Pickleball is one of the new sports that are gaining popularity quickly. If you’re seeking an answer to the question: can you play pickleball on a tennis court, you’re not alone. A large number of people are interested to know the answer.
Pickleball is played on a tennis court that’s the fastest growing sport in America. So, pickleball courts are increasingly necessary since most people use tennis courts to play this game.
Perhaps you’re one of them excited about this sport, but there is no court to play it. Having a tennis court near you would be an optimum option for playing pickleball. How? Let’s know it throughout the content.
Can You Play PickleBall on a Tennis Court?
Yes, the answer is in short. By now, you know people are playing pickleball on their tennis courts. Also, they’re not leaving their basketball courts to have fun in this game. It gives you more options while practicing and playing pickleball when you don’t have access to a nearby tennis court.
Thus, you don’t need to stop or wait to start playing on a separate pickleball court. Besides, playing pickleball on a tennis court is not harmful to the court. When you have the proper equipment for pickleball, you can get a pickleball court from a tennis court with ease.
Tennis courts are bigger than pickleball courts. So, you have to make proper markings with the required measurements. You can convert a tennis court into four different pickleball courts.
As a result, you may get 8-16 players playing the game on a tennis court all together. But, it’s better to make two courts to avoid a mess and have fun with family and friends. Also if you want to know Can You Play Pickleball On Grass check our review.
Is a Pickleball Court the Same as a Tennis Court?
You can play pickleball on a tennis court, but that doesn’t mean these two courts are the same in all ways. Although they look alike, they’re not the same in most ways. The only similarity that they share is they have a rectangular shape and are separated by a similar net.
When it comes to pickleball, it’s a nice blend of sports elements such as tennis and badminton that make the game unique. So, among these two games, what are the key differences between their courts? Indeed, the size of a pickleball court is significantly different from a tennis court.
The pickleball sport requires a smaller sized court than a tennis court that’s 20’ wide and 44’ long in the former measurements. But, it’s 36’ wide and 78’ long in the latter measures.
There is no non-volley zone in tennis where pickleball comes with a 7’ non-volley zone from its net-line to the serving area. The court size of pickleball doesn’t vary whether a single or double player is playing it. But, tennis requires a 36’ wide court for doubles and a 27’ wide court for singles.
How to Play Pickleball on a Tennis Court?
You already know the answer: can you play pickleball on a tennis court? It’s time to understand how to play this game on a tennis court. Below are some simple steps to follow to play the sport of pickleball.
Step 01: Determining The Baseline & Centerline
The baseline is also known as the backline. The lines stay on the ground, going straight across the net. When it comes to the centerline, it’s the centerline that remains on the court’s ground.
Step 02: Marking The Sidelines
Walking away 3½ feet from every single line helps you make a pickleball court’s sideline. You can use a marker or cone to mark it. But don’t forget that line calls are estimated because it’s an open space without limiting to “in” the ball.
Singles lines of a tennis court make the perfect sideline. Apart from giving you enough room, it allows you to choose alternatives rather than cones on both sides since rackets or markers simplify movement.
Step 03: Marking The Kitchen (aka The No-Volley Zone)
Marking off the space like a kitchen or no-volley zone is essential when playing this game. It’s what makes the pickleball game unique from some other sports and makes it an appealing feature for players. It’s vital to define the zone for no-volleys.
You have to walk 7’ afar of the net to its baseline and put markings where players cross with their kitchen line. Using two to three markers is ideal in one on every sideline. Remember to ensure that none of the markers are placed in the line that can cause danger to players or get in the way of play.
Step 04: Lowering The Net
It’s an optional step to lower the tennis net by about 2 inches in its center. If you play pickleball with a 36” net, it makes things more straightforward than before. Achieve it by moving the strap one inch to the right or left from its center.
So, when you lift it, both sides get snug against everything to keep it safe. Thus, keeping the strap in its original position is preferable when you end the game. Also, it isn’t worth anything and you don’t need to advocate eternally changing your tennis net’s middle strap.
How to Convert a Tennis Court to a Pickleball Court?
As tennis courts become helpful real estate in most communities, it needs careful consideration to alter into something else. The solution is not ideal when converting it from one game to another.
So, you must ensure it fits well both your need for a pickleball court and the available space. It means the room should not be too small or too big. You’ll have to get help from the experts to transform an old tennis court into a pickleball court of regulation size.
To simplify, search for someone with the proper expertise in this issue on the internet/phone. But, if you’re confident about the bright future of pickleball, you can consider the details while investing money and time.
In this case, you can get help from the below steps:
- Avoid all tennis posts that are made from concrete sleeves
- Remove all anchors linked with the pipes
- Resurface or paint the court’s current surface
- Anchor with pipes to create new posts
- Draw the lines
- Install nets
We recommend up to 4 pickleball courts as several courts can fit in a single tennis court.
Pickleball Court vs. Tennis Ball Court – Know the Difference
| Features | Pickleball | Tennis |
| Court Size | 20 feet wide, 44 feet long | 60 feet wide, 120 feet long |
| Netting | 34-inch tall | 36-inch tall |
| Singles & Doubles Court | 20 feet wide, 44 feet long | Singles court size: 78 by 27 feet Doubles court size: 78 by 36 feet |
| No Volley-Zone | 7 feet no-volley zone from the net | None |
Nowadays, many people who play pickleball have played tennis previously. And some others have never played pickleball so far but are highly interested to know about these two games. For them, here we go through the key differences between these sports:
Court
We know the size of a pickleball court is fixed by 20 feet wide and 44 feet long for both singles plus doubles. But, a tennis court is 78 feet long and 27 feet wide for singles, whereas it requires a court 36 feet wide for doubles.
The game of tennis allows you to volley from any place. But, there is a non-volley zone in pickleball, aka the kitchen.
Net
The tennis net is higher and longer. But, the pickleball net is shorter and smaller, 36-inch at the sidelines and 34-inch high in the middle. Besides, the tennis net height is 38 inches. So, the tennis net’s length and size are more than the pickleball net.
Ball
Different balls are used in pickleball and tennis. For pickleball, the size of the plastic-made official ball is 2 7/8-inch to 3-inch that weighs between 0.08 to 1.02 ounces.
There is a fibrous feel on the cover of tennis balls that boasts their aerodynamic feature. Although there are no restrictions on color, the ball should be a consistent, single color.
But, in tennis, the balls come in a fluorescent yellow color at the major events. However, they can be any color when the event is for recreational purposes.
Does Pickleball Damage the Tennis Court?
No, it doesn’t cause any damage on the tennis court while playing the game of pickleball. Pickleball uses some particular and suitable balls that are not harmful to a tennis court.
The critical issue here is general weakening because of more use. When you use a tennis court frequently, its lines become fader. In highly used areas, the surface of the court fades as well.
Although pickleball balls are not soft like tennis balls, they’re durable, scratch-free, and suitable for outdoor and indoor courts. When it comes to court shoes, they’re appropriate for these two types of sports: tennis and pickleball.
They have no difference, and a pair of high-quality tennis court shoes is perfect for pickleball because their court surface is identical.
FAQs (Can You Play Pickleball on a Tennis Court?)
Where Is Pickleball Traditionally Played?
In tradition, pickleball is played in parks, backyards, tennis courts, and pickleball courts. Beyond these, there is a piece of exciting information about where the sport is played.
You can play it on grassy surfaces and clay, apart from the hard courts. Even if it has been played on a ferry; yes, that’s where the game originators get the idea from.
Is It Okay to Play Pickleball On a Tennis Court?
Yes, it’s Okay! But, it’s vital to remember that the option for a pickleball court set up on a tennis court depends on where it allows installing semi-permanent or permanent equipment. Also, if you want to install equipment, you should take all things down.
How Many Pickleball Courts Can Fit in One Tennis Court?
Players that use tennis courts to play pickleball add one or two courts for pickleball, but they can add up to four. As four might be messy and tough on your eye, it’s optimum to mark 1 or 2 courts.
But, if there is enough room to mark the pickleball court’s dimensions, you can use a tennis court for more games of pickleball.
Final Words
Hopefully, the content helped you get an answer to the question: can you play pickleball on a tennis court? There are loads of tennis courts marked with pickleball lines for dual practice.
So, check and find separate lines in a particular color on a tennis court that will help you to know whether you have options to play pickleball at the local tennis courts. Depending on your living place, it’d be the more exact and closer place to play pickleball.