The egg ball in padel: When is it good or bad?

Everything is laughter and good vibes during a padel match until a point ends with an egg ball. It is one of the moments that cause more doubts and discussions between rival couples and, therefore, we are going to tell you what it is and what to do when this happens.

What is the ‘egg ball’ in padel?

The first thing to know is what exactly is an ‘egg ball’. Well, this term is used when the ball coming from our opponents is deep and bounces right in the angle between the glass and the carpet.

In this situation, the debate starts with the fact that, normally, we are not clear about which part of the court it has hit first, the floor or the wall. The normal thing is that each couple tends to interpret this ball as they see fit and that is when the discussions begin.

This is what the rules say

If we consult the rules governing the paddle, we can see that this term is collected specifically and individually, so that the players have no doubt of the interpretation to be given to this type of ball.

What the rules say in this sense is that the ball is good, but it specifies that two situations can occur: that it comes out a little upwards or that it comes out a little more downwards.

When marking an imaginary line of 45º at the angle formed by the intersection of the glass and the floor, we would consider it good if it comes out slightly above that measure.

If, on the other hand, it comes out at an angle of less than 45º, then the ball would be considered bad, since we understand that the first contact has been with the wall.

So you can recognize the egg ball

The theory is clear and on paper everything seems very easy to interpret. However, during the game it can be very difficult to appreciate the bounce and the specific direction that the ball has taken after it, so it is important that we have in mind some tricks that help us, as much as possible, to recognize if it is good or bad.

Taking into account what is reflected in the rules, we understand that the ball will have touched the ground before if it comes out more upwards, that is to say, more vertical. Likewise, if it comes out more horizontally and forward, we assume that it has bounced more on the back glass than on the carpet, so it will be bad.

Despite this, the reality is not so simple, since the effect with which the opponent makes his shot can alter all this.

There is no exact science on which we can rely to correctly interpret these eggballs, but what is clear is that the best solution is to repeat the point in case of doubt and avoid entering into unnecessary discussions.