Padel vs Tennis: Key Differences for Tennis Players

You can already volley, smash and read a ball, so your first padel match feels familiar for about two minutes. Then a ball comes back off the glass and your full forehand ends up in the fence. Here is what changes when you go from tennis to padel, and a plan for your first month.

Padel vs tennis: the differences that matter

The biggest differences between padel and tennis are the walls, the serve and the racket. Padel is played in pairs on an enclosed 10 × 20 m court, the ball may come off the glass after it bounces, the serve is underhand and the racket is short and solid, without strings. The scoring is the same.

A lot carries over: forehands, backhands, volleys, lobs and drop shots exist in both sports. Here is what changes:

The racket and your swing. The padel racket has no strings, so the ball comes off a solid, perforated face. LTA Padel recommends a short backswing on both sides, because padel is about placement more than power. Think of your tennis volley, not your topspin forehand.

The grip. Padel coaches usually start you on the continental grip, the "hammer" grip you already use for volleys and the serve in tennis. It covers volleys, overheads and balls off the glass without switching. If your tennis forehand is semi-western, this is the first habit to change.

The serve. Under the FIP rules you stand behind the service line, between the extension of the centre line and the side wall, and bounce the ball in that area. The ball must not cross the service line before you hit it. Keep at least one foot on the ground and hit it at or below waist height. It goes diagonally and you have a second serve. A serve that bounces in the box and then hits the glass is good; if it touches the wire mesh before the second bounce, it is a fault. The serve is not for aces. LTA Padel describes it as your way to the net.

Always doubles. The official rules are written for pairs, and in practice padel is a doubles game. You share half a court and every decision with a partner.

Familiar scoring. 15, 30, 40, games, sets and the tie-break at 6–6 work as in tennis. At 40–40 the FIP rules allow classic advantage, the golden point (one deciding point) or the Star Point, used on FIP circuits since 2026 (one deciding point after two advantages). In a friendly match, agree on it before the first serve.

Padel tips for tennis players: let the ball come off the glass

The LTA calls the back glass the biggest adjustment for tennis players. In tennis, a ball that passes you is a lost point; in padel it is often your best chance: once the ball has bounced on your side, it can hit the glass or the mesh, and you can still return it before the second bounce. The Italian federation calls the back glass your "third teammate".

Two rules: your shot must bounce on the other side before it touches their walls, or you lose the point. On your own side, you may play the ball against your own wall to get it over the net.

How to start:

• If the ball bounces past the service line, let it come off the glass. LTA Padel gives exactly this rule of thumb.
• Turn sideways, take the racket back early and wait for the ball to leave the wall.
• After the rebound the ball travels toward the net, so a controlled push is enough. Take pace off rather than adding it.

Doubles positioning: the net is the strong position

Most points in padel are won at the net, and LTA Padel tells beginners to take control of it. The ideal is both of you at the net, side by side, moving as one. When your partner moves to the side wall, you cover the middle. When one of you has to drop back, both drop back. A former tennis pro interviewed by the French federation (FFT) says coordination with your partner matters more than individual shots. In that interview, the left side is the finisher's side and the right side is about consistency.

Don't stay long between the service line and the back glass. FFT coaches call the zone about 4 to 8 metres from the net the transition zone and say you should never linger there.

The lob is your way back to the net. LTA Padel calls it the most important shot in padel. A good lob over the net players, landing beyond the service line but before the back glass, pushes them back and gives you time to move forward. As a coach's rule of thumb, aim for the last 2 to 3 metres before the back glass and give the ball enough height that it does not rebound far off the glass. A short lob is a smash ball for your opponents. Lob, then both step in.

Bandeja and víbora: padel's overheads

When you are lobbed at the net, your tennis instinct says smash. In padel a hard, flat smash often bounces off the back glass and comes straight back. That is why padel has two overheads of its own, the steady bandeja and the more attacking víbora, both hit with spin from near the net.

Bandeja (Spanish for "tray"). A controlled overhead with slice. You turn sideways and meet the ball at about head height, slightly in front of you and to the side, with the racket moving forward and across the body rather than down. The goal is to keep your net position, not to win the point. LTA Padel calls it the antidote to the lob. Use it on lobs of medium depth.

Víbora ("viper"). The attacking version: you take the ball a little later and more to the side, with more wrist and forearm turn (pronation), more side spin and a faster arm. The name comes from the way the ball snakes through the air, and it is hard to defend. It needs more timing, so learn the bandeja first.

Smash. Keep the full, flat smash for short lobs near the net, when you can finish the point.

Bajada ("coming down"). An attacking overhead from the back of the court on a ball that has come off the back glass and is rising again. Instead of only defending it, you hit it with control while it is high. It needs good wall play, so it comes after the bandeja.

The difference from a tennis smash: a tennis smash goes down through the court to end the rally, while the bandeja and víbora go forward with spin and keep you at the net. As FITP notes, neither exists in tennis, so you learn them from zero.

Chiquita ("little one"). A soft, low ball played from the back toward the feet of the players at the net. They have to volley upward or play a half-volley, which pushes them into mistakes and gives you the chance to move in, as FFT coaches describe it.

Typical mistakes tennis players make

Most tennis players struggle with the same few habits when they start padel: hitting too hard, taking the ball before it comes off the glass, staying back at the baseline and going for tight angles. Each one is a strength in tennis and a weakness in padel. These are the four to watch:

1. Hitting too hard. FITP says padel is played at either 30% or 150% of your strength. Former tennis pros interviewed by the FFT admit they kept smashing too hard to finish points.
2. Playing the ball before the wall. Hitting a fast ball early from deep court rarely works. Let it come off the glass.
3. Staying at the baseline. The baseline rallies that win tennis points lose padel points. After a lob or a good return, go forward.
4. Chasing tight angles and drop shots. FITP advises playing through the middle and deep, with patience.

Staying safe on a padel court

Staying safe in padel comes down to a proper warm-up, padel shoes that grip on sand-filled turf, the compulsory wrist cord and care around the glass and the doors. Four players share a small enclosed court, so calling the ball and keeping your racket up at the net matter as much as your kit. These habits help:

• Warm up for about ten minutes. Light jogging, side steps, lunges and arm circles before you hit, then some easy volleys and lobs. Padel is full of short sprints and sudden stops.
• Wear padel shoes. Most courts are artificial turf with sand. Shoes with a herringbone or omni sole grip on it; running shoes and worn-out tennis shoes slide.
• Always use the wrist cord. The FIP rules make it compulsory, and it stops the racket flying into the glass or a player.
• Racket up at the net. Keep the racket in front of your face when you and your partner are both at the net, and call "mine" or "yours" on balls down the middle. Protective eyewear is an option, especially for juniors.
• Look before you run out. When you chase a ball out through the door, watch the door frame and what is outside the court. Near the glass, turn your shoulder rather than running into it.
• Stop if something hurts. Sitting out one game is better than playing on with pain.

Your first month on court

A good first month of padel for a tennis player starts with a lesson, moves on to wall work and doubles positioning, and ends with a social event such as an Americano. Try to play at least once a week, twice if you can, and give each week one clear focus.

Week 1: one lesson or beginner clinic. Learn the grip, the serve, the rules and your first returns off the glass with a coach, as the LTA recommends. Borrow a round racket if you don't own one, get padel shoes and make the ten-minute warm-up your routine before every session.

Week 2: wall work. Rally on half a court with a friend. Every ball that bounces past the service line must come off the back glass before you hit it.

Week 3: doubles positioning. Play doubles points with one rule: after every lob, both players step forward. Answer their lobs with a bandeja. Talk to your partner on every ball: "mine", "yours", "switch".

Week 4: your first Americano. An Americano is a common social format at clubs: everyone rotates partners and opponents, and points are usually added up per player across the rounds. The organiser sets the exact system. It is a relaxed way to meet players near your level.

Find padel players at your level

Your tennis level says little about your padel. In the PFM – Play For More app you have a separate padel level, so you can find padel players at your level, swipe to invite them and create or join open doubles matches. You can also book a padel court at clubs that use PFM in the app. Download PFM from the home page or see the clubs that use PFM.

Sources

• Rules of Padel (review of application 01.01.2026), International Padel Federation (FIP)
• Between innovation and tradition: introducing the Star Point, International Padel Federation (FIP)
• Padel guide for tennis players, Lawn Tennis Association (LTA)
• Padel rules: scoring, serving, walls and faults, LTA Padel
• Padel tips for beginners, LTA Padel
• How to play off the back glass in padel, LTA Padel
• Essential tips on padel overheads, bandeja and the smash, LTA Padel
• Tips to play and improve padel lobs, LTA Padel
• Padel match tactics for beginners, LTA Padel
• Expert tips on how to serve in padel, LTA Padel
• Why padel is the world's most sociable sport, LTA Padel
• Les six questions qui se posent quand on passe du tennis au padel, Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT)
• Cinq exercices qui vont vous faire passer un (gros) cap au padel, Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT)
• Darsi al padel? Farlo da tennisti non sempre è un vantaggio, Federazione Italiana Tennis e Padel (FITP)
• Bandeja o remate: come fare sempre la scelta giusta, Federazione Italiana Tennis e Padel (FITP)
• Il boom del padel raggiunge l'Alto Adige: l'ABC dello sport di tendenza, Federazione Italiana Tennis e Padel (FITP)
• Rules of Tennis 2026, International Tennis Federation (ITF)
• Padel: Fakten und Regeln, Deutscher Tennis Bund (DTB)