Complete guide to scoring in padel

If you've made it here, you already know what padel is and how it's played. But to fully enjoy this sport and above all play in good spirits, it's essential to know how to keep score accurately. 

In this guide, we will dive into the basics of scoring in padel, explore handling deuce and tie-breaks, and look at practical examples of scoring situations. You'll even find out where this strange way of counting points comes from. 

The basics of scoring in padel

Scoring in padel follows a logic similar to tennis, especially if you are used to playing doubles tennis. To win a game, it is essential to accumulate at least four points, which are counted as follows:

• 0 when no points have been scored yet
• the first point won is called 15
• the second point: 30
• the third point: 40
• finally, the fourth point won means you have won the game

When announcing the score, it is essential to state the serving pair's points first. 

Trivia: This unusual scoring system has its origins in an ancestral sport, jeu de paume, considered the ancestor of tennis. Players competed on a rectangular court divided into two 60-foot-long halves separated by a net. Along this net, lines were marked and numbered 15, 30 and 40.

After winning a point, the player moved forward to the next line, getting closer to the net. These lines were spaced 15 feet (about 4.5 metres) apart. The 45 line, considered too close to the net, was moved back by 5 feet, giving rise to the peculiar 15, 30 and 40 count we know today.

Rules reminder: point won/point lost

To win a point in padel, the main goal is to make sure the ball bounces on the ground in the opponent's court without the opposing team being able to return it within the boundaries of the padel court.

Let us give you a brief reminder of the rules of padel regarding this. A team will lose the point in the following situations:

• If the server makes a fault on the second serve,
• If the ball bounces twice in the team's court,
• If a player hits the ball twice,
• If a player throws the racket to hit the ball (with the wrist strap mandatory),
• If a player jumps over the net,
• If the ball is hit in the opponent's court before it crosses the net,
• If either player, their padel racket, or any object belonging to them touches the net or its posts while the ball is in play,
• If both players touch the ball (even just once) before it crosses to the other side of the court,
• If the ball touches a player or any part of their equipment.

N.B.: Even though there are no official competitions for 1-on-1 padel, the rules are generally the same

Deuce and tie-breaks in padel

Deuce in a game

Deuce is a crucial moment in a padel match. Several rules can apply here:

The famous "deciding point" or Punto de Oro (golden point) is a rule sometimes used when the score reaches 40-40. The receiving pair chooses which side this deciding point will be played on, and the team that wins it takes the game directly. This rule has been the subject of debate in France, but it has found its place on the international stage and is used in WPT matches.

Other competitions opt for the Advantage rule. Here, you need to win two more points than your opponent to take the game. If you find yourselves at 40-40, the next point scored is called Advantage. You can win the game directly by winning this point, or if the opposing pair wins it, the score returns to 40-40, and so on, until one of the teams wins two consecutive points.

The tie-break or deciding game

The tie-break is a phase of play that occurs when teams are tied in games in a set. Here's how it works:

For a tie-break to occur, teams must generally be tied in games in a set, for example, 6-6 in a set played to 6 winning games. The tie-break begins with a serve. The server serves from the right side of their court. Tie-break points are counted normally, that is, 1, 2, 3, etc.

The rotation of servers is different during the tie-break. The server starts from the right side, then alternates to the left side after each point. 

To win the tie-break, a team must traditionally reach 7 points (or another specified number depending on the competition rules), with a 2-point margin. For example, if team A reaches 7 points and team B has 5, team A wins the tie-break. If the score is 7-7, the tie-break continues until one team gains a 2-point lead (for example, 9-7, 10-8, etc.).

The tie-break is a crucial phase in the game of padel, often high in emotion, as it can swing the course of a set. 

The different match formats

You're probably wondering now how many sets your team needs to win to take the match, and well, there are 9 match formats for FFT-approved competitions:

Format A1: traditional, 3 sets of 6 games

Format A2: 3 sets of 6 games with deciding point

Format B1: 2 sets of 6 games / 3rd set = 10-point super tie-break

Format B2: 2 sets of 6 games / 3rd set = 10-point super tie-break, with deciding point 

Format C1: 2 sets of 4 games (tie-break at 4-4) / 3rd set = 10-point super tie-break 

Format C2: 2 sets of 4 games / 3rd set = 10-point super tie-break, with deciding point (tie-break at 4-4)

Format D1: 1 set of 9 games (tie-break at 8-8)

Format D2: 1 set of 9 games (tie-break at 8-8) with deciding point

Format E: 1 set of 10 points (format reserved for P25 tournaments)

Scoring example

Imagine you are right in the middle of an intense padel match. Here is how scoring unfolds when using advantage scoring at deuce: 

If the serving pair wins the first point, the score is 15-0.

On the other hand, if the serving pair loses the first point, the score reverses to 0-15.

Now, imagine that both pairs win three points each, creating a tie at 40-40. At this stage, "deuce" is called to indicate a tie.

For the next point, if the serving pair wins the point, the score becomes "Advantage server."

If the serving pair loses the first point, the score becomes "Advantage receiver."

If the pair with the advantage wins the next point, they win the game.

However, if you are playing under the "Punto de Oro" rule and the score is 40-40, a deciding point is played to determine the winner of the game. The pair that wins this deciding point takes the game.