The coin toss fixes the first choices before the courtesy rally.

How to handle the pre-match sequence

1. Confirm the match format and any tournament procedure for reporting to court, introductions, balls, and umpire instructions.
2. Decide ends, first server, and first receiver by coin toss before the match starts.
3. Let the toss-winning pair choose one legal option: serve or receive first, choose the starting side, or require the opponents to choose first.
4. Give the other pair the remaining linked choice, such as the starting side if the toss winner chooses to serve.
5. Tell the umpire which player will serve first and which player will receive first.
6. Complete the 3-minute courtesy rally, then start the match with the first service.

What the coin toss decides

The toss decides the opening conditions for the match: the side or end of the court, which pair serves first, and which pair receives first. It does not decide a point, give the toss winner every preference, or allow a pair to wait until after the warm-up to choose based on how the court feels.

Padel treats the choices as linked. If one pair chooses service, the other pair chooses side. If one pair chooses side, the other pair chooses whether to serve or receive first.

The three legal toss options

• Choose to serve or receive first: the opponents then choose the side of the court for the first game.
• Choose the starting side: the opponents then choose whether to serve or receive first.
• Make the opponents choose first: the opponents pick one of those categories, and the toss-winning pair gets the remaining linked choice.

The padel warm-up is a 3-minute courtesy rally

The standard FIP rule calls for an obligatory 3-minute courtesy rally between the players. This is the normal pre-match warm-up period. It lets both pairs hit balls, check the bounce, adjust to the glass, and prepare for the first game.

The courtesy rally is still part of the controlled match procedure. Players should not use it as an open-ended practice session, a tactical timeout, or a way to delay the start once the official is ready to begin.

Why the toss should be settled first

Serving first, receiving first, and starting side can matter because outdoor padel may involve sun, wind, shadows, or differences in wall visibility. The rules settle those choices by toss so both pairs know the first-game conditions before they finish warming up.

If the toss were delayed until after the courtesy rally, one pair could gain extra information before choosing. The clean approach is to toss, record the linked choices, warm up, and then begin from the agreed positions.

Teams still name the first server and receiver

After the service and side choices are made, both pairs tell the umpire which player will serve first and which player will receive first. This matters because padel is normally doubles, and the pair that has the service choice still has to identify the partner who starts the service order.

The receiving pair also identifies the player who will receive the first service. For the service pattern after play begins, see padel doubles positioning and rotation and padel serve rules and faults.

The match begins with the first serve

The warm-up comes before the match begins. Under the timing rule, the match is continuous from the moment it begins with the first service until it finishes.

Once the first serve is played, ordinary timing limits apply: a maximum of 20 seconds between points, 90 seconds on normal changeovers, and 120 seconds at the end of a set. For the side-change schedule, see padel change of ends and rest period rules.

Warm-up after a suspended match

If a match is suspended because of rain, lack of light, an accident, or another outside reason, the restart warm-up depends on the length of the suspension.

• Up to 5 minutes: no warm-up.
• More than 5 minutes and up to 20 minutes: 1 minute of warm-up.
• More than 20 minutes: 3 minutes of warm-up.

The match then resumes from the same score, server, court positions, and order of serve and return. The interruption does not create a new toss or restart the match.

What people often get wrong

• "The toss winner can choose everything" is wrong. Choosing service gives the other pair the side choice; choosing side gives the other pair the serve-or-receive choice.
• "The warm-up decides who serves first" is wrong. The toss and linked choices decide the opening service and side.
• "Padel uses the same 5-minute warm-up as tennis" is not the FIP padel rule. The standard padel rule is a 3-minute courtesy rally.
• "A suspension means a new coin toss" is wrong. The match resumes from where it stopped, with only the rule-based restart warm-up if the suspension was long enough.
• "Either receiver can take the first serve" is incomplete. The receiving pair must identify the first receiver before play starts.

How officials enforce it

Officials make sure the pre-match toss is completed, the linked choices are clear, the first server and receiver are identified, and the courtesy rally stays within the allowed time. If players disagree, the official usually brings the dispute back to the permitted toss choices rather than treating it as a tactical negotiation.

Officials also enforce continuous play after the first service. Delays beyond the permitted times can lead to time-violation penalties, and players may not leave the playing area during the match or warm-up without umpire authorization.

How the choices play out

• Toss winner chooses to serve: the opponents choose which side they start on.
• Toss winner chooses the shaded end: the opponents choose whether they will serve or receive first.
• Toss winner makes the opponents choose: if the opponents choose to receive, the toss-winning pair chooses the starting side.
• Rain stops the match for 12 minutes: players get a 1-minute restart warm-up, then resume from the same score and order.
• Rain stops the match for 25 minutes: players get a 3-minute restart warm-up, but there is still no new toss.

Source material

• International Padel Federation documentation
• FIP Rules of Padel
• LTA padel rules and guidance