Court and equipment
A standard padel court is 20 × 10 metres and enclosed by glass and fencing. Tennis uses a larger open court. Padel rackets are solid and perforated; tennis rackets are strung. The ball specifications are also different, so choose equipment intended for your game.
Serve, walls and teams
Padel serves are underarm, after a bounce. Tennis serves are usually overhead. Padel’s walls are part of rallies, while a tennis rally does not use surrounding walls. Padel is primarily doubles; tennis has established singles and doubles formats.
Movement and physical demands
Padel involves repeated short accelerations, quick turns, low reaches and overhead shots. Tennis also involves braking, rotation and racket loading, with movement influenced by court size and playing style. Neither sport is universally safer or easier on the body.
Choosing a starting point
Pick a sport you enjoy and can access regularly. Coaching, suitable footwear and gradual playing volume matter in both. A smaller court does not remove injury risk, and experience in tennis does not automatically prepare you for padel’s wall play.
Sources and further reading
Sources inform general guidance; they do not establish a diagnosis or imply a clinician’s approval of this article.