Rackets and balls
A padel racket is solid, perforated and no longer than 45.5 cm, with a wrist cord you must wear. Balls are like tennis balls but with less pressure, and must bounce between 1.35 m and 1.45 m from a 2.54 m drop.
The racket
A racket has a head and a handle. The whole racket is at most 45.5 cm long, the head at most 26 cm wide and 38 mm thick, and the handle at most 20 cm long. The face is solid, with holes 9 to 13 mm across in the middle; within 4 cm of the edge the holes may be larger or shaped differently. Both faces are flat, smooth or rough.
Nothing added, and the cord
Nothing may be stuck to the racket except small protectors or weights to stop damage or vibration, and nothing shiny or noisy that could distract. The racket must have a cord of up to 35 cm fixed to the handle, worn round the wrist. Losing the racket or breaking the cord during a point loses that point.
The ball
The ball is a rubber sphere covered in felt, 6.35 to 6.77 cm across and weighing 56 to 59.4 g, white or yellow. A new ball dropped from 2.54 m onto a hard floor bounces between 1.35 m and 1.45 m, and its internal pressure is lower than a tennis ball. Official competitions use balls the FIP approves.
At altitude
Above 1,000 m, thinner air makes balls fly further, so competitions may use special balls that bounce lower, between 1.22 m and 1.35 m.
Changing balls
Organisers say beforehand which balls are used, how many (two or three) and when they are changed: after a set number of games or at the start of a set. A lost or damaged ball is replaced straight away, with a new ball early on and a ball of similar wear later. When balls change after a set number of games, the warm-up counts as two games and a tie-break as one. Balls are never changed at the start of a tie-break: the change waits until the second game of the next set. If a change is missed, it happens when the pair that should have served with the new balls next serves. Play never carries on with only one ball.
Pytania
How long can a padel racket be?
No more than 45.5 cm, head and handle together.
Are padel balls the same as tennis balls?
They look alike, but padel balls have lower pressure and bounce lower.