Padel Umpire Guide

At sanctioned tournaments and top-level events, a chair umpire oversees each match from an elevated chair beside the net. Line judges are added only at professional events; at club and regional level the umpire usually works alone. The umpire's responsibilities include:

Before the match:

• Check that the court, glass walls, metal fence, net, and balls meet the regulations (net height 88 cm at the centre, 92 cm at the posts; court 20 m × 10 m enclosed by glass and mesh).
• Conduct the toss with the pairs to decide who serves first and which end each pair takes.
• Confirm player identities and oversee the warm-up.

During the match:

• Call the score after every point, announcing the server's score first, then the receiver's, then the games and sets.
• Watch the serve: underhand, ball struck at or below the waist after a single bounce behind the service line, at least one foot on the ground behind the line, hit diagonally into the correct service box.
• Rule on wall and fence play: whether the ball bounced on the ground before touching a wall, and whether a shot struck the opponent's wall or fence on the full.
• Call "not up" — the ball bouncing twice on the ground before it is returned — and out-of-court balls.
• Call lets: a serve that clips the net and lands in the correct box, or any hindrance that stops the point.
• Manage the format: change of ends, time between points and at the changeover, and warm-up length, all per FIP rules.
• Apply the code of conduct: warnings and point penalties for unsportsmanlike behaviour, ball abuse, audible obscenity, or coaching where it is not allowed.
• Resolve disputes: on questions other than line calls, the umpire's ruling is final.

After the match:

• Announce the final score.
• Sign and file the scoresheet.
• Report any misconduct or equipment issue.

The serve is the most tightly regulated action in padel, and the umpire checks several things on every serve:

The underhand serve:

1. Bounce first: The server must bounce the ball on the ground once, behind the service line, before striking it. The ball may not be hit out of the air.
2. At or below the waist: Contact must be made at or below waist height (the level of the lowest rib). A serve struck above the waist is a fault.
3. Feet behind the line: At the moment of contact, both feet must be behind the service line, between the centre service line and the side wall. At least one foot must stay on the ground, and the server may not touch or step on the service line until the ball is struck.
4. Diagonal and into the box: The serve must travel diagonally over the net and bounce in the diagonally opposite service box.

The wall after the serve: After bouncing in the correct service box, the ball may touch the side glass wall and the serve is still good. But if the ball, after its bounce, touches the metal fence (wire mesh), the serve is a fault. This is a padel-specific point the umpire watches closely.

Two serves and the let: The server has two attempts. If the serve clips the net and still lands in the correct box, it is a let and is replayed, with no limit on consecutive lets. If it clips the net and then touches the fence before bouncing, or lands outside the box, it is a fault. Two faults in a row is a double fault and the point goes to the receiving pair.

Common service faults the umpire calls:

• Ball struck above the waist.
• Ball hit out of the air, without bouncing on the ground first.
• A foot touching or crossing the service line at contact, or standing outside the correct area.
• Serve landing outside the correct service box.
• Served ball touching the metal fence after its bounce.
• Serving from the wrong side for the score (deuce or advantage court).

The enclosing walls are what make padel padel, and judging them is the umpire's most distinctive task. Here is how it works:

The ground bounce comes first: A ball must bounce on the ground once before it may be played off a wall. A player may let the ball rebound off their own back glass or side glass and then return it over the net — but only after that first bounce on the floor. A ball taken off the wall before it has bounced on the ground is not a legal return.

Your own walls are in play: After the ball has bounced on your side, you may play it off one or more of your own walls (back glass, side glass) and send it back over the net. Using the walls to keep the point alive is normal, legal padel.

The opponent's walls on the full lose the point: If you hit the ball, it crosses the net and strikes the opponent's wall or fence on the full — before bouncing on their ground — you lose the point. The ball must first bounce on the opponent's floor; only then may it travel on to their walls, where they may play it back.

The metal fence: The side and back glass walls are fully in play on your own side. The metal fence (wire mesh) is more restricted: on your own side you may play a ball off the fence only after it has bounced on the ground, and rules vary by competition on how the fence may be used. Sending the ball onto the opponent's fence on the full is a lost point, exactly like the glass.

What is not a wall point:

• The ball bouncing on the ground and then hitting your own wall — normal play, still live.
• A defensive lob that a player takes off their own back glass after the bounce — legal.
• A ball that bounces on the opponent's floor and then rebounds off their back glass — the opponent may still return it.

Umpire positioning for wall calls: The umpire needs a clear line to both the floor and the walls to judge whether the bounce came first and whether a shot hit a wall on the full. From the elevated chair beside the net, a chair umpire has the best angle; working alone at club level, the umpire must stay alert to the sequence — bounce first, then wall.

Line calls in padel work differently from tennis, because the walls, not painted lines, form most of the court boundary:

Which lines actually matter: During a rally there are no sidelines or baselines in the tennis sense — the glass and mesh enclose the court, so a ball is judged by whether it stays in the enclosure. The lines that matter are the service lines and the centre service line, which define the service boxes. Most line calls are therefore about the serve.

In or out on the serve: A served ball is in if it lands inside the correct service box; a ball touching any part of the line counts as in. If it lands beyond the service line or in the wrong box, it is out and is a service fault.

"Not up" and the double bounce: The umpire also rules whether a ball has bounced twice on the ground before being returned — called "not up" — which loses the point. This includes a ball that bounces, is chased toward the wall, and bounces on the floor a second time before the player reaches it.

Officiated matches: With a chair umpire, the umpire makes the calls unless line judges are assigned to the service and side lines. The umpire's call is final and may overrule a line judge who was clearly wrong, though overrules stay rare.

Club play and self-officiating: Without an umpire, the pairs call their own side. As in most racket sports, the benefit of the doubt goes to the opponent: if you are not sure a ball was out, you play it as in. Because a padel point can involve a bounce, a wall, and a fast exchange in a small court, honest, quick calls keep the game flowing.

Out of court: A ball is out if it leaves the enclosure — over the fence or the surrounding glass — or lands outside the court. A shot that flies out of the court, or strikes the structure outside the playing area on the full, is a lost point for the hitter.

A fault or an error ends the rally at once and the point goes to the other pair. Here is the full list:

Service faults:

• Ball struck above the waist.
• Ball hit out of the air, without bouncing on the ground first.
• A foot on or across the service line at contact, or standing outside the correct area.
• Serve does not clear the net.
• Serve lands outside the correct service box.
• Served ball touches the metal fence after its bounce.
• Serving from the wrong side or out of turn.
• Two service faults in a row (double fault) — point to the receivers.

During-play lost points:

• The ball bounces twice on your side before you return it ("not up").
• You fail to return the ball over the net.
• You hit the ball into the net.
• Your shot strikes the opponent's wall or fence on the full, before bouncing on their floor.
• Your shot flies out of the court or hits the structure outside the playing area.
• You play the ball off a wall before it has bounced on the ground.
• The ball touches you, your partner, or anything you are wearing or carrying.
• You or your racket touch the net, post, or the opponents' court while the ball is in play.
• You hit the ball twice (double hit) or carry it on the strings.
• You reach over the net to play a ball, except where the rules allow following a ball that has spun back.

Conduct — code violations:

• Distracting or hindering the opponents during play.
• Unsportsmanlike behaviour, audible obscenity, or ball and racket abuse.
• Coaching where the competition does not allow it.
• The umpire applies a graded scale: warning, then point penalty, then game penalty, up to default for serious or repeated violations.

Lets and replays (not faults):

• A serve that clips the net and lands in the correct box is a let and is replayed.
• A point stopped for a broken ball, outside interference, or a safety issue is replayed.
• A ball from another court or an object entering the court is a let if it interrupts the point.

The umpire announces the score after every point, and the format has a padel-specific twist at deuce. Here is the sequence:

Points within a game: Points run 0 (love), 15, 30, 40, game, with the server's score called first. At 40–40 the game reaches deuce.

Golden point: Under FIP and Premier Padel rules, deuce is decided by a single golden point: the next point wins the game. In doubles, the receiving pair chooses which side — deuce court or advantage court — will receive the golden point. Some competitions still use traditional advantage scoring, so the umpire confirms which is in force before the match.

Games and sets: A set is won by the first pair to 6 games with a margin of two. At 6–6 a tiebreak is played to 7 points, win by two. A match is best of three sets.

Change of ends: The pairs change ends after the first game and then after every two games (on the odd-game total), and during the tiebreak per the rules. The umpire calls the games and set score at each changeover.

Calling protocol:

1. The umpire waits until both pairs are ready.
2. The umpire calls the point score clearly — server's score first — then the games and sets at the change of ends.
3. On a golden point, the umpire announces it plainly ("golden point") so both pairs know the game is on the line.
4. Disputes about the called score must be raised before the next serve; the umpire consults the scoresheet to resolve them.

Running the live score with JudgeMate: An umpire or scorekeeper can run the live scoreboard from a phone. JudgeMate is a free, real-time single-match scoreboard: it tracks the points, games, sets, golden point, and tiebreak exactly as the operator enters them, and shows them live to spectators. It does not make officiating decisions, call lines, or replace the umpire — the score on screen is the score you type in. See padel on JudgeMate, the free live scoreboard, and the sibling guides how padel scoring works and the padel live scoreboard guide.

The International Padel Federation (FIP) publishes the Rules of Padel and oversees international officiating; national federations run the umpire courses and certify officials in each country. The path usually looks like this:

Start at club and regional level:

• Contact your national padel federation and enrol in its umpire or referee course.
• Study the Rules of Padel — serve, wall and fence play, scoring, and the code of conduct.
• Pass a written exam on the rules.
• Complete a practical assessment, umpiring or scorekeeping club and regional matches under observation.

National level:

• With experience, progress to a national umpire grade, working higher-level domestic tournaments.
• Deeper training on match management, difficult wall and fence calls, and player interaction.
• Many federations grade officials in tiers, though the exact names and requirements vary by country.

International level:

• Experienced national umpires can pursue FIP international certification and work Premier Padel events and FIP world championships.
• These officials handle the highest-pressure matches, often with a full team of line judges.

Getting started: Spain's Federación Española de Pádel (FEP) runs one of the longest-established officiating programmes, reflecting padel's roots, and other federations are building theirs as the sport grows. The quickest way in is practical: offer to keep score at your club's tournaments, learn the calls in real matches, and take your federation's course when you are ready.