What Happens When the Ball Goes Out of the Court in Padel?

If the ball leaves the padel court after bouncing once on your side, you can chase it outside and play it back — provided it hasn’t bounced a second time. This “out-of-court play” is one of padel’s most spectacular features and is fully legal under FIP rules. However, if the ball exits without bouncing on your side first (e.g., a shot that flies over the fence), the hitter’s team loses the point.

How the Ball Leaves the Court

A padel court is enclosed by glass walls and metal mesh, but there are openings:

• Doors on each side of the court (used for entry/exit)
• Low mesh sections that the ball can clear with enough height and speed
• The ball can also fly over the back fence on a particularly high lob

The ball typically exits the court after a deep lob bounces high off the back glass and carries over the fence, or after an angled shot sends it through an open door.

The Out-of-Court Rule (FIP Rule 12)

The key rules for out-of-court play are:

1. The ball must have bounced once on your side of the court before exiting
2. You must return the ball before it bounces a second time (on any surface outside the court)
3. The ball must re-enter the court and land on the opponent’s side — it can cross the net, go around the net post, or re-enter through any opening
4. Players may leave the court through the doors to retrieve the ball — they cannot climb over the walls or fence

If the ball leaves the court without bouncing on your side (for example, it sails over the fence directly from the opponent’s shot), the point goes to your team — the opponent hit the ball out.

Returning the Ball from Outside

When playing the ball outside the court, the return is legal as long as:

• The ball clears the net and lands in the opponent’s court (the standard return), OR
• The ball goes around the net post and lands in the opponent’s court (a legal and sometimes necessary return path), OR
• The ball re-enters through a door opening or over the side fence and lands in the opponent’s court

The ball does not need to re-enter the court the same way it left. A ball that exits through the right door can be returned around the left net post if the player can reach it.

2026 rule change: The 2026 FIP revision explicitly permits the ball to re-enter the court “through any opening, over the fencing or metallic structure surrounding the court, or around the net post.” Prior wording was limited to “around the net post or through any opening,” which created ambiguity about returns that cleared the side fence from outside.

When the Point Ends

The point is over if:

• The ball bounces twice outside the court (or inside) before you can return it
• Your return does not make it into the opponent’s court
• The ball hits a permanent fixture outside the court (ceiling, light, adjacent court barrier) before you can play it
• The ball goes over the back fence directly from the opponent’s racket without bouncing on your side — your team wins the point (opponent hit it out)

Can Both Players Leave the Court?

Yes. There is no restriction on how many players from a team may leave the court during a rally. Both partners may exit through the doors to retrieve a ball if needed, though this is rare and leaves the court undefended.

Quick Reference

Situation	Result
Ball exits after bouncing once on your side	You may play it outside — rally continues
Ball exits without bouncing on your side	Opponent hit it out — your point
Ball bounces twice outside the court	Point lost
Return from outside goes around net post	Legal
Return from outside goes through a door	Legal
Ball hits ceiling or permanent fixture	Point ends

See also: out-of-court play · ball in play · wall play