Padel vs Pickleball
vs Tennis.
Three racket sports that get mixed up constantly. Here is exactly how the court, equipment, scoring and pace of play differ.
The short answer
Padel is played on an enclosed court with walls the ball can bounce off, using solid stringless rackets. Pickleball is played on a small open court with paddles and a plastic ball. Tennis is played on the largest open court, with strung rackets and an overhead serve.
Padel borrows its scoring system from tennis but its gameplay from squash. Pickleball is the odd one out - smaller court, no walls, and a completely different serve rule around the non-volley zone (the "kitchen").
Side by side
The walls make padel unique
The single biggest difference between padel and the other two is the enclosure. A padel court is surrounded by glass and mesh, and the ball is allowed to bounce off the back and side walls before a return, exactly like squash. This turns what looks like a winner into a defendable ball, which is why padel rallies tend to run longer than tennis or pickleball rallies at a similar skill level.
Neither pickleball nor tennis allow the ball to touch a wall or fence during play. If it does, the point is dead.
Why pickleball feels so different to play
Pickleball's defining feature is the non-volley zone, nicknamed the kitchen - a 2.13m zone either side of the net where players cannot volley the ball. This forces a slower, more tactical game near the net, which is a big part of why pickleball is so approachable for beginners and older players compared to tennis.
Padel and tennis have no equivalent restriction - you can volley from anywhere on your side of the court in both.
Scoring - padel and tennis match, pickleball does not
Padel uses the exact same point structure as tennis: 0, 15, 30, 40, game, with sets and tie-breaks. The only real scoring difference is star point (formerly golden point), which most padel clubs now use instead of deuce and advantage at 40-40.
Pickleball throws that whole system out in favour of simple rally scoring to 11 points, win by 2 - much closer to how squash, badminton or table tennis are scored.
Which one should you play?
Pick pickleball if you want the lowest barrier to entry - small court, light paddle, forgiving pace, and it is easy to find casual games.
Pick padel if you like doubles, want longer rallies with a social feel, and enjoy that the walls keep points alive longer than you would expect.
Pick tennis if you want the biggest court, the widest competitive scene, and a sport with pathways from club level all the way to the pros.
One app for all three
Whichever one you end up playing - or if you play all three - Scorepion tracks the correct rules and scoring format for padel, pickleball and tennis (plus squash, badminton and table tennis) from your Apple Watch or Wear OS watch. One tap per point, no menus to navigate mid-rally.
5 free matches - no card required