Padel walls and enclosure

The rules allow two variations on the side enclosures. Variant 1 is a stepped arrangement: at each end, a first step 3 m high by 2 m long and a second step 2 m high by 2 m long, with metal fencing completing the enclosure up to 3 m across the central 6 m and up to 4 m at both ends.

Variant 2, the glass variant, has a wall area at each end zone three metres high by four metres in length with no step, and metal mesh completing the enclosure to four metres in height at the outer two metres. All dimensions are measured from the inside of the court.

The walls may be made of any transparent or opaque material — glass, brick and others are named — but always with the correct consistency and ensuring a uniform bounce of the ball. Whatever the material, the surface must be uniform, hard and completely smooth, allowing bodily contact or balls sliding along it.

This is the same principle seen in the table tennis table: the rules specify a playing property rather than a material, because what matters is how the surface behaves when the ball meets it. A wall that does not return the ball uniformly is not a padel wall.

The metallic fencing is always placed in line with the inner side of the wall, so the playing surface of the enclosure is continuous. Where the fencing is fixed to a frame, its upper part must be free of elements that are not part of the metallic structure — no cables, electrical boxes or light fittings.

Opaque walls should be a single uniform colour that does not affect the course of play and is clearly different from the floor surface colour. Logo imprinting or painting is allowed, but no more than one per single wall, and in dimensions and colours that do not interfere with players' vision.