Official Padel Rules & Regulations

BASIC PADEL RULES & REGULATIONS

The Padel Federation of India follows the rules of the International Padel Federation (FIP).

Padel is a racket sport which is played in doubles only. It can be played indoors or outdoors. Players are enclosed in an area measuring 10 by 20 metres with transparent walls and wire mesh fencing in places. The two teams are separated by a tennis net and the court is marked out with lines and service boxes. Walls around the court mean that the ball can bounce in unexpected directions to spice up the game!

FORMAT

All play in the sport of Padel is doubles format.

SCORING

In the sport of Padel, the same scoring system is used as in the sport of tennis.

SERVICE

With regard to service, the following rules apply:

• In Padel, all play begins with an underhand serve from the right service court into the opponent’s court diagonally across similar to tennis.
• The server must allow the ball to bounce once before hitting it and the ball must be hit below waist level.
• The serve must land in the opponent’s service box. If the ball bounces in the service box and strikes the side or back wall, it is a valid serve and must be played by the opposing player. If the ball lands in the service box and hits the wire fencing, it is considered a fault.
• The server must keep at least one foot on the ground when hitting the serve. The server’s feet may not touch or cross the service line while serving.
• In Padel, similar to tennis, the server has two opportunities to complete the serve.

FAIR PLAY

The following are considered fair play situations in the sport of Padel:

• The court lines are considered in play only during the initial serve. Otherwise, they are not a factor in determining the outcome of each point in the game between opposing players.
• All players are permitted to play a ball off any of the walls on their own side of the court.

LOSS OF POINT

The opposition wins a point when any of the following events occur:

• The ball bounces twice in any area on your side of the court.
• The ball strikes you or your teammate while in play.
• The ball hits the wire fencing, posts or any other fixture before going over the net or landing on the opponent’s court.

OUT OF BOUNDS

The ball is considered out of bounds and a point is given to the opposing players if the ball hits the wire fence or walls before bouncing on the opponent’s side of the court.

OVERHAND STROKES

The ball can be taken out of the air by any player except on the initial serve and the return of serve.

See extended version of rules from the International Padel Federation – www.padelfip.com