Ball in Play

Understanding when the ball is in play — and when it is not — is fundamental to padel. The FIP Rules of Padel (Rule 12) define the boundaries of live play and how walls and other court features interact with the ball. See wall play for detailed wall rebound rules, out-of-court play for when players may chase the ball outside the enclosure, faults and lets for serve-related stoppages, and point lost for all the ways a team can lose a point.

When the Ball Is in Play

The ball is in play from the moment a valid serve is struck and remains in play until:

• The ball bounces twice on the same side of the court
• The ball goes out of bounds (over the fence, through the mesh, or out of the enclosure entirely)
• The ball hits the net and does not cross over
• A let or fault is called by the referee
• A player commits a fault (e.g., ball hits their body)

The Role of the Walls

In padel, the glass and metal mesh walls are part of the court enclosure and the ball can legally rebound off them during a rally. Key rules:

Ball Off the Opponent’s Walls

A ball may rebound off the opponent’s back wall or side wall and still be in play — players on the other side must return it after no more than one bounce on the ground.

Ball Off Your Own Walls (Before Crossing the Net)

A ball may hit the walls on the player’s own side of the court before crossing the net — this is a valid return, provided the ball then lands in the opponent’s court. For example, a player may hit the ball into their own back glass and have it travel over the net from there. This is one of the unique features of padel gameplay.

The ball is not in play if a player’s return hits their own court ground on the same side before crossing the net, or if it hits their own wall and then fails to land in the opponent’s court.

Ball Lands Out of Court

If the ball leaves the court enclosure (e.g., goes over the fence or through an opening), the point ends immediately. In some cases, a player may legally exit the court to play the ball — see out-of-court play.

The Net

A ball that hits the top of the net and falls onto the opponent’s side during a rally (not the serve) is in play — the point continues. A ball that hits the net and falls back on the same side is out of play; the opponent wins the point.

On the serve, a ball that clips the net and lands correctly in the service box is a let (the serve is replayed). See serve rules for details.

Lines

• The ball must land in the service box on the serve (on or within the lines)
• During a rally, the side lines and baseline do not restrict where the ball may land — the ball may land anywhere inside the court enclosure, including against or off the walls

Double Bounce

Once the ball has bounced twice on the same side of the court, the team on that side loses the point. The bounce does not have to be within the main court area — if the ball bounces a second time anywhere on that team’s side (including behind the baseline, off the wall), the point is over.

Summary

Situation	In play?
Ball rebounds off opponent’s back wall	Yes
Ball hits your own wall then lands in opponent’s court	Yes — valid return
Ball hits your own wall then fails to cross net	No — fault
Ball clips net and crosses during rally	Yes
Ball clips net on serve and lands in box	Let — serve replayed
Ball bounces twice on same side	No — point ends
Ball exits court enclosure	No — point ends