Padel scoring explained

If you have played or watched tennis, you already know 90% of padel scoring. This page covers the parts that differ, using the International Padel Federation (FIP) rulebook that applies from 1 January 2026.

How do points work in a padel game?

The serving pair's score is called first. A game runs:

When both pairs reach 40, the score is deuce. What happens next depends on which deuce format you are playing.

What are the three ways to play deuce?

The FIP rulebook lists three options in Rule 1. A tournament or social group picks one before the match starts.

Option 1: Advantage (traditional)

This is tennis-style deuce. Win the next point and you have advantage. Win the point after that and you take the game. Lose it and the score goes back to deuce. It continues until one pair wins two points in a row from deuce, so a game can in theory go on for a long time.

Option 2: Star Point

Star Point is the newest format. The FIP rules describe it like this:

1. At 40-40 the umpire calls "deuce 1" and you play an advantage point.
2. If the pair with advantage wins the next point, they win the game. If not, it goes to "deuce 2" and you play a second advantage.
3. If that second advantage is also lost, the score goes to "deuce 3" and a single deciding point, the Star Point, is played. Whoever wins it takes the game.

On the deciding point the receiving pair chooses whether to receive on the right or left side, and they cannot swap positions. In mixed doubles, the player receiving the deciding point must be the same sex as the server.

Option 3: Golden point

Golden point is the "no advantage" format. At 40-40 one deciding point is played straight away and the winner takes the game. The receiving pair picks which side receives, with the same mixed doubles rule. Golden point keeps games short, which is why many social sessions and club competitions use it when court time is limited.

Which scoring do the pro tours use in 2026?

FIP announced on 18 December 2025 that the Star Point system would be used on the Premier Padel tour from the Riyadh Season P1 event, and on the CUPRA FIP Tour from 2026, starting with its first stop, the FIP Bronze Melbourne Padel Open. A separate FIP notice from 22 December 2025 said all FIP Promises (junior) tour matches would also use Star Point.

Your local club does not have to follow the pro tour. Always check the format with your group or the competition organiser.

How do you win a set?

The first pair to win six games, with at least a two-game lead, wins the set. At 5-5 you play on: 7-5 wins it. At 6-6 a tie-break decides the set, which then finishes 7-6.

A match is best of three sets. The rules also allow the deciding third set to be played without a tie-break, as an "advantage set" that only ends when one pair is two games clear, but this has to be agreed in advance.

How does a padel tie-break work?

The tie-break is counted in plain numbers: zero, 1, 2, 3 and so on.

• The first pair to 7 points with a 2-point lead wins the tie-break and the set.
• If it is 6-6 in the tie-break, it carries on until someone is two points clear.
• The player due to serve next serves the first point from the right side.
• The next two points are served by the opposing pair, starting from the left. After that, serve alternates every two points.
• Players change ends every six points.
• The next set starts with the pair who did not serve first in the tie-break.

What short formats can social games use?

FIP's "alternative score methods" give organisers three ways to shorten a match:

• Four-game sets (mini sets). First to four games with a two-game lead. At 4-4, play a tie-break.
• Tie-break instead of a third set. At one set all, play a 7-point tie-break to decide the match.
• Super tie-break instead of a third set. At one set all, play a tie-break to 10 points with a 2-point lead.

Social sessions in Australian clubs are often a set number of minutes rather than a full match, with players rotating partners. Organisers usually explain the format at the start.

When do players change ends?

Change ends after the first game, the third game and every odd game after that in each set. During a tie-break you change every six points. The rules allow up to 90 seconds at a change of ends, except after the first game of each set and during tie-breaks, where you swap straight away.

Who serves in each game?

Serve rotates between the four players. Pair A serves the first game, pair B the second, then A's other player, then B's other player. Each pair decides at the start of each set which partner serves first, and that order stays for the set. Within a game, the server alternates sides after every point, starting on the right. See the serve guide for the full rules.

Common scoring questions

Is it "love" or "zero"?

In a normal game, love. In a tie-break, numbers are used, so zero.

Can you choose golden point in a friendly game?

Yes. The rulebook lists it as a standard option. Agree before you start.

Does padel use a let on serve?

Yes. A serve that clips the net and lands in the correct box is replayed, unless it then hits the mesh fence before bouncing twice, which is a fault. My rules page covers lets in full.

What does "40-40" mean in padel?

It is deuce, the same as tennis. Some people also call the golden point "punto de oro", from the Spanish. See the padel glossary for more terms.