Padel vs Pickleball
Both use underarm serves, solid paddles, and doubles formats. But they play very differently. Here's everything a pickleball player needs to know before stepping onto a padel court.
Padel differs from pickleball in three main ways: padel is played on a larger enclosed court (20m × 10m) with glass walls that are live in play, uses a higher-bouncing pressurised ball, and the serve is underarm with a bounce. Both sports use solid paddles and doubles formats — but the wall game makes padel tactically distinct. Here is the full comparison.
The quick answer
Padel and pickleball share a lot of DNA: underarm serves, solid paddles, compact courts, and a social doubles format. The big differences are the glass walls (padel uses them; pickleball doesn't), the ball (felt in padel, plastic in pickleball), and scoring(tennis-style in padel, rally scoring in pickleball). Pickleball dominates in the USA; padel dominates in Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. Both are great sports — and if you play one, you'll pick up the other quickly.
Padel vs Pickleball vs Tennis — 8 dimensions
Tennis sits alongside both sports since many players come from a tennis background or are choosing between all three.
| Aspect | Padel | Pickleball | Tennis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court size | 20m × 10m (enclosed) | 13.4m × 6.1m (open) | 23.7m × 8.2m singles (open) |
| Court surface | Artificial turf or synthetic | Hard court (asphalt / concrete) | Clay, grass, hard court |
| Walls | Glass back + side walls in play | No walls | No walls |
| Ball | Low-pressure felt ball (like tennis) | Hollow plastic wiffle-style ball | Pressurised felt ball |
| Racket / paddle | Solid perforated paddle, short handle | Solid paddle (graphite / composite) | Strung racket, long handle |
| Serve | Underarm, below waist, diagonally | Underarm, below waist, diagonally | Overhead (or underarm) into service box |
| Scoring | Tennis scoring + golden point at 40-40 | Rally scoring to 11 / 15 / 21 | Deuce / advantage at 40-40 |
| Players | Doubles (4) — almost exclusively | Singles or doubles (2 or 4) | Singles (2) or doubles (4) |
The courts: walls vs the kitchen
Padel court
- →20m × 10m — bigger than pickleball, smaller than tennis
- →Glass back wall + side walls are in play — the ball can bounce off them
- →Artificial turf or synthetic surface (not hard court)
- →Net at 88cm centre (slightly lower than tennis)
- →No "kitchen" / non-volley zone — you can volley anywhere
Pickleball court
- →13.4m × 6.1m — the smallest of the three sports
- →No walls — the ball is dead once it leaves the court
- →Hard court (asphalt or concrete)
- →Net at 86cm at ends, 91cm at sides
- →7-foot "kitchen" (non-volley zone) either side of the net
The walls are what define padel. In pickleball, once the ball leaves the court it's out. In padel, the ball can bounce off the back glass or side glass and stay in play — opening up a whole tactical layer around angles, letting balls exit through the wire at the top, and playing "por tres" (three-wall) shots. Learning to read the glass is the main skill jump from pickleball to padel.
Equipment: racket and ball
Padel racket vs pickleball paddle
Both are solid (no strings), but padel rackets are heavier (330–380g vs 200–250g for pickleball), have a shorter handle, and come in three shapes: round (control), teardrop (balanced), and diamond (power). The face has small perforations and a textured surface that generate spin. Beginner padel rackets cost £40–£80 / $50–$100 and most clubs rent them.
Your pickleball paddle won't work for padel — the ball is different and the weight balance is wrong. However, the feel of a solid face and the wrist action are transferable.
Padel ball vs pickleball
Padel uses a low-pressure felt ball — it looks identical to a tennis ball but bounces lower, producing longer rallies and more tactical play. Pickleball uses a hollow plastic ball with holes that flies differently and produces a distinctive "pop" sound. The padel ball's felt surface means it picks up more spin, and the lower bounce suits the turf surface and wall play.
Shoes
Padel is played on artificial turf, so you need shoes with a herringbone or omni-directional grip sole — the same type used for clay-court tennis. Hard-court shoes (what you use for pickleball) won't grip well on turf and wear down faster. Dedicated padel shoes are widely available from £50 / $60.
Scoring: tennis-style vs rally scoring
Padel scoring
- Points: 15, 30, 40 — identical to tennis
- At 40-40: golden point (one point decides — no deuce)
- First to 6 games (by 2) wins a set
- Best of 3 sets — tie-break at 6-6
- Only the serving team can score a point
Pickleball scoring
- Rally scoring to 11 (or 15 / 21 in some formats)
- Win by 2 points
- Either team can score on any rally
- Server announces: serving score – receiving score – server number
- No sets — single game format in recreational play
Padel's tennis scoring feels unfamiliar at first — calling "15-30-40" instead of tracking running scores. The golden point at deuce speeds the game up (no long deuce battles). Most recreational padel players learn the scoring within their first session, and the set format (best of 3) means you always know how the match is going.
Which is harder to learn?
Both padel and pickleball are designed to be accessible. Most beginners can have a fun game within their first hour of either sport. That said, there are differences in what each sport demands:
Serve: same in both
Both sports use an underarm serve below waist height into the diagonal service box. If you serve in pickleball, you'll serve in padel immediately — no adjustment needed.
Wall reading: padel only
The biggest new skill in padel is learning to read the glass walls. Beginners often instinctively back away from the back glass — the correct play is often to let the ball come off the glass and play it from there. This typically clicks within 2–3 sessions.
Kitchen zone: pickleball only
Pickleball's non-volley zone (kitchen) adds a spatial rule that padel doesn't have. In padel, you can volley from anywhere — there's no restriction near the net.
Scoring system
Pickleball's rally scoring is simpler to track in the short term. Padel's tennis-style scoring (15-30-40, sets) is more familiar to anyone who's watched tennis but takes a session to internalise.
Pickleball has a slightly lower floor — you're competitive faster because there are no walls to learn. Padel has a slightly higher ceiling and more tactical depth. For a pickleball player specifically, the crossover is very natural: the serve, paddle feel, and doubles tactics all transfer. Most pickleball players are having genuinely fun padel within their first session.
Which sport is growing faster?
Padel growth
- ✓25 million players across 90+ countries (FIP, 2024)
- ✓Dominant in Spain, France, Sweden, UK, Argentina, Brazil
- ✓Growing rapidly in USA, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Australia
- ✓Premier Padel and WPT broadcast globally on DAZN
- ✓Thousands of new courts opening annually in Europe
Pickleball growth
- ✓36+ million players in the USA (SFIA, 2023)
- ✓Fastest-growing sport in the United States 3 years running
- ✓Growing in Canada, Australia, India, and the UK
- ✓Major League Pickleball attracting celebrity investors
- ✓Lower infrastructure cost than padel (repurposed tennis courts)
In raw global footprint, padel is ahead: it's the established sport in most of Europe and Latin America, and it's expanding fast into markets where padel courts are a new luxury amenity (Middle East, USA, Southeast Asia). Pickleball has an enormous and deeply-engaged US base that is starting to export globally. The two sports are not really competing — they're growing different markets, and many players end up playing both.
Pickleball player? Here's what to expect in your first padel session
Padel vs Pickleball — FAQs
Is padel harder than pickleball?
For most adults, padel has a slightly steeper initial learning curve than pickleball because of the glass walls — understanding angles and when to let the ball come off the back glass takes a few sessions. However, both sports are designed to be accessible: underarm serves, compact courts, and doubles formats mean beginners are enjoying good rallies within their first hour. Experienced pickleball players typically find padel very approachable.
Can pickleball players learn padel quickly?
Yes — pickleball players pick up padel faster than most other groups. The serve motion is almost identical (underarm, below waist, diagonally), the paddle feel is similar, and the social doubles format is the same. The main new skill is reading the glass walls: instead of treating them as obstacles, you learn to use them as part of your shot selection. Most pickleball players are playing enjoyable padel within two or three sessions.
Which sport is growing faster — padel or pickleball?
Both are growing fast, but in different regions. Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the United States, with an estimated 36 million players. Padel is the fastest-growing racket sport globally, with 25 million players in 90+ countries, dominant growth in Europe (Spain, France, Sweden, UK), Latin America, and the Middle East. Globally, padel's infrastructure investment is larger — thousands of clubs are being built annually in Europe alone.
What equipment do I need to switch from pickleball to padel?
You need a padel racket (also called a padel paddle) — solid, perforated, typically foam-core. Your pickleball paddle won't work as the ball and court are different. You'll also need padel balls (low-pressure, felt-covered, similar to tennis balls) and ideally padel shoes with an herringbone or omni-directional sole suited for the turf surface. A beginner padel racket costs £40–£80 / $50–$100 and most clubs rent them for your first sessions.
Are there padel coaches near me?
Yes — padel coaching is available in most major cities worldwide and growing fast in the US, UK, and Australia. Use Padel Coach Finder to search for qualified padel coaches by city. Whether you're a complete beginner or an experienced pickleball player wanting to add padel to your game, a qualified coach will get you up to speed in your first session.
Find a padel coach near you
A qualified padel coach will get you reading the walls and enjoying the game in your first session — whether you're a pickleball convert, tennis player, or brand new to racket sports.
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