Padel vs pickleball

Two of the fastest growing sports in the world – but what are the differences between padel and pickleball? Get the full comparison of padel and pickleball and find out how you can get involved in both.

Padel and pickleball are different sports. The main differences are: 

• Padel is played on an enclosed court with walls; pickleball is played on an open court 
• Padel uses lower-pressure tennis balls; pickleball uses solid plastic balls 
• Padel is usually doubles; pickleball can be singles or doubles 
• Padel allows wall rebounds; pickleball does not 

What are the differences between padel and pickleball courts?

Padel and pickleball courts differ in size, layout, and how they are used during play. 

A padel court is 20m x 10m, while a pickleball court is smaller at 13.41m x 6.09m. The layout also differs – padel follows a tennis-style format with service boxes near the net, whereas pickleball includes a no-volley zone (“kitchen”) close to the net. 

The biggest difference is how the court is used. In padel, the court is enclosed with glass walls that are part of the game, allowing the ball to rebound during rallies. Pickleball is played on an open court, with no walls involved.

Find a padel court

Find a pickleball court

What are the different types of equipment for padel and pickleball?

While both only require a racket and a ball, they are slightly different.

Let’s start with the racket. A padel racket is perforated with a pattern of holes and is often made of either carbon fibre or fibreglass. The racket is shorter than a tennis racket for example but has a much thicker head to absorb the impact when hitting the ball. The head can come in a few different shapes designed for different styles, e.g., round-shaped for control and diamond-shaped for power.

Pickleball however, uses a thin plastic racket with a rectangular shaped head. However, they can come in different sizes as long as the length and width are equal to or less than 24in and they aren’t longer than 17in.

The ball is also different. Padel uses a lower-pressure tennis ball, while pickleball uses a lightweight plastic ball with holes, which reduces bounce and speed. 

Key differences: 

• Padel uses solid rackets with holes; pickleball uses flat paddles 
• Padel balls are low-pressure; pickleball balls are plastic with holes 
  Pickleball equipment produces less bounce and slower play

Pickleball equipment guide

What are the rule differences between padel and pickleball?

Padel is traditionally only played as doubles, while pickleball can be both singles and doubles.

Both sports start with an underarm serve diagonally into the opponent’s service box before playing the point out. In both padel and pickleball the ball can only bounce once.

Padel is unique in that you can hit the ball off the walls or let the ball hit the wall to help you make a return. When you play a shot to your opponent it must bounce on their side of the court before hitting the wall – otherwise your shot is out. 

Read more about the rules of padel

In pickleball, there must be one shot on either side of the net (including the serve) before you can play a volley. To play a volley you must be stood outside of the ‘kitchen’ area on the court.

Key differences: 

• Padel is usually played as doubles only 
• Pickleball can be played as singles or doubles 
• Padel allows wall rebounds; pickleball does not 
• Pickleball includes a no-volley zone near the net 

How to get started in padel

Start playing pickleball

Scoring in padel vs pickleball

Scoring in padel is the same as tennis and is most commonly played as sets and games. To win one set, you have to win six games and be leading by two clear games.

Similarly, to clinch a game, you must win four points with a two-point advantage. Games are scored as:

• 15 – one point
• 30 – two points
• 40 – three points

If the game goes to 40-40, this is called ‘deuce’. You will still need to win by two clear points – whoever wins the next point will have ‘advantage’ and will then need to claim the following point to seal the game. If you lose the advantage point, it’s back to deuce.

Pickleball is scored as a first to 11 points, but this must be by two clear points. The score is called as the server first, then the returners, followed by the serve number. For example, the score could be 5-3-2, which would mean the serving team are 5-3 up, but are now on their second server after losing a point on serve already.

Key differences: 

• Padel uses tennis-style scoring 
• Pickleball is played to 11 points 
• Both require a two-point winning margin 

What are the different shots used in padel and pickleball?

A lot of the shots a very similar – both require an underarm serve; you play groundstrokes off both sides, and you hit volleys.

In padel there are a couple of different shots that you should know as well. For example, La Chiquita, which is a slow and soft shot bouncing below your opponent’s side of the net, which can be useful if they are trying to play forward and more attacking. You also have La Bandeja, which is a slow smash where you cut across the ball to reduce the bounce.

However, in pickleball you have shots like the ‘dink’, which can only be used near the net, or in the kitchen area of the court. A dink is a very soft shot that just about reaches over the net, making it difficult to return – much like a drop shot in tennis.