What are the Rules of Padel?

Padel is a racquet sport that combines elements of tennis and squash and is typically played in doubles on an enclosed court smaller than a tennis court. Here are the basic rules:

Scoring:

Padel is typically played in sets, with each set being first to six games. If the score reaches 5-5, a tiebreaker game is played to decide the set. The tiebreaker is usually first to seven points, with a margin of two points required to win.

Service:

Like tennis, the game starts with a serve. The server must stand behind the baseline and within the service box, diagonally opposite from where the receiver stands. The serve must be underhand and hit below the waist.

Scoring in Service:

The server gets two attempts to make a legal serve. If the serve hits the net and lands in the correct service box, it's called a "let" and the server gets another try.

Service Box:

The service must be hit into the opposite diagonal service box. The ball must bounce once in the opponent's service box before they can return it.

Return:

After the serve, the ball must bounce once on the receiver's side before being returned. The ball can then be hit before or after it bounces, and it can hit any part of the court, including the walls.

Double Bounce Rule:

Both teams must allow the ball to bounce once on each side before hitting it. After that, the ball can be played without bouncing, similar to squash.

Court Boundaries:

The court is surrounded by walls, and any ball hit off these walls is still in play as long as it first bounces on the opponent's side. However, if the ball goes out of the court without bouncing, the point is lost.

Faults:

Faults include not hitting the ball into the opponent's service box, hitting the ball out of bounds without it bouncing, or failing to allow the ball to bounce once on each side before hitting it.

Let:

If a point is interrupted due to some external interference (like a ball from another court rolling onto the court), it's replayed.

Players Movement:

Players can move freely around the court but must avoid hindering their opponents.

These are the basic rules of padel, but like any sport, there may be additional regulations or variations depending on where and how it's played.