Faults in padel

In padel every point ends with a mistake or a winner. These are the faults that lose you the point.

Faults during the point

1. Double bounce. The ball bounces twice on your side before you return it.
2. Into the net. Your shot does not clear the net.
3. Opponents’ wall without a bounce. Your shot hits the opponents’ wall, mesh or a post before bouncing on their floor.
4. Straight out. Your shot leaves the court without bouncing on the opponents’ side.
5. Hit by the ball. The ball touches either player of your pair or their clothes.
6. Touching the net. With the racket, your body or clothes, while the ball is in play.
7. Reaching over. Hitting the ball before it has crossed to your side, or stepping into the opponents’ half.
8. Double hit. Touching the ball twice in a row, or both players of the pair touching it.
9. Throwing the racket. Hitting the ball after letting go of the racket.
10. Stuck ball. If your shot bounces on the opponents’ side and gets stuck in their mesh, the point is yours; if they do it in your mesh, you lose it.

Faults on the serve

11. Double fault. Missing both serves: the ball bounces outside the box, you hit above the waist, you step on the line or the ball hits the mesh after the bounce. Every case in the serve rules.
12. Volleying the serve. The receiver must let the ball bounce.

Not a fault (even if it looks like one)

• The ball clipping the top of the net and going over during a rally.
• The ball hitting several walls on your side after the bounce.
• Leaving the court to chase a ball, on courts that allow it.
• The racket crossing the net after you have hit the ball on your side.