How to play
Who serves in padel, and from which side?
One player serves a whole game, and the serve moves to the other pair after every game. Every game starts from the right. Then sides swap after every point: if the points played in the game add up to an even number, serve from the right; odd, from the left.
"Whose serve is it?" and "Which side?" are the two questions padel players ask most. The rules are simple once you see the pattern.
The serve in brief
- Bounce the ball behind the service line, then hit it at or below waist height.
- Serve diagonally into the opposite service box.
- You get two attempts, as in tennis.
Who serves each game
One player serves for the whole game. After each game the serve passes to the other pair, so with players A1 and A2 against B1 and B2 the order runs:
A1, B1, A2, B2, then back to A1.
At the start of each set, each pair can decide which of its two players serves first.
Which side to serve from
Every game starts with a serve from the right side. After every point, the server moves to the other side: right, left, right, left.
The quick rule: add up the points played in this game.
| Score | Points played | Serve from |
|---|---|---|
| 0–0 | 0 | Right |
| 15–0 | 1 | Left |
| 15–15 or 30–0 | 2 | Right |
| 30–15 | 3 | Left |
| 40–40 | 6 | Right |
Even number: right. Odd number: left.
Golden point and star point
On a deciding point, the receiving pair chooses who receives. The server then serves to that player's box, so the side can differ from the usual pattern.
Serving in a tie-break
The player whose turn it is serves the first point, from the right. After that, each player serves two points in a row, in the same order as the games, starting from the left. The even and odd rule still works: even total points, right; odd, left.
Pairs change ends after every six points in a tie-break. In normal games, they change ends after the first game and then after every second game (when the total number of games played is odd).
Let your watch remember
PadelWin keeps track of all this for you. Tell it who serves first when you start a match on your Apple Watch, and it shows the serving pair and an R or L badge on every point, with ⇄ on deciding points. Serve tracking is part of the free plan.