What happens when the ball hits the fence (mesh) in padel?

When the ball hits the metal fence (the mesh) in padel, it stays in play if it bounced in that court first, and the point is lost if it hit the mesh on the full or touched the hitter's own mesh (FIP Rules 12, 14c, 13g and 13l). On the serve, any contact with the mesh before the second bounce is a fault (Rule 7e). The mesh is the part of the court where glass and fence are treated differently, so it is worth knowing exactly how.

What the rules say

FIP Rule 12 lists the parts of the court: the inside of the walls, the metal mesh fence including its frame, the ground, the net and the posts. Once a ball has bounced on the opponents' ground it may touch any of these and is still in play. The opponents then have to return it before it bounces a second time. So the mesh is part of the court, just like the glass, and the frame holding it counts as fence.

FIP Rule 14c confirms it from the hitter's side: if your ball bounces in the opponents' court and then hits their fence or wall, it is a correct return.

FIP Rule 13g covers the ball on the full. If you return the ball (directly or off your own walls) and, without bouncing, it strikes the opponents' walls, metal fence or anything unrelated to their court, you lose the point.

FIP Rule 13l deals with your own mesh. If you hit the ball and it touches the metal fence or ground of your own side, you lose the point. Your own glass is different: hitting it is allowed under Rule 14b.

FIP Rule 7e is the serve rule. If a serve lands in the correct box and then touches the metal fence before its second bounce, it is a fault. If it hits the glass instead, it is a good serve.

FIP Rule 15a covers the strange cases. If, after bouncing in the opponents' court, the ball goes through a hole in the mesh or gets stuck in it, the hitter wins the point.

Real match situations

The drive that runs into the side fence

You hit a cross-court drive, it bounces in the opponents' court near the side wall and runs into the mesh panel. Verdict: still in play (Rule 14c). The opponents have to deal with it before it bounces again. Because mesh absorbs pace and deflects unpredictably, this is often a winning shot.

The smash that hits the fence on the full

You smash hard, the ball clears the net and strikes the opponents' back mesh before it bounces. Verdict: point lost (Rule 13g). It feels like a great shot, but the ball needed to land on their ground first.

Your partner's volley clips your own fence

Your partner volleys close to the side wall and the racket sends the ball into the mesh on your own side, from where it drops over the net. Verdict: point lost (Rule 13l), no matter where the ball ends up.

The serve that kicks off the glass into the fence

Your serve lands in the box, hits the side glass and then rolls into the mesh before its second bounce. Verdict: fault (Rule 7e). The glass touch was fine; the mesh contact is what makes it a fault. A net serve that lands in the box and then touches the mesh is also a fault rather than a replay, because Rule 9.1a only allows a repeat if the ball does not touch the metal fence before the second bounce.

The ball gets stuck in the mesh

Your lob bounces deep in the opponents' court and wedges itself in the wire. Verdict: point won by you (Rule 15a). The same applies if it squeezes through a hole in the mesh after the bounce.

The ball lands on the fence frame

After bouncing in the opponents' court, the ball hits one of the metal uprights or the frame around a mesh panel. Verdict: in play. Rule 12 treats the frame as part of the fence, so it is the same as hitting the mesh.

Glass vs mesh at a glance

Common misconceptions

• "The fence is out." It is not. The mesh is part of the court under Rule 12. A ball that bounces first and then hits it is still live.
• "You can play the ball off your own fence like your own glass." No. Rule 13l makes your own mesh a lost point for your shot.
• "A serve off the fence is the same as off the glass." No. Rule 7e makes mesh contact on the serve a fault before the second bounce.
• "A ball stuck in the fence is a let." No. Rule 15a gives the point to the player who hit it, provided it bounced in the opponents' court first.
• "The metal posts of the fence are something different." The frame is part of the fence (Rule 12), so it is treated the same as the mesh.

What about the gate?

Many courts have openings in the side walls. If out-of-court play is not authorised and the ball passes through a gate after bouncing, the pair who had to return it loses the point (Rule 13d). When out-of-court play is authorised, a ball through the door is only lost if it bounces a second time or touches something unrelated to the court (Rule 13e). See out-of-court play for the full picture.

Social games vs official matches

Mesh calls are some of the easiest in padel, because the ball sounds and moves differently off wire than off glass. In social games the pair whose shot it was should call their own mesh touch straight away. The harder call is whether a shot bounced before it reached the opponents' fence, especially on deep balls into the corners. With an umpire, the umpire decides. Without one, the receiving pair, who had the best view of their own ground, normally makes the call. That is a club convention, not an FIP rule.

Playing balls off the mesh

The mesh kills pace and sends the ball off at odd angles, so the practical advice is simple.

• Do not wait for it. Unlike a ball off the back glass, a ball off the mesh rarely comes out where you expect. Where possible, play it before it reaches the fence.
• Give yourself space. Stand a little further from the fence than you would from the glass, so you can react to a dead drop.
• Use the fence when attacking. A smash or a víbora that bounces and then hits the side mesh is one of the hardest balls to return.

Learn the glass first, then adapt to the mesh. Our guide to playing off the back glass covers the rebounds you can predict.

Frequently asked questions

For how points are scored once a rally ends, see padel scoring, or go back to the rules of padel.

Sources

• FIP Rules of Padel (official rulebook)