Padel scoring rules explained for beginners

27 June 2026

Padel’s scoring system is nearly identical to tennis, which makes it simple if you already know tennis - and not particularly hard even if you don’t.

Points within a game

Points are counted as 0 (“love”), 15, 30, 40, and then game. If the score reaches 40-40, it’s called “deuce,” and a team must then win two points in a row to take the game.

Games and sets

A set is won by the team that reaches six games first, but you need to win by at least a two-game margin. At 5-5 play continues to 7-5, and at 6-6 a tiebreak is usually played to decide the set.

Tiebreak

A tiebreak is played to seven points (with at least a two-point margin). Whoever won the previous game serves first in the tiebreak, then the serve switches every two points.

How many sets do you play?

Most matches, both at recreational and competitive level, are played as best-of-three sets. The team that wins two sets wins the match.

Serve rules that differ from tennis

• The serve is hit underhand, and the ball must bounce once before you hit it.
• You serve diagonally, just like in tennis, and get one serve per point (no “second serve”).
• The ball must bounce in the receiver’s service box before being hit, and it can’t touch the net’s glass walls before bouncing.

Common misconceptions

Many new players assume the glass walls change the rules somehow - they don’t. The walls and net are part of the court just like the floor, and the ball is allowed to bounce off them as long as it first bounced on the correct side of the net. What actually differs from tennis, rules-wise, is the serve (underhand) and the fact that the court is smaller and enclosed.

Summary

Learn the point order (15-30-40-game), remember that six games with a two-game margin wins a set, and that most matches are decided best-of-three. You’ll pick up the rest of the rules fastest by just starting to play.