A doubles game starts at 0-0-2 because the team that serves first gets only one serve, not two. The player who opens the game counts as server 2, so a single lost rally sends the serve to the other side. The "2" at the end of the call is that server number. For more on the topic, see all our scoring guides.
What do the three numbers in 0-0-2 mean?
Before every serve in doubles, the server calls three numbers in a fixed order:
| Number | What it is | At the start of a game |
|---|---|---|
| First | Serving team's score | 0 |
| Second | Receiving team's score | 0 |
| Third | Server number, 1 or 2 | 2 |
The serving team always comes first. That is why the call changes shape when the serve changes hands. If the serving team faults at 5-3-2, the other team takes over and the call flips to 3-5-1.
The rulebook gives the same order: server's score, receiver's score, then the server number. If you want the full walk through of a game, read how to keep score in doubles.
Why does the first team get only one serve?
In a normal turn, each side has two servers. The first server serves until a rally is lost, then the partner serves until a rally is lost, and only then does the serve pass to the other team. Each side gets two chances before a side out.
The start of the game is the exception. Per the rulebook, only one player gets a service turn on the first service turn of the game. The player who begins is treated as the second server. When that server loses a rally, there is no partner waiting to take over, so the serve goes straight to the other team.
Think of the 2 as a signal. It tells all four players that the next lost rally ends this turn. The rulebook says so directly: the "2" means the serve goes to the other side when it is lost.
So the team that gets the ball first doesn't also get a double turn. Every turn after that has two servers. We can't point to an official statement of why the rule was written, so we stick to what it does.
Who serves first, and from where?
The game starts with the player standing in the right-hand service area of the serving side. That player always starts, and the team announces 0-0-2 because it gets only one serve.
Two things follow:
- The server stays on the right for the opening serve, because the team's score is 0, which is even.
- Their partner waits on the other side and does not serve until the team earns the serve back later.
What happens after the first side out?
When the opening server loses the rally, the serve goes to the other team. From this point on the normal pattern takes over. The new serving team gets two servers.
- The player in the right-hand court serves first, and the call ends in 1. If nobody has scored yet, their call is 0-0-1.
- If that server loses the rally, the partner serves, and the call ends in 2.
- If the second server loses the rally, the serve passes to the other team, which starts again at server 1.
A first server who loses the rally passes the serve to their partner. A second server who loses it passes it to the opponents. The server number belongs to the turn, not to the whole game.
Who is server 1 or server 2 at any moment? That is the part most players lose track of mid-game. The opening 0-0-2 is the one time the answer is the same for everyone.
What does the first minute of a game sound like?
Say Team A serves first and Team B receives. Here is a short run of calls, each said before the serve:
- Team A's server calls "0-0-2" and serves. Team B wins the rally.
- That is a side out. Team B's right-hand player serves and calls "0-0-1". Team B wins the rally and scores, so the same player switches sides and calls "1-0-1".
- Team B loses the next rally. The partner serves and calls "1-0-2".
- Team B loses again. The serve goes back to Team A, whose right-hand player calls "0-1-1".
Notice that Team A, which opened the game, had to wait for a side out before it got two servers. From step 4 on, both teams follow the same two-server rhythm.
What are the common mix-ups?
- Saying 0-0-1. This is the most common mistake. It gives the first team two serves, which the rules do not allow at the start of a game.
- Using the three-number call in singles. Singles has one server, so the call is two numbers.
- Thinking only the first game starts this way. Every game in a match opens at 0-0-2.
- Mixing up whose score comes first. The serving team's score is always first, even after a side out.
If a call sounds wrong, stop before the serve and sort it out. It takes seconds and saves a replay.
Try it
Pickle Call keeps the call for you. You tap the side that won the rally, and Pickle Call keeps the call in large type, with the server number and the serving side, starting each game at 0-0-2. It is coming to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
Bottom line
A pickleball doubles game starts at 0-0-2 because the first serving team gets one serve only. The opening server counts as server 2, so one lost rally is a side out. After that, every turn has two servers.
Questions
- Is the 0-0-2 start the same in singles?
- No. Singles has one server, so the call uses two numbers: your score and your opponent's score. There is no server number to say.
- Who says the score at the start of the game?
- The server says it out loud before the first serve. Say 0-0-2, clearly enough that all four players hear it.
- Can the first server be server 1?
- Not at the start of a game. The opening server counts as server 2, because the first serving team gets only one serve.
- Does every game in a match start at 0-0-2?
- Yes. Each new game starts the same way, with one serve for the team that serves first.
- What if someone calls 0-0-1 by mistake?
- Stop and fix it before the serve. In doubles the opening call is 0-0-2, and a first server who loses the rally would wrongly pass the serve to a partner.
