Service Box
Also known as: service square, cuadro de servicio
The Service Box is the rectangular area diagonally opposite the server into which the padel serve must land — narrower than in tennis, making placement more demanding and slice/kick serves more effective.
A padel serve must land in the correct service box (diagonally opposite) after bouncing once in the server's own half. If the ball hits the side glass or back glass before landing in the box, it is a fault. Because the service box is small relative to a padel court, and the serve must be hit underarm below waist height, placement rather than power is the dominant serve tactic. Targeting the T (junction of the centre line and service line) or the corner near the side glass are the two most common placement strategies.
Example
The server aims a slice serve toward the side-glass corner of the service box; the low bounce kicks away from the receiver's backhand, drawing a weak return.
Why it matters
Missing the service box frequently wastes free points. SwingVantage tracks your serve landing distribution and highlights which targets you are missing most consistently.
Frequently asked questions
Can the serve hit the back glass after landing in the box?
Yes. Once the serve has legally bounced in the correct service box, the receiver may play it off the back or side glass.
Related terms
- ServeThe padel serve is an underarm delivery: the ball must be bounced once and struck at or below waist height into the diagonal service box. Power matters far less than placement and net advancement.
- Serve PlacementServe Placement in padel is the deliberate targeting of specific zones within the service box — the T, the wide corner, or the body — to create the weakest possible return and set up an easy net volley.
- Second ServeThe Second Serve in padel is the backup serve used after a first-serve fault — typically hit with more spin, less pace, and more margin to guarantee it lands in the box while still creating difficulty for the receiver.
- Golden Ball – Punto de OroThe Golden Ball (Punto de Oro) is a sudden-death deciding point played when a game reaches deuce (40–40), with the receiving pair choosing which player will receive the serve.
- Kick ServeA Kick Serve in padel is an underarm serve struck with topspin so that after bouncing in the service box it accelerates and kicks up or to the side, making the return more awkward than a flat serve.
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