Padel serve rules: bounce, contact height, glass and fence

A legal padel serve is hit underarm after a bounce, at or below waist height, into the diagonally opposite service box. You get two attempts. After landing in the correct box, the ball may hit the glass—but touching the metal fence before its second ground bounce makes the serve a fault. These are the key distinctions in the FIP rules effective 1 January 2026.

If you come from tennis, keep the diagonal target and second serve. Replace the overhead toss with a bounce-and-hit action, and remember that glass contact does not automatically end the point.

How to serve legally

Use this checklist before trying to add speed or spin:

1. Set up behind the service line. This is the line parallel to the net, not the back glass. Stand between the imaginary extension of the centre service line and the side wall. Keep at least one foot behind the service line throughout the service action. For a simple beginner setup, put both feet comfortably behind it.
2. Keep your feet off the lines. Neither foot may touch the service line or the imaginary centre-line extension.
3. Bounce the ball in your serving area. Keep the bounce behind the service line and on your correct half. Under the 2026 wording, the ball must not cross the service line or the imaginary centre-line extension before you strike it. Do not bounce legally and then reach over the line to make contact.
4. Hit at or below your waist. The limit applies to the ball’s height at contact—not the height from which you release it. At least one foot must be touching the ground when you hit.
5. Send it diagonally into the opposite service box. Start each game on the right-hand side, then alternate serving sides after each point. A bounce on a line bounding the correct receiving box counts as in.
6. Wait until the receiver is ready. An intentional swing that misses the ball counts as a service attempt; it is not a free rehearsal.

These requirements come from FIP Rules 6 and 7. For a repeatable action, release the ball beside you and use a compact swing rather than chasing a high bounce.

Glass versus fence: what happens after the bounce?

Watch the first ground bounce, then what the ball touches before bounce two. For a serve that clears the net without touching it, these are the common decisions:

Serve sequence	Decision
Correct service box → side or back glass	Legal, provided it does not then touch the fence before bounce two; receiver can play the rebound
Correct service box → metal fence before second ground bounce	Fault
Correct service box → glass → metal fence before second ground bounce	Still a fault
Opponents’ glass or fence before any ground bounce	Fault
First bounce outside the correct service box	Fault
Correct service box → second ground bounce, with no return or earlier fault	Server wins the point

The fence restriction applies to the serve, not an ordinary rally shot. The LTA’s serving guide confirms that either side or back glass is playable after a correct service bounce. FIP Rules 7 and 12 make fence contact before the second bounce a service fault and count both the metal mesh and its frame as fence.

The receiver must let the serve bounce. They may return it directly after that bounce or wait for the glass rebound, but must hit before the second ground bounce. There is no volley return of serve. See FIP Rule 8.

Second serves and net lets

A first-service fault gives you a second serve from the same side. Two faults lose the point.

If the serve clips the net or supporting post, lands in the correct service box and does not touch the metal fence before its second bounce, it is a let: repeat that serve. A first-serve let leaves you with two attempts; a second-serve let repeats only the second serve. Net contact followed by a bounce outside the correct box—or fence contact before bounce two—is a fault, not a let. A serve delivered before the receiver is ready is also repeated, but the receiver cannot claim to be unready after attempting a return. See FIP Rules 6 and 9.

Try one complete point sequence

Start on the right. Bounce behind the line, strike below your waist and aim diagonally with room inside the service-box lines. Your first serve lands correctly but hits the fence: first fault. Stay on the right for your second attempt. It clears the net, lands correctly and rebounds off the side glass: live ball. The receiver returns before bounce two, and the rally continues. Once that point ends, serve the next point from the left.

For practice, serve five balls from each side with a partner checking your feet, contact height and bounce sequence. Your checkpoint is a legal, repeatable action—not maximum pace. Then build placement and movement with the beginner serving drills.