Padel, pickleball and tennis all send a ball over a net with a racket or a paddle, yet they are built very differently. This guide compares them from the official rulebooks: the International Padel Federation (FIP) rules in force since 1 January 2026, the USA Pickleball 2026 Official Rulebook and the ITF Rules of Tennis 2026. Every number below comes from those documents.
Padel, pickleball and tennis at a glance
All three are net sports, but they differ in almost every number. Padel is played in doubles on an enclosed 10 × 20 m court where the walls are in play. Pickleball uses a 20 × 44 ft court with a non-volley zone next to the net. Tennis has the largest court, no walls and a serve usually hit overhead.
| Padel (FIP 2026) | Pickleball (USA Pickleball 2026) | Tennis (ITF 2026) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court | 10 × 20 m (32.8 × 65.6 ft) | 20 × 44 ft (6.10 × 13.41 m), singles and doubles | 23.77 m (78 ft) long; 8.23 m (27 ft) wide for singles, 10.97 m (36 ft) for doubles |
| Net at the centre | 0.88 m | 34 in (0.86 m) | 0.914 m (3 ft) |
| Net at the sides | 0.92 m | 36 in (0.91 m) | 1.07 m (3.5 ft) |
| Walls | glass and mesh, in play | none | none |
| Played as | pairs | singles or doubles | singles or doubles |
| Serve | bounce, then hit at or below the waist | volley serve (ball no higher than the waist) or drop serve | released by hand and hit before it lands |
| Scoring | 15-30-40, games and sets | points for the serving side, games to 11 | 15-30-40, games and sets |
| Hitting tool | solid perforated racket, max 45.5 cm | paddle, length + width max 24 in | strung racket, max 73.7 cm |
| Special rule | walls and glass in play | non-volley zone, two-bounce rule | none of these |
Court size and space
A padel court is 10 × 20 m (200 m²). A pickleball court is 20 × 44 ft (6.10 × 13.41 m), about 82 m², and the same court is used for singles and doubles. A tennis court is 23.77 m long and 10.97 m wide for doubles, about 261 m², which makes it the largest of the three before any run-off space.
- Padel: the court is enclosed, and the FIP rules ask for at least 6 m of clear height above it. Playing outside the court needs extra clear space beside it. Our padel guides include a full page on padel court dimensions.
- Pickleball: the rulebook sets a minimum playing surface of 30 × 60 ft (9.14 × 18.29 m) around the court.
- Tennis: the singles court is 8.23 m wide inside the doubles court, and the service lines are 6.40 m from the net.
Net height
The three nets are similar at the centre: 0.88 m in padel, 34 in (0.86 m) in pickleball and 0.914 m (3 ft) in tennis. The difference is at the sides. The padel net rises only to 0.92 m and the pickleball net to 36 in (0.91 m), while the tennis net is 1.07 m (3.5 ft) high at the posts.
The tolerances are tight in all three: 5 mm for the padel net and 0.25 in (about 6 mm) for the pickleball net.
Walls: padel's defining difference
Only padel is played inside walls. The court is fully enclosed by 3 m of glass or solid wall at the back with metal mesh on top, and by glass and mesh along the sides. After the ball bounces on your side, you may play it off the walls. Pickleball and tennis have no walls in play.
This changes the whole game. In padel a ball that goes past you is not lost yet: you can let it come off the glass and still return it. In pickleball and tennis, the lines decide whether a ball is in or out; in padel, apart from the serve, the walls are the boundaries.
The serve in padel, pickleball and tennis
All three sports serve diagonally into the opposite service area, but the technique is different. In padel you bounce the ball and hit it at or below the waist. In pickleball you either hit the ball out of the air with an upward swing, contact no higher than the waist, or drop it and hit it after the bounce. In tennis you release the ball by hand and hit it before it lands, usually overhead.
- Padel: stand behind the service line, bounce the ball, hit it at or below waist height with at least one foot on the ground. You have two serves.
- Pickleball: a volley serve must be hit with an upward arc, with the top of the paddle head not above the wrist and the ball no higher than the waist. A drop serve is also allowed: you drop the ball and hit it after the bounce. The serve must clear the non-volley zone and land in the diagonal service court.
- Tennis: you release the ball by hand and hit it before it touches the ground. You have two serves.
Scoring compared
Padel and tennis share the same scoring: 15, 30, 40, game, sets of 6 games and a tie-break at 6–6. Pickleball works differently: in its standard version only the serving side can win a point, and a game is usually played to 11 points, won by 2. The main differences are at deuce and in pickleball's side-out system.
Padel: advantage, star point and golden point
The FIP rules offer three ways to settle 40–40. With advantage, play goes on until one pair wins two points in a row. With the star point, after two deuces a single deciding point is played at the third. With the golden point, one deciding point is played at the first deuce. In both deciding-point options, the receiving pair chooses the side.
Sets go to 6 games with a tie-break at 6–6, best of three sets. The rules also allow a 4-game mini set and, instead of a third set, a match tie-break to 7 or a super tie-break to 10.
Pickleball: side-out scoring to 11
In standard pickleball only the serving side scores. If it loses the rally, the serve passes to the opponents (a side out); in doubles, both partners serve before a side out, except at the start of a game. The first side to reach 11 points with a lead of at least 2 wins the game.
Tournaments may play one game to 15 or 21 points, or best of three or five games to 11, always won by 2. Rally scoring, where every rally scores a point, is listed as a "(Provisional Rule)" option, not the standard.
Tennis: games, sets and tie-breaks
Tennis counts 15, 30, 40 and game, with advantage at deuce. A set is won with 6 games and a 2-game lead. The rules allow two kinds of set: the advantage set, which goes on until one side leads by two games, and the tie-break set, with a tie-break at 6–6. Matches are best of three or best of five sets. A No-Ad deciding point is an approved alternative.
The kitchen and the two-bounce rule
Two rules exist only in pickleball. The non-volley zone, known as the kitchen, extends 7 ft (2.13 m) from the net on each side, and you may not volley the ball while standing in it. The two-bounce rule says the serve and the return of serve must each bounce before they are hit, so the first two shots of every rally are groundstrokes.
Padel and tennis have no zone where volleys are banned. In both, the serve has to bounce before the receiver plays it, but after that you may volley from anywhere on your side of the court.
Rackets, paddles and balls
The three sports use very different tools. A padel racket is solid with holes and no strings, at most 45.5 cm long and 38 mm thick. A pickleball paddle may be at most 17 in long, with length and width together at most 24 in. A tennis racket is strung and may be up to 73.7 cm long.
| Padel | Pickleball | Tennis | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | max 45.5 cm | max 17 in (43.2 cm) | max 73.7 cm (29 in) |
| Width | max 26 cm | length + width max 24 in (61 cm) | max 31.7 cm (12.5 in) |
| Ball | 6.35–6.77 cm, 56.0–59.4 g | set in USA Pickleball's equipment standards | 6.54–6.86 cm, 56.0–59.4 g |
The padel rules limit racket thickness to 38 mm, set no weight limit and make a wrist cord compulsory. The pickleball rules set no limit on paddle thickness or weight, and paddles used in sanctioned play must be on the USA Pickleball approved list.
Which one suits you?
Each sport has its own appeal, and many players try more than one. Padel is played in pairs, and the walls give you a second chance on balls that get past you. Pickleball fits on a small court and its non-volley zone shapes play at the net. Tennis gives you the largest court and singles or doubles. The best test is to book a court and play.
If you come from tennis, padel will feel familiar in the scoring and the volleys, and new in the walls and the underhand serve. In the PFM – Play For More app you can find tennis and padel players at your level, create or join open matches and book courts at clubs that use PFM. Get the app or see the clubs that use PFM.
Sources
- Rules of Padel (review of application 01.01.2026), International Padel Federation (FIP)
- 2026 Official Rulebook, USA Pickleball
- ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, International Tennis Federation (ITF)
Frequently asked questions
- Is a padel court bigger than a pickleball court?
- Yes. A padel court is 10 × 20 m, or 200 m². A pickleball court is 20 × 44 ft (6.10 × 13.41 m), about 82 m², for both singles and doubles. A tennis doubles court is the largest at 10.97 × 23.77 m.
- Is the net the same height in padel, pickleball and tennis?
- Close, but not the same. At the centre the net is 0.88 m in padel, 34 in (0.86 m) in pickleball and 0.914 m (3 ft) in tennis. At the sides it rises to 0.92 m in padel, 36 in (0.91 m) in pickleball and 1.07 m (3.5 ft) in tennis.
- Do padel and tennis use the same scoring?
- Mostly. Both count 15, 30, 40, game, and play sets of 6 games with a tie-break at 6–6. At deuce the padel rules offer three options: advantage, star point or golden point. Tennis plays advantage, and its rules allow a No-Ad deciding point as an alternative.
- How does pickleball scoring work?
- In standard pickleball only the serving side can score a point. If the serving side loses the rally, the serve passes to the other side (a side out). A game is usually played to 11 points and must be won by 2. Rally scoring, where every rally scores, is a provisional option in the 2026 USA Pickleball rulebook.
- What is the kitchen in pickleball?
- The kitchen is the non-volley zone: the area 7 ft (2.13 m) deep on each side of the net. You may not volley the ball while standing in it. Padel and tennis have no such zone.
