Pickleball court vs tennis court dimensions: Can you play pickleball on a tennis court?

If you are playing pickleball but all you have to play on is a tennis court, do not worry! You can still do a lot, although the dimensions of a pickleball court vs. tennis court are very different, there are still some ways you can adjust.

Pickleball vs. tennis court sizes

The court dimensions of pickleball and tennis are very different from each other. Pickleball is considered a sport that nearly anyone can play because the pickleball court is quite a bit smaller than the tennis court.

Pickleball court dimensions

A pickleball court is:

• 44 feet long

• 20 feet wide

Tennis court dimensions

A tennis court is:

• 78 feet long

• 27 feet wide (for singles)

• 36 feet wide (for doubles)

You can tell just by the dimensions of each court that the sports are quite different, both in stamina and strategy.

Learn more about making the transition from tennis. to pickleball.

Net sizes

The net sizes of a pickleball court and tennis court are also very different, mostly because of the significant differences in the court sizes.

Pickleball court net dimensions

A pickleball court net is:

• 36 inches high at the posts

• 34 inches high at the center

• 22 feet wide

Tennis court net dimensions

A tennis court net is:

• 42 inches high at the posts

• 36 inches high at the center

• 42 feet wide

Lines sizing

The difference between pickleball and tennis line sizing is important because of how tennis is played. In tennis, singles and doubles are played on different-sized courts.

A tennis court is 78 inches long. For single tennis, the court is 27 feet wide, and for doubles, the court is 36 feet wide.

In pickleball, doubles and singles are played on the same size of court, which is 44 feet long and 22 feet wide.

Tennis is also very different from pickleball in that there is no area where you can’t volley the ball. In pickleball, you are not allowed to step in the non-volley (or “kitchen”) zone, but in tennis you can volley from anywhere on the court. 

Line width

In tennis, the lines must be a minimum of 2 inches wide. The baseline may be up to 4 inches wide.

In pickleball, all lines must be 2 inches wide.

Court surface

Although you can play pickleball on a tennis court, with some ingenuity, the courts are quite different in a few ways.

Court surface area

• A tennis court’s total surface area (for singles) is: 2,016 square feet.

• A tennis court’s total surface area (for doubles) is: 2,808 square feet.

• A pickleball court’s total surface area is: 880 square feet.

Court surface types

Tennis can be played on many different surfaces, including:

• Grass courts.

• Clay courts.

• Hard courts.

• Artificial grass.

Tennis played on hard surfaces are the courts you will mainly want to use for pickleball. These are generally made from any hard surface covered by an acrylic surface layer.

Pickleball can be played on hard tennis courts, but can also be played on other types of courts, like a basketball or volleyball court.

Can you play pickleball on a tennis court?

Pickleball can be played on a tennis court, but because of the difference in dimensions, it’s not always the easiest thing to do. The surface material makes for a good pickleball court, but because the net and court dimensions are so different, you are going to need to make some dramatic changes to play pickleball.