Padel serve rules and how to serve

The serve is the easiest shot in padel to learn and the one that new players most often get wrong on a technicality. These are the rules as written in the International Padel Federation (FIP) rulebook, Rules 6 to 9, current from 1 January 2026.

Where do you stand to serve?

Stand behind your own service line, between the centre line and the side wall. That is, behind the service box on your half. Your feet must not touch the service line or the imaginary extension of the centre line. Stay there until you have hit the ball.

The first point of every game is served from the right-hand side of the court. After each point the server swaps to the other side, so serves alternate right, left, right, left through the game.

What is the padel serve height rule?

At the moment you hit the ball, it must be at or below your waist, and you must have at least one foot on the ground. This is the rule people search for most, and it is why padel serves look so different from tennis. No overhead serves, and no jumping.

In social games, nobody measures your waist. If a serve looks like it was hit from shoulder height, expect your opponents to mention it.

Do you have to bounce the ball before serving?

Yes. The server must bounce the ball on the ground before hitting it. The bounce happens on your side, behind the service line. The ball cannot cross the service line or the centre line before you strike it.

Where does the serve have to land?

The serve must go diagonally over the net and bounce inside the receiver's service box. The lines count as in. Serving from the right side of your court, you aim for the box diagonally opposite you, the same as tennis.

Can the serve hit the glass?

Yes, after it bounces. Once the serve has landed in the correct box it can hit the back glass or side glass and stay in play. The receiver then has to return it before it bounces a second time.

It cannot hit the mesh fence. If the serve bounces in the box and then touches the metal fence before the second bounce, it is a fault. This catches out a lot of new players, because a serve angled wide into the side wall often reaches the mesh.

What counts as a service fault?

Under Rule 7 the serve is a fault if:

• you break any of the stance, bounce or height rules above
• you swing and miss the ball
• the ball bounces outside the correct service box
• the ball hits you or your partner
• the ball bounces in the box and then hits the mesh fence before bouncing again
• on courts with no out-of-court play, the ball bounces in the box and goes straight out through the door gap

Two faults in a row lose the point, the same as a double fault in tennis.

What happens if the serve hits the net?

A serve that touches the net or the net posts and then lands in the correct box is a "net" and you replay that serve. If it clips the net, lands in the box and then hits the mesh fence, it is a fault, not a let.

If a let happens on your first serve, you get two serves again. If it happens on your second serve, you only replay the second serve.

What are the receiver's rules?

• The receiver must let the serve bounce. No volleying the serve.
• If the serve hits the receiver or their partner before it bounces, the server wins the point.
• The receiving pair decides at the start of each set who receives on which side, and keeps that order for the whole set.
• The receiver should be ready when the server is ready. You cannot claim you were not ready after you have tried to return the ball.

Who serves, and in what order?

The four players take turns to serve, one game each. The pairs alternate: a player from pair A, then pair B, then A's partner, then B's partner. At the start of each set, each pair decides which partner serves first.

How should a beginner serve?

The rules allow a lot of variety, but most coaches start new players with a simple, consistent serve. A common approach:

1. Stand side-on, a step behind the service line.
2. Drop the ball beside you, slightly in front, and let it bounce.
3. Swing low to high with a relaxed arm, contacting the ball around hip height.
4. Aim deep into the box, towards the receiver's glass, so the ball comes off the back wall rather than the fence.
5. Move forward towards the net after the serve. The serving pair usually wants to take the net.

The serve in padel is not where you win most points. Its job is to start the rally without giving away free points, so first-serve percentage matters more than pace. A lesson with a qualified coach will help you more than any written tip.

Quick reference

For the rest of the rules see my full padel rules guide, and for who stands where after the serve, read doubles positioning.