A player may chase outside only on a court approved for out-of-court play.

The rule and version used here

This page applies the International Padel Federation Rules of Padel, edition marked “Review of application 01.01.2026.” FIP is the international governing body. The main provisions are the Court section, “Safety Area & Out-of-Court Play,” and Rules 7, 12, 13, 14 and 16.

FIP's rule is a baseline, not proof that every club or competition court permits the play. The installation must satisfy the safety conditions; an event's regulations can add stricter venue requirements. Confirm the court status before the match rather than treating an open doorway as permission.

The ball leaving the enclosure does not always end the point

FIP Rule 12 says a valid service starts the live ball and the ball remains in play until a let is called or the point is decided. After a rally ball bounces in the opponents' court, contact with the inside walls, fence, net or net posts does not by itself end play; the ball may be returned before its second bounce.

Out-of-court play extends that principle only in defined side-exit situations. It does not turn all space around the court into a playing area and does not remove the normal requirement for the shot to have bounced correctly first.

What an authorized court must provide

Under the FIP 2026 Court specifications, outside play requires two access points on each side. Outside the court there must be a clear area at least:

• 3 metres wide, with 4 metres recommended;
• 4 metres long on each side of the centre access area (8 metres overall along the sideline); and
• 3 metres high.

The access must be cushioned on its two lateral sides and upper side, and the net post must be protected, with firmly attached padding at least 2 cm thick. A light pole inside this safety area expressly prevents out-of-court play. Benches, bags, spectators and movable equipment should not occupy the required clear zone.

On a non-authorized court, crossing the perimeter ends the point

FIP Rule 13(d) applies when outside play is not authorized. Once a ball has bounced correctly and then goes over the marked outer limit—at the side or end—or through a gate, the defending pair loses the point. A player cannot preserve the rally by running out after it.

A side exit can stay live until the next ending event

On an authorized court, Rule 13(e) keeps a ball chaseable after it bounces correctly and exits through a door or over a side wall. The defending pair loses the point when either of these happens first:

• the ball bounces for the second time; or
• the ball touches an element unrelated to the court.

The bounce inside the court is the first bounce, so a bounce on the floor outside is already the second and ends the point. Contact with an unrelated outside object also ends it without waiting for that bounce. The player therefore has to strike the ball while it is still airborne outside.

An end-wall exit is immediately different

Rule 13(e) separately states that the pair loses the point when the ball, after a correct bounce, goes out over the end wall. Authorization does not create a chase around the back of the court.

This is the important distinction behind two common informal labels. A shot called an “x3” usually exits over a 3-metre side section and may be chased on an authorized court. An “x4” usually clears the 4-metre end enclosure and ends the point. Those labels are player shorthand, not terms used by FIP in Rule 13; the actual ruling follows the route of exit.

Being outside is an exception, not a general right

Rule 13(p) normally makes a player lose the point if, when hitting the ball, one or both feet—or any other part of the body—is outside that player's own court. The express exception is authorized out-of-court play. This is why the same airborne rescue is legal at one venue and a lost point at another.

The exception concerns playing a live ball through the court access. It does not excuse touching the net, the ordinary net posts, tension cable or opponents' court while the ball is live.

One narrow contact exception applies above 0.92 metres

FIP Rule 13(a) normally awards the point against a player who touches the net, net posts, cable or opponents' court during play. Rule 13(b) then creates a precise exception on an authorized outside-play court: the dividing vertical post in the doors is a neutral zone above 0.92 metres, and any player may touch or hold it there.

That wording does not make the whole net-post assembly neutral. Contact at or below the stated height, or with the net, cable or an ordinary post, remains governed by the normal lost-point rule.

The outside shot must still satisfy Rule 14

Rule 14(j) says a ball struck from outside is a correct return only if the other correct-return requirements are met. In practical terms, the player must use the racket and send the ball so that it bounces in the opponents' court before directly striking their wall, fence or another unrelated object. A path around the outside of the net post can be valid if the ball reaches and bounces in the opponents' court.

The return may touch the net or net post and then land correctly. The player still loses the point for a prohibited double hit, hitting with a thrown racket, the ball touching the striker or partner after the shot, or illegal contact with the net or opponents' court.

Court authorization changes this service ruling too

FIP Rule 7(f) calls a service fault when the ball lands in the correct service box and then exits directly through a gate on a court without a safety zone and with no outside play authorized. On an authorized court, that specific gate-exit fault does not apply: the receiver can chase the ball and must return it before the second bounce or outside-object contact.

This does not alter Rule 7(e). If the served ball bounces in the correct box and then touches the metallic fence before its second bounce, the serve is a fault whether or not outside play is authorized.

A smash clears the side wall

Situation: on a court meeting the FIP 2026 safety conditions, Blue's smash bounces in Red's court and clears the side enclosure. Red runs through the access and strikes it before it touches the outside floor or any unrelated object.

FIP 2026 ruling: the rally continues if Red's return otherwise meets Rule 14. The decisive facts are that outside play is authorized, the exit was at the side rather than the end, and Red played it before the second bounce.

The same chase on a cramped club court

Situation: a ball bounces correctly and leaves through a gate, but the court has only one access on each side and benches sit in the outside space.

FIP 2026 ruling: outside play is not authorized under the stated facility conditions, so Rule 13(d) ends the point when the ball leaves. The player's ability to reach the ball does not cure the court failure.

The ball hits a camera before the rescue

Situation: the side exit is authorized, but the ball touches an outside camera support before the defender can strike it.

FIP 2026 ruling: the defending pair loses the point under Rule 13(e). The outside object unrelated to the court ends the rally even though the ball has not bounced again.

A player holds the doorway divider

Situation: while making a legal outside chase, Red grips the dividing vertical doorway post 1 metre above the playing surface.

FIP 2026 ruling: play continues. On an authorized court, Rule 13(b) treats that post as neutral above 0.92 metres. Gripping the net, cable or ordinary net post would instead lose the point.

How to rule an escaping ball

1. Confirm authorization. Does the court meet the FIP access, clear-space, height and padding conditions?
2. Confirm the first bounce. Did the shot or serve first bounce legally in the receiving court?
3. Identify the exit. No authorization means any perimeter or gate exit ends the point. With authorization, an end-wall exit ends it; a side-wall or doorway exit can remain live.
4. Track the next contact. A second bounce or an unrelated outside object ends the chance to return.
5. Check player contact. Apply the narrow doorway-divider exception above 0.92 metres; keep the ordinary net and opponents'-court prohibitions.
6. Judge the return. The outside shot must satisfy Rule 14 like any other return.

The professional tour imposes a stronger venue requirement

The Premier Padel Official Rulebooks, Version 2026/2, applicable 1 June 2026, require every main-draw court to allow outside play. Section 11.6(A)(ii)(g) requires a completely clear safety area at least 3 metres wide, 8 metres long and 3 metres high; 4 metres of width is recommended for main courts. FIP may approve other measurements only if the FIP game rules are still satisfied.

The tour also requires padding at the accesses and net post, a non-slip safety-zone surface, and no camera or microphone cabling through the zone. That explains why outside chases seen on Premier Padel broadcasts should not be assumed legal or safe on every local court.

Premier Padel can review a disputed ending

Where Premier Padel's FIP-approved VAR system is in use, a pair may request review after a final strike or stop play immediately to challenge a ruling. Under Version 2026/2, VAR is required on the centre court during the main draw at Majors and P1 events and recommended at P2 events. A late or unreasonable request can be refused, and the original call stands if the review cannot decide it.

This is a competition procedure, not part of the basic right to leave the court. At matches without VAR, the appointed official judges the bounce, route of exit and contacts in real time.

Claims that lead to the wrong ruling

• “An open gate makes outside play legal.” The complete FIP facility test must be met.
• “Every ball that leaves the enclosure is dead.” A side or doorway exit can stay live on an authorized court.
• “Outside authorization also saves a ball over the back.” FIP separately ends the point for an end-wall exit.
• “The defender gets one bounce outside.” The in-court bounce was already the first; the outside-floor bounce is the second.
• “Anything can be used for balance while chasing.” Only the specified doorway-divider zone above 0.92 metres is neutral.
• “A serve through the door is always a fault.” Rule 7(f) ties that fault to a court without a safety zone and without authorized outside play.

Governing-body sources and effective versions

• International Padel Federation — Rules of Padel, edition marked “Review of application 01.01.2026”: Court safety area; Rules 7 and 12–16
• Premier Padel/FIP — Official Rulebook, Men's Tournaments, Version 2026/2, applicable 1 June 2026: sections 11.6 and 13
• Premier Padel/FIP — Official Rulebook, Women's Tournaments, Version 2026/2, applicable 1 June 2026: sections 11.6 and 13

Checked on 27 August 2026 against the current Rules of Padel linked by FIP and the current Premier Padel men's and women's rulebooks. The FIP rules are the international baseline; national federations, local competitions and venue operators may impose additional safety or court-approval requirements.