Why Is Pickleball Score Called 0-0-2?

Every doubles game starts with the server calling "0-0-2". The first two zeros are the scores, nil-nil. The 2 means the player serving is being treated as the second server, so when their side loses a rally the serve goes straight to the opposition rather than to their partner. It's a handicap on whoever serves first.

What the three numbers mean

In doubles you always call three numbers before serving:

1. Your team's score
2. The opposition's score
3. Whether you're server 1 or server 2

So "0-0-2" is nil, nil, second server. The full system is covered in pickleball scoring explained if you want the whole picture.

Why the first team only gets one server

Normally, when your side wins the serve, both of you get a go. Player one serves until your team loses a rally, then player two serves until you lose another. Only then does the serve pass over. Two bites at it.

If the team starting the game got that too, they'd have a clear advantage, two chances to build a lead before their opponents had touched the ball. Starting them on server 2 evens it out. They get one server, lose a rally, and hand over.

After that first side-out, the game runs normally and every team gets both servers.

"0-0-start"

You'll hear some people call it "0-0-start" instead, which was introduced to make the whole thing less baffling for beginners. It means precisely the same thing. Both calls are fine and you'll hear both at UK club nights, sometimes on the same court.

Who serves first?

Whoever wins the toss, spin, or whatever the group does. At most sessions I've played, it's a quick rally or someone just says "you go". Either player on the starting team can take it. They serve from the right-hand court, because the score is 0 and 0 is even.

What happens next, step by step

1. Serving team calls 0-0-2, serves from the right.
2. If they win the rally, it's 1-0-2 and the servers swap sides. Same player keeps serving.
3. They keep going until they lose a rally.
4. Side-out. Serve goes to the opposition. Not to the partner.
5. The new serving team calls 0-x-1 and starts with their first server.
6. From here, both teams get two servers each innings for the rest of the game.

So the "2" only ever appears at the start of a game in this way. Once the first side-out happens, the third number behaves normally.

Does it apply in singles?

No. Singles scoring uses two numbers, because there's no partner and therefore no first or second server. You'd just call "0-0" and get on with it. If you're playing with only two people, can you play pickleball with two people covers how singles works.

Does it apply to every game in a match?

Yes, each new game starts at 0-0-2, including the second and third games of a match. It's not a one-off at the start of the day.

A common mix-up

Beginners sometimes think the "2" means two points, or that it's counting something to do with the two-bounce rule. It isn't related to either. It's purely a server number.

The other frequent slip is the serving team's partner expecting a turn after the first rally is lost. They don't get one in that opening innings. Hand the ball over.

Worth remembering

If you only take one thing away: the team serving first in any game gets a single server, and "0-0-2" is how everyone on court is told that. It's a fairness rule dressed up as an odd bit of arithmetic.

Put it into practice

Scoring calls land much faster when you're saying them yourself in a rotating session. Loads of UK leisure centres run socials where you'll play four or five short games in an evening, Lee Valley VeloPark has four indoor courts at the Olympic Park, and Meadowbank Sports Centre runs social pickleball on marked indoor courts in Edinburgh. Drop-in fees are often around £5-£12, but check the listing since timetables and prices change.

Have a browse of pickleball courts in London and Edinburgh, or search your own town on the Pickleball Finder homepage.