Quick answer: Pickleball is played on a court about a third the size of a tennis court (20 by 44 feet vs 36 by 78 feet for doubles), with a solid paddle instead of a strung racket, a plastic ball with holes instead of a felt ball, and an underhand serve. It adds two rules tennis does not have: a 7-foot no-volley zone at the net (the kitchen), and the two-bounce rule. Games go to 11 points instead of tennis's 15-30-40 games and sets. Pickleball is easier to start, because the court is small, the ball is slow and the serve is simple. Tennis is harder to learn and usually harder on the body. Played at a high level, both are hard.
Pickleball vs tennis at a glance
Pickleball numbers are from the 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook. Tennis numbers are from the International Tennis Federation's Rules of Tennis.
| Pickleball | Tennis | |
|---|---|---|
| Court | 20 by 44 feet, singles and doubles | 27 by 78 feet (singles), 36 by 78 feet (doubles) |
| Court area | 880 square feet | 2,808 square feet (doubles), about 3.2 times bigger |
| Net height | 34 inches in the middle, 36 at the sidelines | 36 inches in the middle, 42 at the posts |
| What you hit with | Solid paddle, no strings; length plus width up to 24 inches | Strung racket, up to 29 inches long |
| Ball | Hard plastic with holes; slow and low-bouncing | Pressurized rubber with felt; fast and high-bouncing |
| Serve | Underhand only, contact below the waist; one try | Any motion, nearly always overhead; two tries |
| Serve that clips the net and lands in | In play | A let; serve again |
| Zone at the net | The kitchen: no volleys within 7 feet of the net | None; volley from anywhere |
| Bounce rules | Serve and return must each bounce (two-bounce rule) | Only the serve must bounce |
| Scoring | Games to 11, win by 2; usually only the serving side scores | 15, 30, 40, game; 6 games to a set; every point counts |
| Typical match | One game to 11 in rec play; best 2 of 3 games in tournaments | Best 2 of 3 sets (best 3 of 5 for men at the Grand Slams) |
| Most common format | Doubles | Singles and doubles both common |
| Invented | 1965, Bainbridge Island, Washington | Modern lawn tennis in the 1870s, England; first Wimbledon in 1877 |
The court
A tennis court is 78 feet long and 36 feet wide with the doubles alleys. A pickleball court is 44 by 20 feet, the same as a doubles badminton court. That is why a single tennis court can be relined for pickleball: with the room USA Pickleball recommends around each court (30 by 60 feet in total), a standard fenced tennis court area usually holds up to four pickleball courts. We cover the layouts in Can You Play Pickleball on a Tennis Court?
The lines are laid out differently. Tennis has service boxes that run 21 feet back from the net. Pickleball has the 7-foot kitchen right at the net, then service courts behind it that run to the baseline, 15 feet deep and 10 feet wide.
Paddle vs racket, and the ball
A tennis racket has a strung head and can be up to 29 inches long. A pickleball paddle is solid, shorter and lighter-feeling, with a flat face and no strings. A tennis ball is pressurized and covered in felt, and it bounces high and fast. A pickleball is hard plastic with holes. It moves slower through the air and bounces lower, so heavy topspin and huge swings matter much less.
Many first-time pickleball players who come from tennis notice how fast exchanges at the net still are, even with a slower ball. The players are only 14 feet apart when both teams are at the kitchen lines.
The rules that make pickleball different
The underhand serve
In tennis the serve is a weapon. In pickleball it only starts the point. You serve underhand, either as a volley serve (upward swing, contact below the waist, paddle head below the wrist) or as a drop serve (drop the ball and hit it after it bounces). It must clear the kitchen and land in the diagonal service court. You get one try, not two.
The two-bounce rule
In tennis, only the receiver must let the serve bounce. In pickleball, the return of serve must bounce too. So the serving team has to let the return bounce before they can volley. This keeps the server from rushing the net and makes the third shot of every point important.
The kitchen
The non-volley zone, or kitchen, is the 7 feet on each side of the net. You may not hit the ball out of the air while standing in it or on its line, and your momentum cannot carry you into it after a volley. You can step in to hit a ball that has bounced. Tennis has nothing like it. It is the rule that changes tennis players' habits the most, since charging the net and putting away volleys is exactly what it stops. More in What Is the Kitchen in Pickleball?
Scoring
Tennis scoring
Points go love (0), 15, 30, 40, game. At 40-40 (deuce) you need two points in a row. The first to 6 games with a 2-game lead wins the set, with a tiebreak at 6-6 in most events. Every point counts, whoever serves.
Pickleball scoring
Games go to 11, win by 2 (some tournaments play to 15 or 21). In standard scoring, only the serving side can score. In doubles, each team has two servers, so the score is called as three numbers: the serving team's score, the receiving team's score, and the server number. "6-4-2" means the serving team has 6, the other team has 4, and the second server is serving. A game starts at "0-0-2," because the first team gets only one server on its first turn.
USA Pickleball also allows rally scoring as a provisional option, where every rally wins a point no matter who served. Some leagues and pro events use it because games take a more predictable amount of time. Our pickleball scoring guide walks through a full game.
Which is harder, pickleball or tennis?
It depends on what you mean by harder.
| Harder to... | Usually | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Learn as a beginner | Tennis | A bigger court, a faster ball, a longer racket and a hard overhead serve. Most beginners can rally in pickleball in their first session. |
| Play for an hour | Tennis | More ground to cover, especially in singles. Pickleball doubles involves short bursts and less running. |
| Play well at the top | Both | Top pickleball depends on soft shots, the third-shot drop and fast hands at the net; top tennis on power, spin and fitness. Neither is easy to master. |
| Switch to from the other | Tennis to pickleball is the easier direction | Tennis players bring footwork, volleys and hand-eye skill, but have to unlearn big swings and learn the soft game. |
We did not find a solid head-to-head study of calories or injury rates for the two sports, so we are not going to give you numbers. In general, the more running a game asks for, the more energy it burns, and singles tennis asks for the most.
Switching from tennis to pickleball: what carries over
- Carries over: footwork, split steps, reading spin, volleying, the lob, and the habit of placing the ball rather than only hitting hard.
- Does not: the overhead serve, long loopy swings, heavy topspin off a high bounce, and rushing the net right after the serve (the two-bounce rule stops it).
- Brand new: the kitchen, the dink (a soft shot that lands in the opponent's kitchen), the third-shot drop, and calling a three-number score.
Tennis players also have a rating number of their own, the NTRP. Pickleball has skill levels from 1.0 to 5.5 and match-based ratings like DUPR. They do not convert one to one; see Pickleball Ratings Explained.
How many people play each
- Tennis: 27.3 million Americans played in 2025, a record, according to the USTA (from a National Golf Foundation analysis of two national surveys).
- Pickleball: 24.3 million Americans played in 2025, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, up from 3.3 million in 2019.
The two numbers come from different surveys with different methods, so treat them as rough. Both sports grew in 2025.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between pickleball and tennis?
Size and pace. Pickleball uses a much smaller court, a solid paddle, a slow plastic ball and an underhand serve, and adds the kitchen and the two-bounce rule. Tennis uses a large court, a strung racket, a fast felt ball and an overhead serve.
Is pickleball easier than tennis?
To learn, yes, for most people. To play at a high level, no; the top of pickleball is hard in different ways, mostly soft touch and fast hands at the net.
Can you play pickleball on a tennis court?
Yes. Many parks add pickleball lines to tennis courts, and a full tennis court area can hold up to four pickleball courts. If you use the tennis net for one court, lower it to 34 inches in the middle.
Is the pickleball net the same height as a tennis net?
No. A pickleball net is 34 inches in the middle and 36 at the sidelines. A tennis net is 36 inches in the middle and 42 at the posts.
Do tennis players make good pickleball players?
Usually they improve quickly, thanks to footwork and volleys. The common struggles are hitting too hard, not respecting the kitchen and learning the soft game.
Why do some tennis players complain about pickleball?
Mostly about sharing courts. When tennis courts get pickleball lines or are converted, tennis players lose court time, and the hard plastic ball is noisier than a tennis ball, which has led to complaints from neighbors in some towns.
Is pickleball scored like tennis?
No. Pickleball games go to 11 (win by 2) and, in standard scoring, only the serving side scores. Tennis uses 15, 30, 40, games and sets.
Made the switch?
For the former tennis player who is not going back:
- Tennis Was a Phase T-Shirt. $27.
- Tennis Was a Phase Hat, embroidered, adjustable. $32.
- Tennis Was a Phase Crewneck Sweatshirt. $42.
Sources
- 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook: usapickleball.org
- International Tennis Federation, Rules of Tennis: itftennis.com
- USTA, 2026 U.S. Tennis Participation Report: usta.com
- SFIA 2026 Topline Participation Report figures, as reported by Pickleball.com: pickleball.com