If you’re not sure how to return a Padel service properly, you’ve come to the right place.
Here are the official FIP rules, straight from the guidebook, made easy to read just for you.
- The player who receives waits for the ball to bounce in their receiving box of service and hits it before it bounces on the ground for the second time.
- The receiving players in the first game of each set decide who is the first to receive; this player will continue receiving the first service of each game until the end of the set.
- Each player will receive serve alternatively during the game and once the order has been decided it may not be altered during that set or tie-break but may at the beginning of a new set.
- If the receiving order is changed by the receiving players, during a match or tie-break, they will have to continue in this manner until the end of the game or tie-break in which the mistake occurred.
In the following games of that set, the players will adopt the positions initially selected.
- If the ball hits one of the receiving players or their rackets while receiving a serve before it bounces it will be considered a point in favor of the server.
Bonus Questions
CASE 1
In the case of the old courts with vertical peaks in the join between the wall and the metallic fence i.e. the wall and the fence are not on the same plane, when the ball hits the “corner” or “ledge”, the service will only be considered valid if; After bouncing on the ground and hitting the mentioned “ledge”, the ball comes out at an angle in the direction of the receiver (the limit being the imaginary line that runs from the ledge to the other)
CASE 2
If the ball bounces twice within the receiver’s service box, even if between bounces it touches the wall, it is considered a point for the server.
CASE 3
The player receiving the ball may not play a volley even if they find themselves outside the service reception box.
Head to our online store for a variety of Padel Rackets fit for a strong professional grip as well as a beginner’s unsure grip. You can also find bouncy heavy Padel balls that last and do not go flat easily.
