Padel Wall Rules Explained: Which Walls You Can Use and When

The basic idea

Quick take. After the ball bounces on your side, it may hit your walls and mesh before you return it, as long as it hasn't bounced twice on the floor. You can also play it against your own wall to send it over. But your shot must land on the floor on the other side before touching their walls or mesh, and you must not hit your own mesh.

These rules come from the International Padel Federation and are what clubs in Bangkok play to.

Receiving: the walls are your friend

When the ball comes over and bounces on your side, it is live until it bounces on the floor a second time. In between, it can hit your back glass, side glass or mesh, even several times. That is why you can wait for the ball to come off the glass, as in our back glass guide.

Hitting: three rules

1. Land it on the floor first. Your shot must bounce on the floor of the opponents' court. If it hits their wall or mesh directly, you lose the point.
2. You may use your own wall. You can play the ball against your own glass so that it rebounds over the net, a handy escape when you are pinned in the corner.
3. Not your own mesh. Hitting the mesh on your own side with your shot loses the point.

The serve is different

On the serve, the ball must bounce in the correct service box. If it then hits the mesh before the second bounce, it is a fault; it may hit the glass. Details in our serve guide.

When the ball leaves the court

• Over the back wall after a correct bounce: the point goes to the hitter, because the opponent failed to return it. That is how the por tres wins.
• Over the side wall or through a door: on courts where play outside is allowed (with enough safe space outside), players may run out and return the ball. Otherwise the ball is lost when it bounces outside or touches anything that isn't part of the court.

Roof and lights

On covered courts, a ball that hits the ceiling or lights after a correct bounce is treated as a good shot under the federation rules. Check your club's local rules, as some indoor courts in Bangkok have their own.

Got a rules question from your last match? Ask the Bangkok Padel Community on Facebook, or read court dimensions explained to picture the walls.

Sources

• Rules of Padel (International Padel Federation)