Padel · Guide
Padel vs tennis: the differences
Same scoring, very different game. Padel is doubles-only, on a court a quarter smaller, inside glass walls you can play off, with an underarm serve and a solid racket.
| Padel | Tennis | |
|---|---|---|
| Players | Doubles | Singles or doubles |
| Court | 20 m × 10 m, enclosed | 23.77 m × 10.97 m (doubles), open |
| Walls | In play after the ball bounces | No walls |
| Serve | Underarm, below waist height | Overarm |
| Racket | Short, solid, perforated, no strings | Longer, strung |
| Ball | Similar, slightly lower pressure | Standard tennis ball |
| Scoring | 15, 30, 40, sets to 6; star point at deuce in the pro game | 15, 30, 40, sets to 6 |
Why people switch
- Quicker to enjoy: the underarm serve and the walls mean long rallies even for beginners.
- Social: always four players on a small court, close enough to talk.
- Less running and less power: placement and patience matter more than strength.
What tennis players have to unlearn
- Rushing the ball. Letting it come off the back glass is often the right choice.
- Big swings. A compact stroke is more reliable with a solid racket.
- Smashing everything. A hard smash often bounces off the back wall and back into play. The controlled overheads, the bandeja and víbora, are covered in padel shots.
Quick answers
- What is the difference between padel and tennis?
- Padel is always doubles, on a smaller court surrounded by walls that stay in play, with a solid stringless racket and an underarm serve. The scoring is the same.
- Is padel harder than tennis?
- Easier to start, because of the underarm serve, small court and walls. At high level it is just as hard, with its own tactics and shots.
- Is padel good for tennis players?
- Tennis players adapt quickly, especially at the net, but have to learn to let the ball come off the glass and to swing more compactly.
- Is padel the same as pickleball?
- No. Pickleball is played on an open badminton-sized court with a plastic ball and paddle; padel is played inside walls with a pressurised ball.