The padel serve: rules, tips and serve success
In padel the serve rarely wins the point on its own — it starts it on your terms. A reliable first serve lets your team take the net; a double fault hands the point away. Here are the rules, the habits that make a serve dependable, and how to measure yours.
What makes a legal padel serve.
The padel serve is underarm and diagonal, like in tennis — but the details are different:
- 1 Bounce the ball behind the service line, then hit it at or below waist height
- 2 Keep at least one foot on the ground, between the centre line and the side wall of your half
- 3 The ball must land in the opponents' service box, diagonally opposite
- 4 After the bounce it may hit the back or side glass — if it hits the metal mesh first, it is a fault
- 5 Two serves per point; two faults in a row is a double fault
- 6 A serve that clips the net and lands in the box is a let and is played again
Four habits of a dependable serve.
Same routine every time
Same bounce, same stance, same swing. A fixed routine is what makes a first serve repeatable when the score is tight.
Placement over pace
Aim deep into the box and towards the glass or the receiver's backhand. A well-placed serve makes the return awkward; a fast one that misses gives the point away.
Add slice, not risk
A little slice keeps the ball low after the bounce. Change the spin and the target from point to point so the receiver cannot settle.
Follow it to the net
The serve is the start of the attack. Serve, then move forward with your partner so your team owns the net for the next shot.
Serve success: count it, don't guess it.
Most players remember the one ace and forget the six faults. The numbers remember both.
At a NetPlay court every point starts with up to two serves, and your match page shows how often each one landed in the box — counted from the video, separately for each side you served from. It lands on your phone about ten minutes after the last point, next to the recording, your clips and court maps.
- In on the 1st serve The first serve lands in the box.
- ✕ Saved by the 2nd The first misses, the second keeps the point alive.
- ✕ ✕ Double fault Both miss — the point is gone before the rally starts.
- ? Not clear on the video Left out of the count rather than guessed.
Each side is counted on its own, so you see whether you serve better from the right or from the left.
Practising the serve.
Serve in blocks: ten from the right, ten from the left, one target at a time. Count how many land in. When the count stays high, move the target closer to the glass or the backhand side.
Then check it where it counts — in a match. Compare your first-serve number from one session to the next, and look at the side that lets you down.
Serving, answered.
01 Is the padel serve underarm?
02 Can the serve hit the glass?
03 How many serves do you get in padel?
04 Does NetPlay track my serve?
Your next match, on your phone.
Scan the courtside QR at K9 Padel Court 1 in Riga, play, and your match pack lands on your phone about ten minutes after the last point.