Who Serves First in Pickleball? Doubles and Singles
- by Dope Pickleball
Quick answer
Choose the first serve with a coin toss or another fair method everyone agrees on. The winner gets the first choice of serving, receiving, or court side; the other player or team makes the remaining choice. Once those choices are settled, the starting server begins on the right.
The part that surprises beginners comes next: in traditional doubles scoring, the opening team gets just one server before the serve passes to its opponents.
Why does doubles pickleball start at 0-0-2?
A doubles score has three numbers: the serving team's points, the receiving team's points, and the server number for the current service turn. At the start, both teams have zero points. Calling 0-0-2 identifies the opening server as the second server, so the first team does not get two serving opportunities before its opponents get one.
The opening server serves diagonally from the right service court. If that team wins the rally, it scores a point, the partners switch service sides, and the same player serves from the left at 1-0-2. The player keeps serving and alternating sides each time the team scores. When that team loses a rally, it is a side out.
Who serves after a side out?
When your team gains the serve, the player positioned on the right serves first. After the opening exception, both partners normally get a service turn. Server one continues until the team loses a rally; then the partner becomes server two. Losing another rally gives the serve to the other team.
Server one and server two are roles for that service turn, rather than permanent labels attached to each partner. You can be server one on one turn and server two on another. The scoring guide walks through a complete example.
Who serves first in singles pickleball?
Singles has one server on each side and uses a two-number score call: server's score, then receiver's score. Serve from the right when your own score is even and from the left when it is odd. In traditional side-out scoring, losing a rally gives the serve to your opponent.
Does rally scoring change the serving format?
Most recreational games use traditional side-out scoring to 11, win by two. USA Pickleball's rally-scoring format uses one server per team per service turn and a two-number score call. Confirm the organizer's format and target score before starting.
For your first doubles game, remember the opening call and the right-side starting position. Then focus on a legal diagonal serve and letting both the serve and its return bounce. The USA Pickleball rules cover the full serving sequence.
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