Most rally faults cost the point immediately; a first service fault does not.

The ruleset used on this page

This page applies the FIP Rules of Padel, revision applicable 1 January 2026, principally Rules 6–16. FIP is the international governing body and describes these as the rules of the game.

The playing rules supply the international baseline. A national federation, league or tournament may add competition procedures—for example, whether the court is approved for out-of-court play or whether electronic review is available. Those procedures should not be assumed from an ordinary club court. A current Premier Padel review variation is identified below.

Fault, lost point and let are not interchangeable

• First service fault: the server takes a second service (Rule 6). It is not yet a point for the receivers.
• Second consecutive service fault: the serving pair loses the point (Rule 13(q)).
• Rally breach: a listed Rule 13 event decides the point against the offending pair.
• Let: the point or service is replayed under Rules 9–10; no pair wins that exchange.
• Interference: deliberate interference awards the point to the opponents, while first involuntary interference produces a let (Rule 11).

How to decide a disputed exchange

1. Was the service valid? If not, count first or second service and check whether a service let applies.
2. Was the ball still in play? Under Rule 12, it remains live from a valid service until a let is called or the score is decided.
3. Count floor bounces. Wall or fence contact after the first bounce does not start the count again.
4. Trace the return in order. Identify what the ball hit on the striker's side, whether it crossed the net, and its first contact on the opponents' side.
5. Check players and equipment. Net, body, partner, double-hit, racket and court-position rules can decide the point even if the ball otherwise lands in.
6. Apply the court authorization. Out-of-court play changes when a ball leaving through the side or gate becomes dead.
7. Check for a let or interference ruling. Do not turn an ordinary lost-point breach into a replay.

The return must come before the second floor bounce

Rule 12 permits the ball to hit the inside walls or metallic fence after it has bounced in the opponents' court. The receiving pair must still return it before its second bounce on the ground. A sequence of floor, back glass, side glass and then racket can therefore be legal; floor, back glass, second floor bounce cannot.

This is a floor-bounce count, not a total-contact count. The enclosure is part of normal play after the first legal bounce, but it never grants a fresh bounce.

The opponents' floor must come before their wall or fence

Under Rule 13(g)–(h), a return loses the point if it reaches the opponents' wall, metallic fence or another non-court object before bouncing in their court. That remains true when the return first rebounds from the striker's own wall or clips the net on its way across.

Rule 14 makes the other sequence legal: the ball may go directly to the opponents' court, or first rebound from the striker's own wall and then bounce in the opponents' court. After that legal bounce it may hit the opponents' wall or fence, leave the court, or hit a ceiling or light. The order of contacts is decisive.

Own glass can help; own floor and fence cannot

A player may return the ball off a wall on their own side, provided it then bounces in the opponents' court (Rule 14(b)). By contrast, Rule 13(l) makes the pair lose the point if, after being hit, the ball touches the metallic fence, any ground on the striker's own side, or an unrelated object on the ground there.

“Use the wall” therefore does not mean every part of the enclosure is usable in the same way. The FIP text specifically permits the own wall and specifically disallows the own metallic fence.

Contact must occur after the ball has crossed

Rule 13(f) makes a player lose the point for hitting the ball before it has gone over the net. There is an important exception in sequence, not in the rule: if a legal shot first bounces in the opponents' court and spins or blows back over the net, an opponent may reach across and hit it because the ball has already crossed. Rule 14(g) recognizes that return.

The reaching player still may not touch the net, its posts or the other court while the ball is live. The location of the ball at contact decides whether the strike was premature; the racket finishing across the plane does not by itself answer that question.

Accidental net contact still loses the point

Rule 13(a) applies while the ball is in play. If either player, either racket, or anything worn or carried touches the net, net posts, tension cable or any part of the opponents' court, that pair loses the point. The rule does not require the touch to affect the shot.

There is one narrow court-specific exception. With authorized out-of-court play, Rule 13(b) treats the dividing vertical post at a door as neutral above 0.92 metres; any of the four players may touch or hold that neutral section. That does not make the net post or the remainder of the opponents' court neutral.

The ball cannot be rescued after hitting a player

A pair loses the point if an opponent's shot touches either player or their equipment other than the racket (Rule 13(k)). It also loses the point if, after one of its players strikes the ball, the ball then touches that player, the partner, or anything either is wearing (Rule 13(j)).

Intent is irrelevant to these contact rules. A ball that clips a shoe, hand or loose item of clothing is not kept alive by a later racket return.

One pair, one player, one legal stroke

Rule 13(i) and (o) prohibit a player hitting twice and prohibit both partners hitting the ball simultaneously or consecutively. If both swing but only one hits the ball, there is no partner double hit. FIP also says it is not a double hit when one player hits the ball and the other, while attempting the same shot, hits only the teammate's racket.

Rule 14(h) preserves a narrow continuous-stroke ruling: the return is correct when the player has not hit twice, the impact occurs during the same movement, and the ball's natural exit does not vary substantially. This is not permission to catch, carry or make a second swing; all three conditions must be satisfied.

Drops, throws and illegal court position end the point

• Hitting the ball with a racket thrown at it loses the point (Rule 13(m)).
• Breaking the safety cord or dropping the racket during the point immediately loses the point in dispute (Rule 13(r)). FIP separately requires the non-elastic safety cord to be worn around the wrist.
• A player who hits while any foot or body part is outside their court loses the point unless out-of-court play is authorized (Rule 13(p)).
• Jumping over the net while the point is being played loses the point (Rule 13(n)).

Which serve errors are faults?

Rules 6–7 require the server to begin in the correct service area, bounce the ball there, keep at least one foot on the ground, and strike at or below waist level into the diagonal service box. The lines of the receiving box count as good. Missing the ball during an intentional attempt is also a service fault.

A service is also a fault if it hits the server, the partner or their carried equipment; if it bounces in the correct box and then hits the metallic fence before the second bounce; or if it exits directly through the gate of a court that has no safety zone and no authorized out-of-court play. One fault leaves one service. Two consecutive faults lose the point.

A net-cord serve is not always a fault

Under Rule 9, a served ball that touches the net or a supporting post and then lands in the correct service box is a “net” and is replayed, provided it does not touch the metallic fence before the second bounce. A serve made while the receiver was not ready is also replayed, but a receiver who attempted the return cannot then rely on being unready.

A let on the first service restarts the complete point with two services. A let on the second service repeats only that second service. These are replays, not erased faults from some later service sequence.

Authorization changes when the point ends

Rule 16 allows players to leave to play the ball only where the court meets FIP's safety-area conditions. Those conditions include two access points on each side and an unobstructed external area at least 3 metres wide, 4 metres long on each side and 3 metres high; internal light poles in that safety area prevent authorization.

• No authorized out-of-court play: after a correct bounce, the point ends when the ball goes over the marked outer limit or through a gate (Rule 13(d)).
• Authorized play, ball over the end wall: the pair trying to return it loses the point when it goes over that end wall (Rule 13(e)).
• Authorized play, ball over a sidewall or through a door: the chase may continue. The point is lost only when the ball bounces a second time or touches something unrelated to the court.

A player outside the court may make a legal return when authorization applies and the other Rule 14 conditions are met. Court construction alone should not be guessed; tournament authorization controls.

Unexpected interruption can replay the point

Rule 10 calls a let when the ball splits, an outside element invades the court, an unexpected situation unconnected to the players interrupts the match, or a loose object on the opponents' ground moves so that it could interfere or create danger. A player seeking a let must notify the umpire immediately. Continuing play gives up that request; if the umpire rejects the request, the requesting player loses the point.

Rule 11 deals separately with a player's action that puts off an opponent during a shot. Deliberate interference awards the point to the opponents. First involuntary interference replays the point, but a second involuntary interference by the same pair is penalized with loss of the point.

Some strange bounces win the point cleanly

Rule 15 says a pair wins the point when its return first bounces in the opponents' court and then goes through or becomes stuck in a hole in the metallic fence. The point is also won if the ball becomes stuck on the flat horizontal top of a wall after that bounce.

These are not lets. The legal first bounce and the specified final location make them point-winning outcomes.

Floor, glass, floor

Situation: Red's shot bounces in Blue's court, rebounds from the back glass and then lands on Blue's floor again before Blue reaches it.

FIP 2026 ruling: Blue loses the point under Rule 13(c). The glass contact did not reset the bounce count.

A smash spins back over the net

Situation: Red's smash bounces in Blue's court and spins back across the net. Blue reaches across, strikes the ball after it has returned across the plane, and touches neither net nor Red's court.

FIP 2026 ruling: Blue's return can be correct under Rule 14(g). The decisive fact is that the ball had already crossed before Blue struck it; Rule 13(f) prohibits contact before crossing.

Own glass versus own fence

Situation: on one rally Blue drives the ball off Blue's back glass and into Red's court. On the next, Blue's shot clips Blue's metallic side fence before crossing.

FIP 2026 ruling: the first return is legal under Rule 14(b); Blue loses the second point under Rule 13(l). The surface on Blue's side changes the answer.

The serve lands in, then reaches the fence

Situation: a serve lands on the receiving service-box line and then hits the metallic fence before its second bounce.

FIP 2026 ruling: service fault under Rule 7(e). The line made the first bounce good, but the later metallic-fence contact makes the service faulty. If it was the first service, the server has a second; if it was the second consecutive fault, the receivers win the point.

A teammate's racket is clipped

Situation: both Blue players swing. Blue 1 hits the ball; Blue 2 misses the ball but contacts Blue 1's racket during the attempt.

FIP 2026 ruling: this is not automatically a double hit. Rule 13(o)'s note distinguishes racket-to-racket contact from both partners contacting the ball.

Some professional calls can be reviewed

The FIP baseline does not promise electronic review at every match. Under the Premier Padel men's and women's Official Rulebooks, version 2026/2, applicable 1 June 2026, an FIP-approved VAR system is required on centre court for the main draw at Majors and P1 events and recommended on centre court for P2 main draws.

Section 13 gives each pair two incorrect requests per set. A request must follow a final strike or be made by stopping play immediately; an unreasonable or late request may be refused, and a late interruption judged deliberate interference can cost the requesting pair the point. A successful or unavailable review does not use a request. This is a Premier Padel procedure, not a general club-match rule.

Claims that miss the decisive detail

• “Any fault loses the point.” A first service fault normally leaves a second service.
• “The ball may bounce once after every wall.” Only floor bounces count, and the second ends the rally.
• “Glass and fence are interchangeable.” A return may use the striker's own wall, but not the own metallic fence.
• “Reaching over the net is always illegal.” The strike can be legal after the ball has first crossed and then returned over the net, provided the player avoids prohibited contact.
• “Accidental net contact is ignored.” Rule 13(a) contains no intent test.
• “Every outside interruption is a replay.” Player interference has deliberate, first-involuntary and repeat-involuntary outcomes.
• “If a court has open doors, outside play is allowed.” FIP safety conditions and competition authorization must be satisfied.

Governing-body sources and effective versions

• International Padel Federation — Rules of Padel, revision applicable 1 January 2026: court safety area and Rules 6–16
• International Padel Federation — current official documents index
• Premier Padel / FIP — Official Rulebook, Men's Tournaments, version 2026/2, applicable 1 June 2026: Sections 11.8 and 13
• Premier Padel / FIP — Official Rulebook, Women's Tournaments, version 2026/2, applicable 1 June 2026: Sections 11.8 and 13

Checked against the FIP playing rules applicable from 1 January 2026 and the Premier Padel rulebooks applicable from 1 June 2026. The FIP rules control the playing-law explanation; appointed competition regulations may supplement scoring, officiating, review and out-of-court authorization.