When Do You Change Ends in Padel?

A scoreboard showing 2–1 means three games have finished in that set. The next end change is due now because the completed-game count is three. Do not look only at the leading pair's number.

Use this table during an ordinary set. The examples use a first-to-six-games set with the event's agreed tie-break arrangement. They are a counting aid, not a new scoring format.

Start with Pair A at the car-park end and Pair B at the clubhouse end. After game one, both pairs move to the other end. After game two they stay where they are. After game three they move again.

If the set reaches 3–2, five games have finished, so another change is due. The same instruction applies whether the scoreboard reads 3–2 or 2–3: the combined total is five in either case.

The names of the ends are only memory aids. Your court might have a door end and a road end instead. Pick clear labels before playing so 'this side' does not mean a different place to each pair.

A tie-break uses points rather than completed games for its in-progress changes. At 4–2, six points have been played. At 7–5, twelve have been played. Those combined totals identify the six-point intervals.

The table separates the end-change count from the service sequence. Changing physical ends does not restart the tie-break or create a new opening service turn. Keep tracking the next server independently.

Suppose a pair wins the first game, but everyone stays at the original ends. The players notice during the next game. FIP Rule 5 says to correct the end change when the mistake is discovered; earlier points remain valid.

If discovery follows a first-service fault, the same rule preserves the remaining second serve. Avoid using the physical move as a reason to restore two attempts. Agree the current score and remaining attempt before continuing.

Keep separate records for three separate things: physical court end, partner receiving position, and current server. The existing partner-position guide covers tactical left/right roles; it is not a substitute for this end-change schedule.

At the end of a game, call the set score and then ask whether the combined game total is odd. During a tie-break, add both point totals and check the next multiple of six. These counting habits work with a paper score sheet or an app.

Padel Pointer records supported match scores on Apple Watch and makes match history available on iPhone. Check the agreed format before starting; do not assume this guide promises an automatic changeover reminder. In an officiated event, follow the official's ruling on any disputed restart.