In sports like tennis and padel, matches are scored in terms of points, games and sets. Therefore, if you want to have a good idea of what’s going on in a padel match, it’s vital that you understand what each of these things are!
When I introduce people to padel, I always get questions about the number of games in a set and if this differs from tennis at all. Because I’ve had this question asked many times, I thought it would be useful to write a quick post summarising the answer! So, if you want to know what a ‘game’ is in padel, as well as how many games there are in a set, stick around and read the rest of this post!
How many games are there in a padel set?
The minimum number of games in a completed padel set is 6, and the maximum number of games is 13. Padel sets are usually won by the team that is first to reach 6 games, but the team must also be leading by 2 games for this to occur. If they cannot do this, they will need to reach 7 games instead.
To explain the information above in a bit more detail, let’s look at a few quick examples. If the score in a set is 5-4 and the leading team wins the next game, taking the score to 6-4, they will win the set. This is because they have reached the required number of 6 games, and their opponent had won 2 less games. If the score is 5-5 and then one team wins the next game, making the score 6-5, the set will not end. This is because neither team has reached a total of 6 games whilst maintaining a 2-game lead.
If a 6-5 score occurs during a set, another game must be played so that the leading team has a chance to establish a 2 game lead and win the set. So, if the leading team does win the game and makes the score 7-5, they will win the set at this point. However, if the team that was behind wins the game and makes the score 6-6, a ‘tie break’ will be used to decide the winner of the set. Whichever team wins the tie break will be awarded the 7th game and will win the set 7-6.
Therefore, the only way to play the maximum number of 13 games in a set is by taking the set to a tie break, with one team winning the set 7-6. The only way to play the minimum number of 6 games in a set is by one team winning the set 6-0!
What Is A Game In Padel?
A game in padel is basically a series of points in which the same player will serve continually. Games in padel are usually won by the first team to score 4 points whilst leading by two or more points. Most people assume that the points in a game would be numbered 1-4, however this is not the case! The first point that a team scores is referred to as 15. The second point they score is referred to as 30, and the third point is referred to as 40. The fourth point is not assigned a number as it usually occurs when the game is won, so instead most people just usually refer to it as ‘game’.
So, if the serving team has won 3 points in a game, and the non-serving team has won 1, the score in that game will be 40-15. If the serving team wins one more point they will win the game. If both teams have scored 2 points, the score in the game will be 30-30.
So, what happens if the score is 40-30 and the team who is behind scores a point to make it 40-40? The next team to score a point can’t win the game, because they wouldn’t be winning by two or more points – they’d only be leading by one! Well, when the score is 40-40, this is referred to as deuce. In this scenario, a team must win two points in a row to win the game. So, if the score is 40-40 and team A scores a point, the umpire will say ‘Advantage Team A’. If team A scores the next point too, they will win the game. If team B scores the next point, team A will lose their ‘advantage’, and the game will reset to a score of 40-40 (deuce). This rule is used in all padel matches except for ones where the ‘golden point’ rule is in effect – and if you want to know what the golden point rule is you can read about it by clicking here!
How Many Sets Are Required To Win A Padel Match?
Now that you know what a game is, and how many games it is possible to play in a padel set, I should probably explain how many sets you’ll need to win in order to win a match! Thankfully, this is much simpler than the rest of the stuff I’ve explained to you in this post!
The vast majority of padel matches are ‘best of 3 sets’ matches. This means that there is a possible total of 3 sets to be played. Whoever wins a majority of the 3 sets will win the match. To put it simply, this means that the winning team will need to win 2 out of the 3 sets. There are also some padel matches that are ‘best of 5 sets’. Once again, the winning team needs to win a majority of the sets. So, a team in a best of 5 set match will need to win 3 out of 5 sets in order to come away victorious.
Conclusion
I hope that this post has given you a better idea of the number of possible games contained within a set, as well as the difference between a point, a game and a set. If you’re going to watch padel and understand it fully, these are some of the non-negotiable basics that you’ll need to understand!
If you’re starting to play padel and want more tips that will help you to win more points, games and sets, then make sure you stick around here at padeld.com as I’ll be providing you with plenty of technical tips in the coming months!