Tennis is an iconic sport, acting as a great excuse for professional and casual players alike to get outside and get active. With pickleball rising in popularity over the years, many curious tennis players are wondering, “Can you play pickleball on a tennis court?” Below, we’ll take a deep dive into the logistics of the game so that you can determine whether you’re ready to start playing pickleball today.
Court Dimensions and Net Height
Tennis courts are large, measuring 78 feet long and 27 feet wide. However, these dimensions are for playing singles matches. For doubles matches, the court needs to be 78 feet long and 36 feet wide. On the other hand, pickleball courts measure 20 feet wide and 40 feet long, taking up far less space. Simply put, you can absolutely play pickleball within the dimensions of a tennis court.
That said, not all tennis supplies apply to pickleball. Playing pickleball on a tennis court requires specific nets, posts, and balls. For example, tennis nets are significantly higher than pickleball nets, measuring 36 inches in the center and 42 inches on the ends. Likewise, pickleballs are plastic and full of holes, making them distinctly different from tennis balls. Thankfully, there is some wiggle room for the net requirements.
Optimizing Your Court
You can adjust existing tennis nets to meet the right height for playing pickleball, which is 36 inches on each end at 34 inches in the center. However, if you want a more convenient way to play pickleball, you can find nets optimized explicitly for the game. Pickleball nets and other essential equipment are easy to come by, so optimizing a tennis court is fairly straightforward. Besides easy-to-find gear, there are many other reasons to try pickleball, which is why it’s become so popular over the years.
Not only can you play pickleball on a tennis court, but you can also play other fun games, such as dodgeball and tennis baseball. Residential tennis courts are a major investment, requiring a lot of time and labor, so finding creative reasons to utilize your home court will allow you to make the most of the money and planning you put into the installation.
