A comparison between padel and pickleball is inevitable. While padel is by far the fastest-growing racket sport in the world, pickleball is the fastest-growing racket sport in the USA. So, how much overlap is there?
Although pickleball and padel may look similar at first glance, the truth is that they evolved from completely different sports. Pickleball evolved from badminton, while padel evolved from tennis. This means very different court dimensions, scoring systems, and rules.
In padel, the ball can be hit after it has hit the transparent glass walls, while in pickleball you play on an open court where there is no possibility of a ball bouncing off the glass.
Singles and Doubles
If you enjoy playing doubles, both games are ideal. However, in padel, doubles are played on a standard padel court. There are a few singles courts specifically built for padel, but the vast majority are doubles courts. In contrast, pickleball isn't restricted; you can play either singles or doubles on the same court.
In pickleball, there's a so-called non-volley zone, also known as the "kitchen." This zone is treated differently. Read the rules here.
bat
The striking surface of the padel racket is thicker and perforated, while the pickleball padel has a solid striking surface.
ball
The ball used in padel is very similar to the tennis ball, with the difference that padel balls have less pressure, so they bounce lower.
In pickleball, you use a perforated plastic ball that moves much more slowly through the air.
Both sports tend to have long rallies. In pickleball, this is due to the slow Wiffleball, while in padel, it is the surrounding walls that keep the ball in play.
network
In both games, the playing field is divided by a net. In pickleball, there are lines on each side of the court similar to those in badminton, while in padel, the lines resemble those used for the serve blocks on a tennis court.
Field size
Pickleball 13.41 x 6.1 meters (like a badminton court) vs. Paddle 20 x 10 meters.
Game feel
Playing pickleball gives the feeling of standing on a large ping-pong table, while padel feels like playing on a short tennis court.
Rules of the game
They are very different.
