Pickleball was invented 50 years ago, but has seen a huge resurgence in the last decade, becoming one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Pickleball combines elements from several racquet sports, including tennis. If you are new to pickleball, some elements may seem puzzling, especially the differences between pickleball and tennis.
What are some of the main differences between pickleball and tennis?
1. Court
A regular pickleball court is 6.10m and 13.41m long. Some pickleball players use tennis courts when none are available for their sport, but this requires marking other boundaries.
Since a pickleball court is narrower than a tennis court, it is logical that a pickleball net cannot be stretched as far. A pickleball net is also 15.24cm shorter than a tennis net, but again, pickleball players who only have tennis courts available may have to make do.
2. Kitchen zone
In pickleball, the Kitchen zone is a 4.26m area in the middle of the court, divided by the net into 2.13m segments on either side. The Kitchen is also referred to as the "No Volley Zone" and is designed to prevent smashes that are near the net from hitting and potentially injuring players on the other side. Players are not allowed to enter the kitchen until after the ball has bounced to hit the other side.
3. the pickleball
If you have ever played with a wiffle ball, you can imagine what a pickleball looks like. A pickleball is made of a smooth plastic that is much lighter than a tennis ball. It is hollow and has holes in it, which makes it create less resistance. As a result, it moves more cleanly in the air than a tennis ball, but it does not bounce as high.
4. Pickleball paddles
When pickleball was invented, before it had its own equipment, players used ping pong paddles. Even today, pickleball paddles resemble ping pong rackets more than tennis rackets. In tennis rackets, the strings are woven together to create a certain pattern and texture. Pickleball paddles are flat and generally smooth to the touch, although some paddles have air holes built in. To accommodate different playing styles, pickleball paddles come in a variety of thicknesses and sizes. In this respect, they are similar to tennis rackets. Although racquets for both sports come in different sizes, pickleball paddles are generally smaller than tennis racquets.
5. Serve
In tennis, the serve is executed over the head by throwing the ball in the air and then hitting it with the racket. In pickleball, the overhead serve is prohibited and must be played with the underhand. The pickleball serve and the tennis serve are similar in that the direction is diagonal or across the court, but for a pickleball serve to be valid, the paddle must touch the ball below the player's hip. In addition, it must not land in the kitchen zone. Before volleying, i.e. bouncing the ball back and forth without letting it hit the ground, can begin in pickleball, the ball must bounce twice after the serve: once on the opponent's side and once on the server's side.
6. Scoring
In tennis, there is a complicated scoring system based on the different phases of the game called games and sets. Pickleball has a simpler scoring system, without games and sets. Nevertheless, it has its peculiarities.
In pickleball, only the person who served the ball can score, which is another difference between pickleball and tennis. A game of pickleball is played up to 11 points, but in order to win, you have to beat your opponent's score by two points. When both conditions are met, a pickleball game ends with one side as the winner.
7. Singles vs. Doubles
As in tennis, pickleball can be played either as singles or doubles. However, pickleball is usually played as doubles and singles pickleball is rare, while singles and doubles tennis are about equal in popularity.