Pickleball fits on a 20 x 44 ft court with a lower net, a restricted one-attempt serve and side-out scoring. Tennis uses a 78 ft court, an unrestricted serve with a second attempt, and 15-30-40 scoring.
A tennis doubles court (36 x 78 ft) has about 3.2 times the area of a pickleball court (20 x 44 ft).
The tennis net is 2 in higher at the center: 36 in against pickleball's 34 in.
Tennis allows any serving motion and a second serve; pickleball allows one serve, a below-the-waist volley serve or a drop serve.
Pickleball bans volleys from the 7 ft non-volley zone; tennis has no such zone.
Each row comes from the current rulebook for that sport: the 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook and the International Tennis Federation's 2026 Rules of Tennis. The rule reference sits under each answer.
| Topic | Pickleball | Tennis |
|---|---|---|
| Court size | 20 x 44 ft (6.10 x 13.41 m) for singles and doublesUSA Pickleball, Rule 3.A.1 | 78 ft (23.77 m) long; 27 ft (8.23 m) wide for singles, 36 ft (10.97 m) for doublesITF, Rule 1 |
| Area inside the lines | 880 sq ft (81.8 sq m)USA Pickleball, Rule 3.A.1 | 2,106 sq ft singles, 2,808 sq ft doubles (260.9 sq m), about 3.2 times the pickleball courtITF, Rule 1 |
| Space around the court | Playing surface at least 30 x 60 ft; 34 x 64 ft recommended for new construction and tournamentsUSA Pickleball, Rule 3.A.3 | Recommended at least 21 ft behind each baseline and 12 ft beside each sideline for international play; 18 ft and 10 ft for club playITF, Appendix X |
| Net height | 36 in (91.44 cm) at the sidelines, 34 in (86.36 cm) at the centerUSA Pickleball, Rules 3.B.6-3.B.7 | 3 ft 6 in (1.07 m) at the posts, 3 ft (0.914 m) at the centerITF, Rule 1 |
| How the serve is hit | Volley serve with an upward paddle arc, paddle head below the wrist and contact no higher than the waist, or a drop serveUSA Pickleball, Rules 7.C-7.D | Release the ball by hand in any direction and hit it before it touches the ground. Contact height is not limitedITF, Rule 16 |
| Second serve | No. A fault loses the rallyUSA Pickleball, Section 2 (Fault) | Yes. After a first-serve fault the server serves againITF, Rule 20 |
| Where the serve lands | The diagonal service court, beyond the 7 ft non-volley zoneUSA Pickleball, Rules 7.E, 7.E.2 | The diagonal service box, between the net and the service line 21 ft (6.40 m) awayITF, Rule 1 |
| Scoring | Side-out scoring: only the serving side scores. Games usually go to 11, win by 2; doubles scores are called as three numbersUSA Pickleball, Section 1; Rules 4.A, 6.B.2 | 15, 30, 40, game, with deuce and advantage or a No-Ad deciding point. Tie-break at six games all in a tie-break setITF, Rules 5-6; Appendix VI |
| Volleys | Serve and return must each bounce, and no volley may start inside the 7 ft non-volley zoneUSA Pickleball, Rules 10.A, 11.A | No zone where volleying is bannedITF, Rules of Tennis |
| Paddle or racket | Paddle up to 17 in (43.18 cm) long, with length plus width no more than 24 in (60.96 cm)USA Pickleball, Rule 3.D.2 | Strung racket up to 29 in (73.7 cm) long and 12.5 in (31.7 cm) wideITF, Rule 4; Appendix II |
| Ball | A USA Pickleball approved molded ball with holesUSA Pickleball, Rule 3.C | A ball with a fabric cover (the Stage 3 red foam ball is the exception)ITF, Appendix I |
A tennis court is 78 ft long, and 36 ft wide between the doubles sidelines. A pickleball court is 44 ft long and 20 ft wide. Center a pickleball court on a tennis net and it leaves 17 ft at each end and 8 ft at each side of the doubles lines.
It depends on how much space surrounds the tennis lines. Pickleball's minimum playing surface is 30 x 60 ft. One fits inside the 36 x 78 ft doubles lines. The ITF recommends at least 21 ft behind each baseline and 12 ft beside each sideline for international play. That makes a 60 x 120 ft area, which holds exactly 4 pickleball surfaces of 30 x 60 ft. With the club guideline of 18 ft and 10 ft, the area is 56 x 114ft. That has room for one full 30 x 60 ft surface; two courts side by side would each get less than USA Pickleball's minimum. Fences, posts and benches change the count, so measure the real space first.
For temporary lines and net setup, see the guide to playing pickleball on a tennis court.
The net is 36 in at the sidelines and 34 in at the center. Serve with an upward paddle arc, the paddle head below the wrist and contact no higher than the waist, or use a drop serve. You get one serve. Only the serving side scores, and games usually go to 11, win by 2.
Pickleball serving rulesThe net is 3 ft 6 in at the posts and 3 ft at the center. The server releases the ball by hand and hits it before it lands, with no limit on contact height, and gets a second serve after a fault. Games run 15, 30, 40 and game, with deuce and advantage or a No-Ad deciding point, and a tie-break at six games all.
We don't list prices, because they vary by country, club and brand. Both sports need a paddle or racket and balls. Space is the big difference if you are building a court. A tennis court with the ITF club run-back covers 56 x 114 ft (6,384 sq ft), about 3.5times pickleball's 30 x 60 ft (1,800 sq ft) minimum playing surface. Our pickleball court cost guide covers what drives the cost of a build.
Tennis players arrive with strokes, footwork and volleys. What they have to learn are the rules that tennis lacks: no volley may start inside the 7 ft non-volley zone, the serve and the return must each bounce, a volley serve is struck no higher than the waist, and only the serving side scores. New players starting with pickleball cover a smaller court with a paddle no longer than 17 in, against a tennis racket of up to 29 in.
Rule numbers in the table point to these editions. Leagues, clubs and events can set their own formats, so check local rules before you play.
Print the to-scale pickleball court diagram, check the net height guide, compare padel vs pickleball, or read the kitchen rules.
A tennis doubles court is 36 x 78 ft (2,808 sq ft). A pickleball court is 20 x 44 ft (880 sq ft), so the tennis court has about 3.2 times the area inside the lines.
Only if you lower it. A tennis net is 42 in at the posts and 36 in at the center. A pickleball net is 36 in at the sidelines and 34 in at the center, so the center needs to come down 2 in. A portable pickleball net is the other option.
It depends on the player. The pickleball court is smaller and the serve is restricted to an upward, below-the-waist swing or a drop serve. Tennis players also have new rules to learn: the non-volley zone, the two-bounce rule and side-out scoring.