Singles Padel: Rules, Court Size and Tactics for 1v1
Can you play padel one against one? Singles padel rules, the 20 × 6 m singles court, how serving works and tactics to win 1v1 matches.
Padel is almost always played in doubles, but singles padel is growing fast. Clubs are adding narrow singles courts, and many players use 1v1 matches as a hard workout. Here's how it works.
The rules are almost the same as doubles. The court, the tactics and your legs are what change.
The singles court
| Singles court | Doubles court | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 20 × 6 m | 20 × 10 m |
| Service boxes | 3 m wide each | 5 m wide each |
| Walls and net | Same heights | Same heights |
Dedicated singles courts keep rallies fair, because one player can cover 6 metres of width. On a full doubles court, singles is possible but exhausting. Some players agree to use only half the court (one service box per side) for a fun, lower-intensity game.
Singles padel rules
- Scoring: the same as doubles: 15, 30, 40, game, sets to six with a tiebreak at 6-6, and golden point if agreed.
- Serve: underhand, bounced behind the service line, hit at or below waist height, diagonally into the opposite box. Start each game from the right.
- Walls: the ball must bounce on the opponent's side before touching any wall. After that bounce, it can be played off the glass.
- Return: the serve must bounce before it's returned.
Tactics for 1v1
- Win the net: as in doubles, the player at the net usually wins. Follow deep serves and lobs forward.
- Use angles: on a narrow court, short cross-court shots pull your opponent out of position.
- Lob to escape: a deep lob into the back corner buys you time to recover.
- Save energy: let the back glass do the work instead of chasing every ball.
Why play singles?
- It's easier to organise: you only need one other player.
- You get far more touches and a serious cardio session.
- Your wall play, lobs and volleys improve quickly because there's no partner to cover for you.
Padel Scoreboard: Score Keeper supports singles and doubles. Choose singles, tap once per point, and your match history and win rate update automatically.