Pickleball may be taking over tennis in growing popularity in the U.S. With even the Kardashians playing pickleball, what is the difference between tennis and pickleball anyway? And more importantly, which is more fun to play if you have never played any racket sports? This post will go over the similarities and differences between tennis versus pickleball.
Tennis Versus Pickleball
The Court
A major difference between tennis versus pickleball is the size of the court. You may see many tennis courts across the US with pickleball lines drawn over them. A tennis court is almost twice the size of a pickleball court.
The Equipment
A pickleball paddle is about half the size of a tennis racket. This Babolat Pure Aero shown above weighs 325 grams or about 11.4 oz while the Z5 pickleball paddle weighs about 8.2 oz. A tennis ball is also a lot bouncier when it contacts the ground. A pickleball ball, on the other hand, is made of plastic and does not bounce nearly as high.
The Scoring
When it comes to scores, tennis scoring is a lot more complicated and confusing to those not familiar with the sport. Pickleball is much simpler, normally played to 11 points, win by 2. You can only score a point when you or your team is serving.
Is Pickleball Easier Than Tennis?
Pickleball is easier than tennis in that it is a physically less demanding, low-impact sport. Since a pickleball court is much smaller in size and the game is usually played in doubles, it does not require as much running or hitting the ball hard. The goal during a pickleball game is for every player to approach the net while that may not necessarily be the case for tennis.
There is also a lot of dinking back and forth between the four players in pickleball that you will not see in tennis. Dinking is simply hitting the pickleball just enough to get it over the net to make it hard for the opponent to attack. Pickleball can be played slowly with dinking or faster by volleying the ball.
So Which Is More Fun?
Pickleball is considered the “fastest-growing sport in America” for a reason. It is an easy entry for anyone, no matter age, physical fitness, or athletic ability. In fact, you don’t need to be necessarily fast or even mobile to play pickleball. Many seniors are great with ball placement and spin that they can outperform many younger and faster players.
If you do have a tennis background or other racquet sports background, whether that is badminton, ping pong, or racquetball, you’re at an even more advantage than those without any. A lot of basic ground strokes, reaction time for volleying, and spins apply to pickleball as it does in similar sports. While many die-hard tennis players may scoff at pickleball’s growing popularity, many have embraced it and even fallen in love with it.
Pickleball is a social sport where you can show up to a court and blend in with the crowd. It is common to rotate people in a doubles game in rec play so even if you don’t know anyone, you can still play. A pickleball paddle set is also relatively inexpensive to buy and therefore, easy to get started on the sport.
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