Golden point, tie-breaks and playing outside the court
The deciding-point rule that changed padel, how tie-breaks work, and when you are allowed to chase a ball out through the door.
Panoramica
Padel uses tennis scoring with a few twists. Most players know that a game is won in points of 15, 30 and 40, and that a set is won at six games with a two-game margin. What causes debate is the golden point, the tie-break and the rules on playing a ball that has left the court. Here is the full picture.
Scoring basics
Points run 15, 30, 40 and game. At 40-all, sometimes called deuce, the game is decided in one of two ways depending on the competition format.
Advantage scoring. As in tennis, a team must win two consecutive points from deuce. The game can, in theory, continue indefinitely.
Golden point. At 40-all, a single deciding point is played. The receiving team chooses which of its two players receives the serve, and the winner of that point wins the game.
The golden point became standard on the professional circuit and is now very common in amateur competitions. It shortens matches, rewards nerve and adds a moment of real drama to every deuce. Some competitions have experimented with hybrid systems, playing one or two advantages before reverting to a deciding point. Always check the format before the match starts.
Sets and tie-breaks
A set is won by the first team to reach six games with a margin of at least two. At five-all, the set continues to seven-five. At six-all, a tie-break is played.
In the tie-break:
The team due to serve serves the first point from the right side.
Service then passes to the other team, who serve two points, starting from the left side.
Service then alternates every two points.
Teams change ends after every six points.
The first team to seven points with a margin of two wins the tie-break and the set.
Most matches are best of three sets. In some amateur and social competitions, the third set is replaced by a match tie-break, played to ten points with a margin of two.
Changing ends
Teams change ends after the first game of each set and then after every two games. In a tie-break, they change after every six points. This ensures that both teams play with and against the wind and sun.
Playing outside the court
One of padel's most spectacular features is the ability to chase the ball outside the court. This is only allowed when the court has openings in the side walls and the regulations of the competition permit it.
The rule works like this. If your opponents' shot bounces correctly in your court and then leaves the court, either over the walls or through the side doors, you may run out of the court and play the ball before it bounces a second time. Your return must then cross back into the opponents' court and bounce there.
Points to remember:
The ball must have bounced first in your court. You cannot leave the court to play a ball that has not bounced.
You can return the ball from outside, sending it back over the walls or through the door.
Your opponents cannot interfere with you while you are outside.
If the court has no exits or the competition does not allow outside play, a ball that leaves the court after a correct bounce is a winner for the team that hit it.
The por tres and por cuatro
These two terms describe smashes that leave the court. A smash por tres bounces in the opponents' court and goes out over the side or back walls. A smash por cuatro bounces and comes back over the net to the hitter's side. Both are winners unless the defenders can chase the ball outside, where that is allowed.
Knowing these rules means fewer arguments and better tactical decisions. It also makes you a much better partner when the match gets tight.