Golden point in padel: what it is and how it's played

If you've only been playing padel a short while, this will have happened to you: the score reaches 40-40, someone says "golden point", and suddenly the game is decided on a single ball. No advantages, no endless deuce. This article explains where that rule comes from, exactly how it's played, and what changes compared to the classic system.

What the golden point is

The golden point is a way of resolving a 40-40 tie in a game. Instead of requiring a two-point gap — which in the classic system can stretch a game out for minutes — you play one single decisive point: whoever wins it wins the game.

The difference from the traditional system applies only to that moment. Everything else is identical: 15, 30, 40 and game, six games per set, two sets to win a match in the usual format.

Who chooses the side on a golden point

This is the detail that causes most confusion. On a golden point, the receiving pair chooses which side they'll receive from. It's a genuine tactical decision: normally you put your best returner in front of the serve, or you target whichever opponent is having a rough day.

The server chooses nothing. They serve wherever the established order says.

Where the rule came from

The golden point took hold on the professional circuit as an answer to a practical problem: matches ran long and unpredictably. A tournament with three-hour matches is a nightmare for television scheduling, for court planning, and for the players themselves, who can end up playing two marathon matches in a single day.

With the golden point, duration becomes far more predictable. A game can't drag on, and that stops the set and the match dragging on too.

Advantages or golden point: which is better

There's no single answer — it depends what you're playing for.

The golden point works better if…

• You've booked the court for a fixed slot and want to finish on time
• You're running a tournament and need the draw to move at a predictable pace
• You play social matches and prefer the score to keep moving

Advantages work better if…

• You want the better team to win, not whoever nails one particular ball
• You're training and want to play points under sustained pressure
• Match length doesn't matter to you

The usual criticism of the golden point is that it introduces luck: a pair can dominate an entire game and lose it on one ball. The counter-argument is that playing well under pressure is part of the game too, and the system is symmetrical — it cuts both ways.

The star point: the 2026 evolution

The International Padel Federation introduced a middle-ground formula for 2026 known as the star point, designed to keep the best of both systems.

It works like this: at 40-40 you play advantages as always, but with a maximum of two. If two advantages are lost, the next point is decisive — a golden point in every sense, with the receiver choosing the side.

The idea is to leave room for sporting merit to decide without letting a game run indefinitely. It's the format growing fastest in federated competition.

The practical problem: remembering the score

All of this is fine on paper. On court, the reality is that halfway through the third set nobody remembers whether it's 4-3 or 3-4, let alone how many advantages have been lost in the current game.

It's the classic moment for an argument: two different versions of the score and nobody with the authority to settle it. In social matches you sort it out with good humour; in a club league or tournament, not always.

A digital scoreboard on court solves this without anyone having to keep count in their head. With Kronoset the format is also configurable: you can set it to classic advantages, golden point, golden point with super tie-break, or star point under the FIP 2026 rules, and the scoreboard applies the rule itself. You add the point by holding your racket to the sensor and it decides whether that closes the game or not.

Quick summary

• Golden point: at 40-40 one decisive point is played. The receiver chooses the side.
• Advantages: you need two points in a row from 40-40.
• Star point (FIP 2026): advantages, but a maximum of two; then a decisive point.
• The golden point shortens matches and makes them predictable; advantages reward consistency more.

Whatever format your club plays, what matters is that everyone knows it before you start. And that the score doesn't depend on anyone's memory.