Padel vs tennis

What is the main difference between padel and tennis?

The walls. In padel the court is enclosed, and after the ball bounces it can rebound off the glass and still be played. That one change reshapes everything: rallies get longer, power is less decisive, and the team that controls the net usually wins. Tennis, by contrast, is played on an open court where a ball past you is a lost point.

The other big differences follow from the court and format. Padel is a doubles game on a court of 20 by 10 meters, with an underhand serve and a solid racket. Tennis is played as singles or doubles on a court of 23.77 by 10.97 meters for doubles, with an overhead serve and a strung racket.

How do padel and tennis compare side by side?

How are the serve and scoring different?

Scoring is nearly identical: 15, 30, 40, game; six games to a set with a tiebreak at 6-6; best of three sets. Padel more often settles deuce with a single deciding point. Since 2026 the professional circuits use the Star Point, which allows two advantages before a deciding point; our padel scoring guide explains it.

The serve is where tennis players need to reset. In padel you bounce the ball and hit it underhand at or below waist height, diagonally into the service box. The serve rarely wins points outright; it is a setup shot so the serving team can take the net. The rules, including the fault when a serve hits the mesh after bouncing, are in padel serve rules.

How is padel strategy different from tennis?

In tennis, the baseline is a safe place to rally from. In padel it is the defensive position, and the team at the back is usually trying to get forward. LTA Padel's coaches put it plainly: in padel, staying at the back of the court puts you at a disadvantage, and the walls change how you think about positioning and shot selection.

That shifts the shot mix. The lob is the most important shot in padel because it pushes the net team back and lets you take their place. Overheads are mostly controlled, sliced shots such as the bandeja rather than flat smashes, because a hard smash bounces off the back glass and comes back. Drives from the back are kept low and through the middle rather than ripped for winners.

Which tennis habits help or hurt in padel?

Several tennis skills transfer well: volleying, reading spin, footwork, and competitive experience. Tennis players usually rally comfortably in their first session.

Others work against you:

• Taking the ball early. Tennis players rush forward to hit before the glass. In padel, letting the ball come off the back wall often gives you more time and a better contact point. See how to play off the glass.
• Big swings. A full tennis backswing is slow on a small court. Padel strokes are shorter and more compact.
• Hitting hard from the back. Power from the baseline mostly gives the net team an easy volley.
• Flat smashes. Unless you can hit the ball out of the court, a flat smash usually rebounds into your opponents' hands.
• Wristy technique. A heavy, solid padel racket and a firm wrist work better than tennis-style wrist action.

How are padel rackets and balls different?

A padel racket has no strings. It is a solid paddle with a foam core, usually EVA or foam, inside a face of carbon or fiberglass, perforated with holes. FIP limits it to 45.5 cm long, 26 cm wide and 38 mm thick, and a wrist cord is mandatory. Rackets come in round, teardrop and diamond shapes, which change balance and forgiveness; beginners should start with a round, control-oriented model. Browse our racket database or the racket buying guide.

Padel balls look like tennis balls, but FIP specifies a diameter of 6.35 to 6.77 cm and a lower internal pressure, which slows the game slightly and keeps the bounce off the walls manageable. Shoes matter too: padel courts are usually sand-filled artificial turf, so court shoes with a herringbone or clay sole grip better than hard-court soles. See padel balls vs tennis balls and padel shoes vs tennis shoes.

Should you play padel or tennis?

If you want something social that you can enjoy from the first session, padel is easier to start: the underhand serve, small court and walls mean beginners rally quickly, and four people share one court. If you want singles, more open-court running and a sport with deep coaching infrastructure everywhere, tennis still offers more. Plenty of people play both; tennis players often find padel a good way to keep playing racket sports with less running per point. To find courts, see our padel club directory.

Sources

• International Padel Federation, Rules of Padel (review in force January 1, 2026): The Court, Net, The Ball, The Padel Racket, Rules 1 and 6. Checked October 11, 2026.
• LTA Padel, Padel tips and techniques (how padel differs from tennis tactically), checked October 11, 2026.
• LTA Padel, Master your lobs and Overheads, bandeja and the smash, checked October 11, 2026.
• Tennis dimensions and net heights from the ITF Rules of Tennis, Rule 1.

Browse all padel learning guides.