The Australian Formation in Padel (UK 2026)

In the conventional serving formation, the server's partner stands at the net on the opposite side of the court to the server - one player covers each side. In the Australian formation, the server's partner instead stands at the net on the same side as the server. Both players start the point stacked on one half of the court.

Because that leaves the other half open, the server moves quickly across after delivering the serve to fill the empty side. So the pair effectively swaps which side each player covers, all triggered by where the net partner stands at the start.

It solves specific problems:

• It disrupts the cross-court return. Most returners have a favoured, reliable cross-court reply. By stacking the net partner on that diagonal, you take that target away and force the returner to change their shot - often into a riskier down-the-line attempt.
• It lets each player stay on their best side. If both players prefer, say, their forehand in the middle, the Australian formation lets them set up so each covers the side they play best.
• It creates doubt. Unpredictability at the net pressures the returner into errors. Research on padel even found that higher-level players use the Australian formation significantly more than beginners do - it's a mark of tactical maturity.

The mechanics, step by step:

• The net partner sets up on the server's side, close to the net, signalling the formation before the point.
• Serve down the middle or into the body. These are the most effective serves from the Australian set-up, because they cut the returner's angles and play into the half you're already covering.
• The server sprints across immediately after contact to fill the open side - this is the demanding part, and studies note servers have to move quicker in this formation.
• Communicate every time. Both players must know it's on, who's covering what, and the planned serve. A behind-the-back hand signal is the usual way to call it.

It pairs naturally with strong communication and an understanding of doubles positioning.

Use it when an opponent has a strong, predictable cross-court return you want to neutralise, when you're being out-rallied and need to change the rhythm, or to let your pair both play their stronger side. It's an intermediate-to-advanced tool - get your return and basic positioning solid first.

To counter it when you're returning: expect the middle or body serve, be ready to go down the line into the space the server is vacating, and lob over the net partner to exploit the temporary gap as the server scrambles across. The Australian formation trades court coverage for disruption, so a returner who stays calm and targets the open space can punish it.