Blog
Rules and scoring
How points, games and sets are counted in racket sports, what to do when a point is disputed, and which rules are changing.
Scoring basics
What everyone needs to know to play and keep score without arguing. One sport, one article.
- PadelPadel Rules: How Scoring WorksHow padel scoring works: points, games, sets, the golden point, the star point, the tiebreak and the super tiebreak, per the FIP rules and in plain words.Read
- TennisTennis Rules: How Scoring WorksHow tennis scoring works: 15, 30, 40, deuce and advantage, games, sets and the tiebreak, per the ITF rules. Includes the match tiebreak to 10 and No-Ad scoring.Read
- SquashSquash Rules: How Scoring WorksHow squash scoring works: every rally is a point, a game goes to 11 and you must win by two. Serving with no second serve, plus let, no let and stroke explained.Read
- BadmintonBadminton Rules: How Scoring WorksHow badminton scoring works: games to 21, win by two, the cap at 30, and the new game to 15 from January 2027. Plus serving, changing ends and disputed situations.Read
- Table tennisTable Tennis Rules: How Scoring WorksHow table tennis scoring works: games to 11, win by two, the serve changing every two points, changing ends, the expedite rule and the usual arguments at the table.Read
- PickleballPickleball Rules: How Scoring WorksHow pickleball scoring works: side-out scoring, the three-number call (0-0-2), games to 11 won by two, the kitchen and the two-bounce rule, per USA Pickleball 2026.Read
- RacquetballRacquetball Rules: How Scoring WorksHow racquetball scoring works under both rulebooks: USA Racquetball (to 15, tiebreaker to 11, points only on serve) and the international IRF rally scoring to 11.Read
Rule changes
What is changing in the rules, from when and where it applies.
- Badminton · October 23, 2026Badminton Moves to 3x15: What Changes in January 2027BWF has approved a new badminton scoring system. From 4 January 2027, 3x15 replaces 3x21. How a game to 15 works, how the vote went and what stays the same.
- Padel · October 23, 2026Star Point in Padel: The New Deuce RuleWhat the star point in padel is, exactly how it works, who approved it and where it is played since 2026. Plus how it differs from the golden point and advantage.
Rules in depth
Special situations, serving, lines and curiosities, with court diagrams.
Padel
- Padel Court Dimensions: The Numbers Worth KnowingThe padel court to the centimetre per FIP: 20 × 10 m, service line 6.95 m from the net, net 88 and 92 cm, walls 3 + 1 m, doors, safety zone, lights, ball and racket.
- Playing Outside the Court in Padel: When You May Chase the Ball OutWhen may you run out through the door in padel and play the ball from outside? FIP rule 16, the safety zone, the back wall, the door post and common myths.
- Padel Serve Rules: Who Serves, From Where and To WhereThe padel serve : the toss, feet behind the line, hitting below the waist, two serves, the let and the serving and receiving order in a set and tiebreak. FIP rules.
- Padel Wall Rules: Glass, Mesh and Net, and When the Ball Is Still GoodWhen is a ball off the glass good in padel and when do you lose the point? Your own wall, the mesh, the net and posts, a ball stuck in the mesh. FIP rules 12–15.
Tennis
- Tennis Court Dimensions: Lines, Net, Posts and Singles SticksA tennis court is 23.77 m long and 8.23 m (singles) or 10.97 m (doubles) wide. Every measurement of the lines, net, posts and singles sticks per the ITF Rules 2026.
- Tennis Doubles Rules: Who Serves, Who Receives and What a Foot Fault IsWho serves first, how receiving alternates, what a foot fault is and how the doubles tiebreak works. ITF Rules 2026, including where the server may stand.
- Lets, the Net and Touches in Tennis: When You Replay the Point and When You Lose ItNet cords, the let on serve, reaching over the net and touching the net. What the ITF Rules of Tennis 2026 say and when you replay, win or lose the point.
Squash
- Let, Stroke or No Let: How Interference Is Decided in SquashWhen it is a let, a stroke or a no let in squash. Interference, hitting your opponent with the ball, turning and asking "Let, please", per the WSF Rules 2025.
- Squash Serve Rules and Court Lines: Service Box, Quarter Court, Tin and OutWhere you serve from in squash, where the ball must land and what a fault is. Service line, short line, tin and out line per the WSF Rules 2025, plus court sizes.
Badminton
- Badminton Court Dimensions: Lines, Net and Service CourtsA badminton court is 13.40 × 6.10 m: singles and doubles lines, net height, where the posts stand and why the doubles service court is shorter than in singles.
- Faults and Lets in Badminton: Net, Ceiling, Lines and Double HitsWhat counts as a fault in badminton and when the rally is replayed. Net touches, a shuttle on the line, the ceiling, double hits and every let, per the BWF Laws.
- Badminton Serve Rules: From Where, To Where and How HighWhere you serve from in badminton on an even and an odd score, why the shuttle must be below 1.15 m, who serves in doubles and what is a fault or a let on the serve.
Table tennis
- Table Tennis Doubles Rules: The Diagonal, the Order of Strokes and the Switch in the Deciding GameTable tennis doubles rules: serving right half-court to right half-court, alternating strokes, who serves after two points and the switch at 5 in the last game.
- Table Tennis Serve Rules: The 16 cm Toss, the Open Palm and the Hidden ServeWhat a legal table tennis serve looks like under the ITTF Laws: open palm, a toss of at least 16 cm, no hiding the ball, a let off the net and umpire warnings.
- Table Tennis Table Dimensions: Net, Lines and Edge Versus SideA table tennis table is 2.74 × 1.525 m and 76 cm high. How high the net is, where the lines run, why the edge is good and the side is not, and the racket rules.
Pickleball
- Pickleball Court Dimensions: Lines, Kitchen and Net in Metres and FeetA pickleball court is 6.10 × 13.41 m (20 × 44 ft), the kitchen 2.13 m, the net 91 cm at the sidelines and 86 cm in the middle. All lines per USA Pickleball 2026.
- The Kitchen in Pickleball: What You Can and Cannot Do in the Non-Volley ZoneThe kitchen, or non-volley zone, in pickleball: when you may step in, why momentum will sink you and why a serve on the kitchen line is out. Per USA Pickleball 2026.
- Pickleball Serving Rules: Who, From Where, To Where and HowThe pickleball serve : which side by the score, volley serve and drop serve, feet behind the baseline, the 10 seconds and the 0-0-2 call. USA Pickleball 2026.
- The Two-Bounce Rule in Pickleball, Balls on the Line and Playing Around the PostThe two-bounce rule, when a ball on the line is good, who calls out, when you may reach over the net and how to play around the post. Per USA Pickleball 2026.
Racquetball
- Hinders in Racquetball: When the Rally Is Replayed and When You Lose ItHinders in racquetball: when the rally is replayed (dead-ball hinder), when you lose it (avoidable hinder), who has to move and how appeals work. IRF 2026–2028.
- The Racquetball Serve: Zones, Faults, Screen Serve and 10 SecondsThe racquetball serve in detail: the service zone, short and long serves, the screen serve, drive serve lines, the safety zone and the 10 seconds. Per IRF 2026–2028.