The padel tiebreaker explained
So you’ve been enjoying your padel game, and it is much closer than you expected it would be, when all of a sudden your game is tied at 6 – 6. A tiebreak will be played to determine the set winner.
What happens now?
Who serves first, and from which side?
How many times does each player serve?
Do we change sides?
You will need to play a tiebreak to decide who wins the set. A tiebreak may even decide the match if it is the final set!
What are the important aspects of the tiebreak in padel?
- The points are scored zero, 1, 2, 3, etc. and not the tennis 15, 30, 40 count.
- Whoever reaches 7 points first, and has a margin of at least 2 points, will be the winner of the tie break (you cannot win 7 – 6, it must be 7 – 5, 8 – 6, 9 – 7, etc)
- The serve order from the match will determine the order in the tiebreaker.
- The player serving first will serve one serve from the right of the court.
- The opposing team will then serve twice, starting on the left side.
- The serve will then rotate with each player serving twice and always starting from the left side.
- The players change ends every 6 points regardless of how long the tie break goes on.
Must we play a tiebreaker?
You may notice that some players at your local club won’t play tiebreakers, but will instead try win by 2-sets (winning 8-6, 9-7, 10-8, etc). There is nothing wrong with this, but it can be time consuming, especially if you have a one hour court booking.
Decide before your match starts how you will determine the set winners. The standard rule however is a match of 3 sets, with tiebreakers played if required.
As always, remember to enjoy your game with friends and your time out, regardless of the outcome!
For more padel rules you can read here.