Core Techniques for Padel?
To excel and enjoy this sport to the fullest, follow these techniques and rules for playing padel and improve your game.
Grip: One of the basic padel serving rules is regarding the grip. One must master continental grip, which involves holding the racket like a hammer. Be ready by keeping your knees slightly bent and your weight evenly distributed while the racket is held up and serves the coming ball.
Basic Strokes: The forehand and backhand padel shots are the simplest strokes. These padel strokes involve hitting the ball at the side of the body, allowing it to bounce only once at the side. The aim is to make the strokes powerful to get a point and force the opponent to make a mistake. Some of the variations of forehand and backhand strokes are:
- Flat forehand
- Slice forehand
- Topspin forehand
- Flat backhand
- Slice backhand
- Topspin backhand
Padel Vocabulary: Most Common Padel Tennis Terms
Palas: Spanish for “paddles,” the equipment used to play padel.
Smash: A Spanish term, pegada or remate in Spanish, an aggressive overhead shot to finish the point.
Poach: In doubles padel, a player “poaches” when they approach toward the center of the court to intercept a ball hit by the opposing partner.
No Man’s Land: The section of the court that lies between the net and the service line.
Ducking: When players crouch down to avoid getting hit by a heavy shot from an opponent.
Wall Game: A type of game where players use the walls to control the ball and set up shots.
Slams: Like “Grand Slams” in tennis, these are padel tournaments or championships.
What are the Different Types of Shots in Padel?
Volleys: This basic shot in padel is played close to the net without letting the ball bounce, allowing you to finish off a rally and gain a point.
Smashes: These are headshots that are typically played to finish the point. Smashes are played by hitting the ball downwards with force to the opponent’s side.
The Lob: Lobs are a great padel technique that most players fail to capitalize on. It is played by lobbing the ball high in the air, forcing the opponent to wait for it to come down before they can serve.
Lobbing helps to slow down the opponent, giving you enough time to position yourself or simplifying, making it harder for the opponent to return as the overhead shots are challenging to master.
The Bandeja: Another unknown shot in the padel is ”Bandeja”, a Spanish term meaning ”Tray”. The Bandeja is a cross of a defensive smash shot and a forehand volley, hit on the deep lob to retain the net position.
Best Padel Serve Tips
An excellent start can put you in the driving position and keep your opponent on the back foot. Here are some tips to improve your service:
- Ensure to keep your feet behind the serving line
- Avoid the ball coming below the waist
- Come near the net only after completing your serve
- Try new shots and serving techniques that comply with the padle tennis serve rules.
- Practise learning to serve in a diagonal direction
Communicate with your padel tennis double partner the strategies to apply.
The Double Hit Rule in Padel
The double hit rule in padel is an essential concept in this racket sport. It involves a player hitting the ball twice or more during a serve. It is generally considered a foul, and the point is awarded to the opposite team.
The rules state that the point will be lost if any player consecutively hits the ball. It is not considered a double hit when the pair of players try to hit the ball simultaneously, and one hits it, and the other player hits their teammate’s padel racket.
The Golden Rule in Padel
The golden rule was implemented in 2022 after the World Padel Tour to make the game more exciting and entertaining. Also known as ‘sudden death‘, it comes into play to break a tie, determining who wins the game.
The golden point is played in case of a 40/40 deuce, or the opposite teams are tied on 3 points.
The players are only required to win one point instead of using the advantages system that needs players to win two points consecutively.
In case of a tie, the spirits and thrill of the game are next level, with only one point needed to win.
The most enticing part is that the receiving players need to choose the side to receive service. After they have selected the side, they cannot change the position. According to the tie break padel rules, the team that scores the tie point becomes the serving team.
What is the Difference Between a Single and Double Padel Court?
The padel courts can accommodate two to four players simultaneously, depending on the number of players.
Singles Padel Court: This type of padel court is for two single players positioned on the opposite side. The single padel courts are smaller dimensions than the double padel courts. The main single padel court is around 20 meters in length and 6 meters in width. However, the scoring system for doubles and padel singles rules are the same.
Doubles Padel Court: The padel tennis double court is the half court for each team, intended for playing for two pairs. The double padel court is 20 meters in length and 10 meters in width. Padel courts have a glass background and return with glass panels with a thickness of 10 mm that are separated and framed by steel pillars.
Can You Play Padel Singles?
While padel is traditionally played in doubles, the padel singles format has been gaining significant popularity in recent years. The padel singles rules are similar to doubles, with the only difference being that there’s one player on each side of the court. With the right technique and strategy, playing padel singles can be just as enjoyable as doubles.
Padel Singles Rules
Scoring System: The scoring system is similar to doubles, with each player reaching six games, winning the set, and in case the game is tied at six, a tiebreaker is played.
Court Dimensions: The court dimensions are the same as double, but there are courts specially for padel singles with dimensions 20 meters in length and 6 meters in width.
Serving: The server needs to stand behind the baseline and the ball underhand to begin the point.
Return of Server: The returned needs to allow the ball to bounce before hitting it towards the server.
What Ball is Used in Padel?
Padel ball is one of the most essential parts of the game. Padel balls are similar to tennis balls but have little low pressure, making them perfect for padel courts. There are different types of padel balls available varying in weight, pressure and durability. According to the rules, the padel ball is about 0.65 in diameter and weighs 56 to 59.9 gms made of rubber and felt.
In Conclusion
Padel is a fun sport to embrace as it’s versatile and accessible for people of all ages and skills. Whether you are new to padel or want to polish your skills, this is a complete guide to equip you with everything you need to know about padel and step into the court with confidence.
