Pickleball and padel are two racquet sports that have recently seen enormous increases in popularity in the US, India and around the world.
Supporters of both sports now assert that their game represents the future of racquet sports, and they are competing for both worldwide attention and financial resources. So, what’s the difference between padel and pickleball?
Pickleball
Solid-faced paddles and specially made plastic balls with holes drilled for aerodynamics are used in the sport of pickleball. Pickleball’s lines are marked out on one side of a tennis court, and the game is generally played on hard courts. Although pickleball may be played on a variety of surfaces, including clay and hardwood floors, its plastic ball typically does not bounce high enough to offer a good playing experience unless it is on a harder surface, like a tennis hard court. Similar to tennis courts, pickleball courts include a net between the two sides. The playing area is marked with lines painted on the surface, which also include service zones and a pickleball-only region known as the “Non Volley Zone.”
Padel
The easiest way to characterize padel is as a variation of tennis played inside a squash or racquetball court with walls that can be used for play. Similar to Platform Tennis, it makes use of paddles with solid, non-stringed faces that have several holes for aerodynamics throughout the swing. Tennis balls are typically compressed to 14 psi, however, padel balls are compressed to 11-2 psi. Padel employs a decompressed tennis-like ball that has the bounce and consistency of a “green ball” tennis ball used by intermediate adolescents. Padel is played in sets and is scored similarly to tennis.Although padel is now primarily played on artificial grass fields, previous courts may have been constructed on concrete or asphalt, which are hard-court tennis surfaces. The playing area of a padel court is completely enclosed by non-opaque walls composed of glass or plastic, but it is similar to pickleball in that it is divided by a net and features lines on the floor designating the service zones. Balls that strike the walls before bouncing are considered “out,” however as long as they stay in play and have not bounced twice, balls that bounce off the walls after striking the floor can be played and returned over the net.
Difference Between Pickleball and Padel
1 – Court DimesionsCompared to Padel, pickleball has a significantly smaller court, measuring 20 by 44 feet, which is the same size as an international badminton court, which is how the court was adopted. A pickleball net measures 36″ along the poles and 34″ in the middle. One tennis court may accommodate two (and occasionally four) pickleball courts due to their compact size.A typical Padel court is 20 meters long by 10 meters broad, or about 66 by 33 feet, making it marginally smaller than a tennis court. Pickleball net heights are nearly identical to those of padel nets, which vary from 88 cm in the middle to 92 cm at the poles, or around 34″ in the middle and 36″ at the sides. The walls of the padel court are three meters high along the sides and four meters high in the back. On both sides of the court are apertures that permit court egress at midcourt.2- RulesThe distinctive feature of a pickleball court is the “Non Volley Zone,” which is the area closest to the net. Players are not allowed to stand inside these 7-foot zones on either side of the net, known as “The Kitchen,” while hitting the ball out of the air. Pickleball requires a level of patience not seen in its cousin games since players are prevented from stealing balls and slamming them while standing at the net by this zone, which is absent from padel and tennis.Pickleball service boxes stretch all the way to the court’s baseline from the non-volley zone line. Serves must be struck with an underhanded motion and contact cannot be made above the waist. Although they have evolved into offensive weapons in the modern version of the game, serves in pickleball were not originally designed to be such. In pickleball, players are only allowed one serve; if the serve is missed, the chance to serve is lost. Games are often played to 11 or 15 with a two-point margin, and points are scored while serving. In pickleball, doubles scoring is distinct since the server number is part of the score. For instance, a server would say “7-5-2” to announce the score. This shows that the server is the second server and that the serving team is up 7-5 in points. Although there are singles and doubles pickleball options, doubles play is much more common.Similar to tennis, padel service boxes finish before the back of the court and are situated closer to the net. To serve, servers have to stand behind their service box. Padel is not typically seen as an offensive weapon, and the serve must be made at waist level or lower. Padel can begin play with two serve opportunities. Similar to tennis, padel uses a 15-30-40 game structure to determine who wins each game. The winners of each game then accumulate up to win full sets. Singles Although padel can be played and several courts designed specifically for singles have been built, doubles is the most common variation of the game.Padel encourages a lot of controlled play, including strategic ball placement and lobs, because of its side and back walls. The point is scored if the ball crosses the rear wall directly during play; if it crosses a side wall, opponents have an opportunity to enter via the door and return the ball to play. In this area of play, the padel is distinct, producing some incredible shots and even more spectacular highlights.3- EquipmentsPickleball paddles have a solid face construction and have evolved from tennis racquets in terms of materials. Similar to older table tennis paddles, pickleball started off with wood paddles that used sandpaper on the face to produce spin. Today, most paddles have waffled cores with composite or carbon-fiber faces that add the required spin. Pickleball paddles have maximum surface area guidelines and are substantially shorter than tennis racquets, which are capped at 17″. Pickleballs are constructed of plastic and vary in the number of holes depending on whether they are intended for indoor or outdoor play. Indoor pickleballs have fewer, larger holes, while outdoor pickleballs have more, smaller holes. The top balls on the market have different playing characteristics; some are softer and play slower (but go out-of-round or become warped/lopsided more rapidly), while others are stiffer and play quicker (but will shatter more quickly). These differences are substantial enough that slower balls will lead to longer rallies during play, and some players’ games are better suited to faster versus slower balls.Similar in construction and composition to pickleball paddles, padel paddles are solid-faced racquets. Their maximum length is 45.5 cm, or almost 18 inches. The tennis-like ball used in padel is decompressed (11-12 psi) and has the bounce and consistency of a “green ball,” which is used by young people in the intermediate division. Although padel balls are made in “regular” and “speed” varieties, there are some minor differences in how they play. Because they are under more pressure, speed padel balls perform better in colder climates, on slower surfaces, and at lower elevations. Normal padel balls work better in warmer climates, on quicker surfaces, or at higher elevations since they are less compressed. Regardless of the outside setting and conditions, the two separate balls produce more reliable play.