Changes to the rules of padel, by year
What changed in the official FIP rules of padel and when, from the star point onwards, with what each change means on court and where it comes from.
January 2026 clean-up of the 2026 rulebook: serve lines, mesh and delay penalties
Within weeks of publishing the 2026 rules, the FIP put up a second English copy with the same 01.01.2026 label and some reworded clauses. The server must now keep their feet off the service line, the imaginary centre line and their own side's receiving box until the ball is hit, and the mesh is described as square and electro-welded. The delay penalties now say the serving pair loses its first serve on a repeat offence, and the list of extra sanctions no longer mentions loss of games.
Star Point added as an official scoring option
The FIP General Assembly unanimously approved a new way to settle deuce games on 28 November 2025. At deuce the game goes to advantage up to twice; if both advantages are lost, one deciding Star Point is played, with the receiving pair choosing the side and the server facing a player of the same sex in mixed matches. It became Option 2 in Rule 1, and the golden point moved to Option 3; it was used from January 2026 on the CUPRA FIP Tour and from the Riyadh P1 on Premier Padel.
Warm-up cut from 5 minutes to 3
The compulsory courtesy rally before a match is now 3 minutes instead of 5. Warm-ups after a stoppage were cut too: 1 minute after a break of 5 to 20 minutes, and 3 minutes after a longer one. Players should expect to be ready to play sooner.
Serve: one foot behind the line, and the bounce must stay in the box
The server now needs only one foot behind the service line, between the centre line extension and the side wall, instead of both feet. The ball must be bounced inside the server's own box and may not cross the service line or the imaginary centre line before it is struck. The old clause banning walking, running or jumping during the serve was dropped, and the waist height rule is unchanged.
Broken safety cord or dropped racket loses the point
A new clause in Rule 13 says that if a player's wrist cord breaks or the racket slips out of their hand, their pair loses the point at once. Before, the rules only said the cord was compulsory, and a case note let play go on with a broken racket unless the cord had snapped. Keep the cord round your wrist and hold on to the racket.
Second accidental interference by the same pair loses the point
Accidental interference is still replayed as a let the first time. If the same pair causes a second accidental interference, the umpire now gives the point to the opponents. Deliberate interference still loses the point straight away.
Balls: any contrasting colour, and altitude balls from 1,000 m
Balls may now be white, yellow or any other colour that contrasts clearly with the court surface. The height above which a lower-bounce altitude ball may be used rose from 500 m to 1,000 m above sea level. Size, weight, bounce and pressure limits are unchanged.
Safety area for out-of-court play widened to 3 m
For out-of-court play to be allowed, the clear area outside each side entrance must now be at least 3 m wide, with 4 m recommended, instead of 2 m. The 4 m length and 3 m height are unchanged. Courts with only the old 2 m clearance no longer meet the standard for playing outside.
No food or drink between points
Rule 2 now says players may not eat or drink between points. In practice that leaves the 90 second change of ends and the set breaks for drinks and snacks.
Medical time and recovery after falls or being hit
Medical treatment is now allowed once per player for each treatable condition, rather than once per player in total. The list of non-game emergencies that can get up to 15 minutes now names fainting, allergic reactions, dizziness and breathing problems. A new clause lets the umpire give up to 5 minutes to recover from an unusual incident such as a fall or being hit by the ball, and the old line saying a bleeding player could not continue is gone.
Let when the ball hits a loose object that moves
A new let case was added: if the ball in play hits an object lying on the opponents' side, such as a spare ball, and that object moves in a way that could affect play or be dangerous, the point is replayed. Hitting a loose object is otherwise still a correct return.
Replacing a lost or damaged ball
Rule 17 now sets out how to replace a lost or damaged ball. Play never continues with only one ball; a ball lost in the first two games after a change is replaced with a new one, and after that with a used ball of similar wear. Before, the umpire only had to make sure the replacement matched the others, or change the whole set.
Coaching during breaks, coach penalties and time violation penalties
Accredited coaches may still give advice only during rest times, but the umpire now decides whether coaching is allowed during medical time-outs, outside interruptions, suspensions and toilet breaks. Coaches have their own penalty scale (warning, then removal from the match), and a new scale for time violations runs from a warning, to loss of a first serve or a point, to further point penalties.
Racket edge holes capped at 20 mm
Rackets must now follow the FIP racket homologation annex. Holes in the outer 4 cm of the face may still differ in shape from the 9 to 13 mm central holes, but may not be larger than 20 mm. Overall size limits are unchanged.
Court specifications: net band, mesh, entrances and clothing
The net's advertising band may be any colour, but the whole top band may not exceed 11 cm, nothing may be fixed to the net strings, and the strings may be painted. The mesh must now be welded, with a recommended wire of 2 to 3 mm instead of 1.6 to 3 mm, and the maximum widths of entrance openings went up to 2.20 m (one per side) and 1.10 m (two per side). The clothing rule no longer bans sleeveless shirts; only swimwear is ruled out.