Reference · Court
Pickleball vs. tennis court size, with badminton and padel
Four racket-sport courts side by side, taken from each sport's own rulebook: how big each one is, where the lines and nets sit, and how much room each needs around it.
A pickleball court is 20 ft wide and 44 ft long (2026 USA Pickleball rulebook, Rule 3.A.1). A tennis doubles court is 36 by 78 ft (ITF 2026 Rules of Tennis), a little over three times the area. The BWF badminton doubles court has the same footprint as pickleball to within a fraction of an inch, and a 10 by 20 m padel court (FIP) falls between pickleball and tennis. Every pickleball measurement on its own is on pickleball court dimensions; net setup is on the net height checklist.
Court size at a glance
| Sport | Rules used | Doubles court | Singles court | Area (doubles) | vs. pickleball |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pickleball | USA Pickleball 2026, Rule 3.A.1 | 20 × 44 ft (6.10 × 13.41 m) | Same court | 880 sq ft (81.8 m²) | 1× |
| Badminton | BWF Laws of Badminton, Law 1 | 6.10 × 13.40 m (20 × 44 ft) | 5.18 m (17 ft) wide, same length | 81.7 m² (about 880 sq ft) | 1× |
| Padel | FIP Rules of Padel (applies from Jan. 1, 2026) | 10 × 20 m inside the walls, ±0.5% (32.8 × 65.6 ft) | None: the rules are written for pairs | 200 m² (2,153 sq ft) | About 2.4× |
| Tennis | ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 1 | 36 × 78 ft (10.97 × 23.77 m) | 27 × 78 ft (8.23 × 23.77 m) | 2,808 sq ft (about 261 m²) | About 3.2× |
Areas, ratios and metric-to-feet conversions (1 m = 3.2808 ft) are calculated here from the rulebook dimensions. Even a tennis singles court (2,106 sq ft) is about 2.4 times a pickleball court.
- Tennis doubles court: 36 × 78 ft; service lines 21 ft from the net (ITF Rule 1).
- Tennis singles sideline: singles court 27 ft wide (ITF Rule 1).
- Padel court: 10 × 20 m inside the walls (FIP).
- Pickleball court: 20 × 44 ft (USAP 3.A.1). Its outline is also the badminton doubles court, 6.10 × 13.40 m (BWF Law 1).
- Pickleball non-volley zone: 7 ft deep on each side of the net (USAP 3.A.4.c).
- Badminton singles sideline: singles court 5.18 m (17 ft) wide.
- Badminton doubles long service line: 0.76 m (2 ft 6 in) inside the back boundary. The dashed line near the net is the short service line, 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) from the net.
- Net line, shared by all four courts; dots mark the tennis posts, 3 ft outside the doubles sidelines.
Lines inside the court
| Sport | Lines near the net | Service area | Line width |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickleball | Non-volley zone line 7 ft from the net (3.A.4.c) | Service courts 10 ft wide and 15 ft deep, from the non-volley-zone line to the baseline, split by a centerline (3.A.4.d, 3.A.4.f) | 2 in, measured to the outside edge of perimeter and NVZ lines (3.A.2, 3.A.4.e) |
| Badminton | Short service line 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) from the net | A serve must pass the short service line; in doubles the service court ends at a long service line 0.76 m (2 ft 6 in) inside the back boundary | 40 mm (about 1.6 in) |
| Padel | Service lines 6.95 m (22.8 ft) from the net | Central service line splits each side and runs at least 20 cm past the service line | 5 cm (about 2 in) |
| Tennis | Service lines 21 ft (6.40 m) from the net | Center service line 2 in wide; center mark 2 × 4 in | 1–2 in; baselines up to 4 in |
Telling pickleball and badminton lines apart on a gym floor
Where a gym floor carries both, the outer rectangle is shared, so read the inner lines:
- Outer rectangle, 20 × 44 ft: the pickleball court and the badminton doubles court.
- Lines 7 ft from the net: pickleball non-volley-zone lines. Lines 6 ft 6 in from the net: badminton short service lines. They run 6 in apart.
- Inner sidelines 17 ft apart: badminton singles. Pickleball uses the full 20 ft width for singles and doubles.
- A line 2 ft 6 in inside each baseline: badminton's doubles long service line. Pickleball has none.
Net heights compared
| Sport | At the center | At the edges | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickleball | 34 in (86.36 cm) | 36 in (91.44 cm) at the sidelines | ±0.25 in at both points (3.B.6, 3.B.7) |
| Padel | 0.88 m (34.6 in) | 0.92 m (36.2 in) at the ends | Net 10 m long; posts at most 1.05 m high |
| Tennis | 3 ft (36 in) | 3.5 ft (42 in) at the posts | Center strap holds the net down; post centers 3 ft outside the doubles court |
| Badminton | 1.524 m (5 ft) | 1.55 m (5 ft 1 in) over the doubles sidelines | Net 760 mm deep, at least 6.1 m wide; posts 1.55 m high |
The padel net is within an inch of pickleball's at both points. A tennis net is 2 in higher at the center than a pickleball net, which is why USA Pickleball's first option for one court on a tennis court is lowering the tennis net to 34 in. The badminton net is about 2 ft higher.
- Pickleball: 34 in center, 36 in at the sidelines (USAP 3.B).
- Padel: 0.88 m center, 0.92 m at the ends (FIP).
- Tennis: 3 ft center, 3.5 ft at the posts (ITF Rule 1).
- Badminton: 1.524 m center, 1.55 m over the doubles sidelines (BWF Law 1).
Space around the court
| Sport | Room around the lines | Overhead |
|---|---|---|
| Pickleball | Total playing surface at least 30 × 60 ft; 34 × 64 ft recommended for new construction and tournament play; 50 × 80 ft for stadium courts (3.A) | No ceiling height in the rulebook; anything above the court that can interfere with play is a permanent object (Section 2) |
| Tennis | ITF recommended minimums, baseline to backstop and sideline to sidestop: 21 ft and 12 ft for international play, 18 ft and 10 ft for recreational and club play. That works out to 120 × 60 ft or 114 × 56 ft in total. | 29.6 ft (9.0 m) at the net |
| Padel | Enclosed court: end walls 4 m high in total (3 m of wall plus 1 m of mesh), side walls in two permitted layouts. If players may leave the court to play the ball, each side needs a clear zone at least 3 m wide and 4 m long, and 2 access points. | 6 m minimum over the whole court; 8 m suggested for new facilities |
| Badminton | Not set in Law 1 | No minimum ceiling height in the Laws |
How many pickleball courts fit on a tennis court?
By area alone a tennis court holds about three pickleball courts; in practice the run-off decides:
- One court: USA Pickleball calls lowering the tennis net to 34 in at the center "the simplest way," with pickleball lines taped or painted on, and only with the facility's permission.
- Two courts: An American Sports Builders Association writer, in Parks & Rec Business, calls two courts with portable net stands the best fit when the tennis court has angled corners.
- Four courts: ASBA puts a standard tennis pad at 60 × 120 ft. Four courts leave only about 5 ft between pickleball sidelines and 8 ft from the baselines to the fences. USA Pickleball's four-court layout shifts the courts 2 ft to clear angled corners, which leaves only 6 ft between each pickleball baseline and the tennis net.
To test a particular slab or gym against the 30 × 60 ft and 34 × 64 ft footprints, use the court space calculator.
Related: pickleball court dimensions, net height and setup, kitchen rules.
Sources
- USA Pickleball — 2026 Official Rulebook (Rules 3.A and 3.B)
- ITF — 2026 Rules of Tennis (Rule 1, The Court; Appendix on recommended minimum distances)
- International Padel Federation (FIP) — Rules of Padel (application from January 1, 2026)
- Laws of Badminton, Law 1 (text as published by worldbadminton.com; BWF version amended April 2026, effective January 4, 2027)
- Badminton World Federation — Statutes (official Laws of Badminton, V5.0 of April 26, 2025 and V6.0 effective January 4, 2027)
- Government of Western Australia — Sports dimensions guide: Badminton
- Wikipedia — Badminton (court and service lines)
- USA Pickleball — Temporary court setup (pickleball on tennis courts)
- Parks & Rec Business — Pickleball and Tennis (Mary Helen Sprecher, ASBA)
Sources checked October 2026. Rules, fees and schedules change — confirm with the venue or governing body.