The rules of the padel tie-break

Today’s post is aimed at those players who want to know more about the tie-break in padel - an exciting aspect of the sport when deciding a close set or match. Let's check out the main rules.

It seems that whoever drew up the rules wanted to instill fear in the players, calling this game a tie-break or sudden death! We have all experienced or have seen arguments between players in a multitude of matches when we reach a tie-break, with many questions arising about how it works: "Who serves? Do we have to change sides of the net?".

At padel clubs across the world, there are always some players who, when the set reaches 6 games apiece, prefer to continue playing to win the set by a difference of 2 games. But there are also those who prefer to play a sudden death, testing their mettle and controlling their nerves produced by disputing this all or nothing.

The first thing to indicate is that the International Padel Federation (IPF) establishes that the matches will be played to the best of 3 sets, with a tie-break in all of them. The only exception is in the third set. If previously agreed, it can be played until a player or pair win by two clear games. Having this clear, below we will explain some of the key rules of the tie-break in padel to resolve any doubts:

• Tie-break points are “zero”, “1”, “2”, “3”, etc.
• The tie-break will be won by the first to reach 7 points, provided they do so with an advantage of two over their rival, winning the set. If a couple reaches 7 and does not obtain such a difference, the game will continue until said margin is obtained.
• The tie-break is started by the player whose turn it is to serve, in accordance with the set order. This player will only be able to serve once from the right side of the court. The next two points will be served by the opposite team, following the previous order of service and serving from the left. Each player will serve two consecutive points until the end of the tie-break, always respecting the order of service.
• Every 6 points disputed, the players change ends, as many times as necessary until completion of the tie-break.
• The tie-break set will be won by 7-6.
• The next set, if there is one, starts with one of the players who did not begin serving in the tie-break. As it is the start of a new set, there is no need to follow any order - either one of the pair can begin serving the set.

And that’s it! Now it’s time to put this into practice - get out onto the court and enjoy the extra tension produced by a tie-break.