Serving order is one of those bits of padel that nobody explains until you get it wrong. You put your hand up to serve, someone says "no, it's my turn", and suddenly there is a debate in the middle of the court. The rule is simple once you have seen it laid out. The order is decided at the start of the set and then it is locked in.
Who serves first
Before the match, the two pairs spin a racket or toss a coin. The winners get first choice: they can choose to serve, to receive, or to pick which end they start at. If they take the serve, their opponents get to choose the end, and away you go.
The one choice you actually get
Here is the part people miss. Each pair decides for themselves which of the two partners serves first. That is the only real say you have over the order. Once your team has chosen who takes your first service game, that choice sets the pattern for the rest of the set.
So have a quick word with your partner before the first game. Put whoever holds serve best up first if you want a strong start, or get the nervier server going early while heads are fresh. After that, the order runs on rails.
The fixed rotation
Padel serving rotates through all four players, one game each, alternating teams. Call the players A and B on one side and C and D on the other. A typical set runs like this:
- Game 1: player A serves
- Game 2: player C serves
- Game 3: player B serves
- Game 4: player D serves
- Game 5: back to player A, and round it goes again
Every player keeps their slot for the whole set. Your team never serves two games in a row, and neither does an individual player. Once the wheel is set spinning in game one, it just keeps turning.
Why you cannot just swap
A lot of social players assume you can hand the serve to whoever fancies it that game. You cannot, not within a set. The order you set at the start is fixed until the set is over. If your partner served the last team game, it is your turn next, whether you feel like it or not.
The moment you do get to change it is the start of a new set. Then each pair can reshuffle: the partner who did not serve first last time can go first this time, or you can keep things exactly as they were. Fresh set, fresh choice, then locked again.
Receiving has an order too
The same idea applies to the pair receiving. At the start of the set each returner picks a side, right or left, and stays there for the whole set. You do not swap sides point to point. So one of you takes everything on the right, the other takes the left, until the set ends. Get this settled early so you are not both lunging for the same ball.
Changing ends
You swap ends of the court after the first game, and then after every two games from there, so after games one, three, five and so on. The serving order does not care about the changeover. You switch sides, grab a breather, and the next server in the rotation simply carries on.
Common confusions
- "I'll serve this one." No. Within a set the order is fixed. Whoever the rotation says, serves.
- Forgetting your slot. After a long game it is easy to lose track. If in doubt, remember your team alternates its two servers, and the two teams alternate every game.
- Thinking a new set means chaos. A new set only lets each pair choose which partner starts. The rotation itself works exactly the same way.
- The serve always starts on the right. Every game's first serve is from the right, the deuce court, then sides alternate each point. That is separate from who is serving.
Get the order straight once and the mid-court arguments disappear. If you want the wider picture, our complete rules of padel guide covers serving, scoring and the walls in one go.
FAQ
Can you choose who serves each game in padel?
Only at the start of a set, and only which of your two partners serves first. After that the order is fixed and rotates through all four players until the set ends.
Does the serving order change between sets?
It can. At the start of each new set every pair may switch which partner serves first, or keep the same order. Within a set it never changes.
Can the same player serve twice in a row?
No. Teams alternate every game and each team alternates its two servers, so no player and no team serves two games back to back.
Who serves first at the very start?
The pair that wins the racket spin or coin toss chooses to serve, receive or pick an end. If they choose to serve, they also decide which of the two of them serves the first game.