Glossary
Padel, tennis and pickleball terminology in plain English.
Formats
Americano padel
Americano padel is a social tournament format where everyone plays with and against everyone, partners rotate every round, and each player has their own score.
King of the Court
King of the Court is a fast-paced racket sport format where winners stay on the main court and losers rotate to lower courts - quick rounds, high tempo, ideal for 30-60 min sessions.
Mexicano padel
Mexicano padel is an Americano variant where pairings are recalculated after each round based on standings - top players face top players, bringing competitive tension to the final rounds.
Mix-Americano padel
Mix-Americano is an Americano variant for mixed men/women padel evenings where the schedule ensures a balanced gender mix on every court each round.
Mixed doubles
Mixed doubles is doubles with 1 man and 1 woman per team. Popular format in club leagues and social tournaments.
National tennis league
A national tennis league (in NL: KNLTB-competitie) is the official team competition run by the national federation: spring and autumn seasons, 7-9 weekends, counts toward your rating.
Round Robin
A Round Robin is a tournament format where every player or team plays every other - no knockout, everyone plays the same number of matches.
Solo Ladder padel
A Solo Ladder is an ongoing padel competition where players individually challenge each other to swap positions on the ranking - no fixed rounds, runs all season.
Tennis ladder
A tennis ladder is a club competition where players challenge each other to swap positions on a ranking — no fixed rounds, running continuously through the season.
Rating systems
DUPR rating
DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) is the international pickleball rating system on a scale of 2.0 (beginners) to 8.0 (professionals).
KNLTB rating
KNLTB rating is the Dutch national skill rating for tennis and padel on a 1-9 scale where 1 is highest, based on official competition and tournament results.
Padel skill level
Padel skill level is measured in the Netherlands using the KNLTB 1-9 scale (1=highest) or club-internal ratings. Beginners sit around 8-9, advanced players around 4-5.
Rules
Deuce and advantage
Deuce is 40-40 in tennis. From deuce, a team must win 2 points in a row to take the game: first advantage, then game.
Dink
A dink is a soft, arcing shot played from the kitchen line into the opponent's kitchen — the strategic core of pickleball.
Golden point
Golden point is a padel rule where a single decisive point is played at 40-40 (deuce) instead of continuing with advantage scoring — faster and more dramatic.
Kitchen (non-volley zone)
The kitchen (officially: the non-volley zone) is a 7-foot zone on both sides of the net where volleying is not allowed — a defining pickleball rule.
Out of court (por cuatro)
'Out of court' (Spanish: por cuatro) is a padel rule that lets you return a ball that has left the court via a gap. A spectacular return technique.
Padel court walls
A padel court is 10x20 m enclosed by glass back walls and metal mesh side walls. The walls are part of the game — the ball may bounce off them.
Padel scoring
Padel uses tennis scoring: 15-30-40-game, with deuce/advantage or the golden point variant. Sets to 6 games with a tiebreak at 6-6.
Padel underhand serve
The padel serve is always underhand and with a ball bounce before contact. The ball must first land in the opponent's service box.
Pickleball scoring
Pickleball uses sideout scoring: only the serving team scores. Games to 11 points, win by 2. Tournaments often use rally scoring.
Pickleball serve rules
Pickleball serves are underhand, below the waist, and cross-court. The drop-serve variant has been allowed since 2021.
Tennis serve rules
Tennis serve: from behind the baseline, 2 chances per point, cross-court into the service box. Foot fault, let and double fault are the standard situations.
Third-shot drop
The third-shot drop is a soft arcing shot from the baseline into the opponent's kitchen — the shot that brings the serving team to the net.
Tiebreak
A tiebreak is a shortened deciding game played to 7 points (with a 2-point margin) when a set is tied at 6-6 in tennis or padel.
Two-bounce rule
The two-bounce rule: after the serve the ball must bounce at the returner's side, and the return must also bounce at the serving team's side before either can volley.
General
Padel shots
Padel has unique shots: lob, bandeja, vibora and wall-assisted smashes. Master them to go from beginner to advanced.
Pickleball
Pickleball is a racket sport played on a smaller version of a tennis court using a hollow plastic ball and paddles. Fastest-growing racket sport worldwide since 2020.
Singles vs doubles
Singles: 1-on-1. Doubles: 2-on-2. Differences in court size, tactics, and physical demand.
Social tennis night
A social tennis night is a low-key club event with rotating partners and no competitive ranking — social-first instead of performance-first.
Tennis court surfaces
Tennis has four main court types: clay (red), hardcourt, grass, and artificial turf. Each affects speed, bounce, and playing style.