Beginner's guide
Pickleball vs padel vs tennis
Pickleball, padel and tennis differ in court size, equipment and how a rally develops. Pickleball uses a solid paddle, plastic ball and kitchen rule. Padel uses an enclosed court with walls in play and a perforated paddle. Tennis uses a strung racquet and a larger court, with different widths for singles and doubles.
Reviewed by the NPL Professional Pathways team · Updated
The differences at a glance
| Feature | Pickleball | Padel | Tennis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court | 6.10 m × 13.41 m | 20 m × 10 m | 23.77 m × 10.97 m doubles; 8.23 m singles width |
| Net at centre | 86.4 cm | 88 cm | 0.914 m |
| Net at sides | 91.4 cm at sidelines | 92 cm at posts | 1.07 m at posts |
| Equipment | Solid paddle; perforated plastic ball | Solid perforated paddle; lower-pressure tennis-like ball | Strung racquet; felt-covered ball |
| Walls | Not part of normal play | Glass and mesh enclosure in play under the rules | Not part of normal play |
| Serve | Underhand volley serve or drop serve | Underhand after a bounce | Hit before the ball bounces; usually overhead |
| Format | Singles or doubles, same court | Almost always doubles | Singles or doubles, different widths |
Court sizes and net heights
Pickleball's marked court is 20 ft × 44 ft (6.10 m × 13.41 m), whether you play singles or doubles. Its net is 36 in (91.4 cm) at the sidelines and 34 in (86.4 cm) in the centre. The kitchen occupies the area next to the net rather than adding to the court's length.
Padel uses a 20 m × 10 m enclosed court. The net is 88 cm at the centre and 92 cm at the posts. Tennis uses a court 23.77 m long, with a doubles width of 10.97 m and singles width of 8.23 m. Its net is 0.914 m at the centre and 1.07 m at the posts.
These are court dimensions, not complete facility footprints. Pickleball needs surrounds beyond the lines; padel needs its enclosure and access; tennis also needs room outside the marked court. Comparing only the rectangles does not tell you how many courts a site can safely accommodate.
Paddles, racquets and balls
Pickleball is played with a solid-faced paddle and a perforated plastic ball. A padel paddle is solid but perforated, while a tennis racquet uses strings. Those differences change the feel of contact, so equipment should not be treated as interchangeable just because all three sports involve hitting across a net.
The padel ball is pressurised and similar to a tennis ball, but with lower pressure. Pickleball's plastic ball behaves differently from either. Choose the ball specified by the venue or event instead of carrying tennis equipment onto a padel or pickleball court and assuming it meets the playing requirements.
The serve and the opening shots
Pickleball's volley serve is underhand and must satisfy the rulebook's contact requirements; a legal drop serve is another option. The serve travels diagonally beyond the kitchen. The receiving side lets it bounce, and the serving side must let the return bounce before volleys are permitted.
Padel begins with an underhand serve after the server bounces the ball. Tennis requires the server to strike the ball before it bounces, usually with an overhead action. Do not transfer a tennis-style let assumption to pickleball: a pickleball serve clipping the net and landing legally is played on.
Kitchen rules versus walls
Pickleball's kitchen changes where volleys can be played. You may step into the non-volley zone for a bounced ball, but not volley while touching it or be carried into it by your volley momentum. It is a specific restriction near the net, not a general ban on moving forward.
Padel's glass and mesh enclosure are part of the game under the FIP rules. A ball can remain live after a legal bounce and rebound, so reading the walls becomes part of the rally. That does not mean every direct hit into a wall or fence is legal: the order of contacts and the serve rules matter.
Tennis does not use surrounding walls to extend ordinary rallies. These distinctions are a better starting point than saying one sport is simply smaller tennis. Each has its own movement patterns, decisions and legal ways to return the ball.
Scoring and playing formats
Traditional pickleball uses side-out scoring: only the serving side scores. Some formats use rally scoring instead, so check the published conditions. Tennis and padel commonly use points, games and sets; their governing rules also allow specified alternative scoring methods. A familiar score call does not make their other rules identical.
Padel is almost always doubles. Pickleball and tennis offer both singles and doubles, but only tennis changes the marked court width between those formats. Choose a session by its actual format, not by assuming a doubles-focused venue also runs singles at the same time.
Trying the sports in Australia
For padel, explore The Jar's padel and PARK Racquet Club. Their booking pages confirm locations, availability and equipment. For pickleball, check the relevant city guide and session format.
Court coverage, wall rebounds and kitchen rules create different learning tasks. When changing sports, learn the serve, boundaries and scoring before transferring familiar tactics.
Find a court and keep learning
Use Where to Play to find a local venue, then check its booking information. The Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane city guides connect the basics to places you can actually play. Confirm the session format and equipment arrangements with the venue before booking.
For your first game, read the pickleball rules and scoring guide. If a session asks for a rating, DUPR ratings explained covers that separately. Planning a facility rather than a session? Build a Court is the place to discuss the site, surface and surrounds without assuming that a painted rectangle is the whole project.