Rule 4: choice of ends and service
Source: FIP rulebook, revision 01.01.2026.
How are ends and the first serve decided in padel?
-
The choice of ends and the right to serve or receive in the first game is decided by a toss. The winning pair may choose between:
- a) To serve or receive (the other pair chooses the end)
- b) The end (the other pair chooses the right to serve or receive)
- c) To ask the opponents to choose first
-
Once the serving order and ends have been decided, both pairs tell the referee who will be the first server and the first receiver.
Worked examples
Whoever wins the toss picks one thing only, and the opponents take the other:
| You choose | They choose |
|---|---|
| To serve or receive | The end |
| The end | Whether to serve or receive |
| To let them choose first | Whatever they prefer, and you take what is left |
That third option is not a curiosity. It is used when it is unclear which end is worse — sun in your eyes, wind, a wall that reflects — and you would rather see which way the opponents lean before deciding.
What the toss does not decide is which member of the pair serves first: each pair settles that on its own and tells the referee, along with the receiving order.