Rule 7: service fault
Source: FIP rulebook, revision 01.01.2026.
When is the serve a fault in padel?
The service is deemed a fault in the following cases:
- a) The server breaches the provisions of Rule 6, points 1 to 6 (incorrect position, ball above waist height, foot in the wrong zone, and so on)
- b) The server misses the ball completely when attempting to strike it
- c) The ball bounces outside the receiving service box (the lines are good, that is, if it touches the line it is valid)
- d) The ball strikes the server, their partner, or any object they are carrying
- e) The ball bounces in the correct receiving box but touches the metal mesh before the second bounce
- f) The ball bounces in the opposite receiving box and goes straight out through the doorway on a court with no safety zone
If the first serve is a fault, a second serve is allowed. If the second serve is also a fault, the point is lost.