Padel court dimensions
5 Must-Know Facts About Padel Court Dimensions That Will Blow Your Mind!
The ultimate guide to padel courts dimensions explained in a funny and familiar way.
Welcome to the padel court. Do you feel lost? It’s normal; it feels like something familiar, but it’s not. A mix between a tennis court and a squash court, like if they would have a child together.
In this article, we will explore the essential padel court dimensions, comparing them to familiar everyday objects and distances. Because, let’s be honest, who really knows what 88 centimetres, or 200 square meters, look like? All set? Take your racket and let’s get started.
Image by freepik
The basics: overall padel court dimensions.
Let’s start with the court size which is 20 meters long and 10 meters wide. Are you trying to picture that? Let me help you. 20 meters is roughly the length of four cars parked bumper to bumper. As for the width, 10 meters is like your typical yellow school bus that used to pick you up every morning to go to school. These padel court dimensions provide the perfect size to keep the action intense with enough air to breathe.
The service boxes are where the action takes place. This is a 35-square-meter (34.58 sm to be accurate) surface, which equals a standard hotel room. You must aim your five stars serves inside this area to start the rally. Unlike a first good impression, you have two chances; don’t miss them.
The composition of the court surface is made from artificial turf or artificial grass. This material offers a regular rebound to the padel balls and provides a lot of grip for the players. Like beautiful eyes, the court surface comes in vibrant colours like blue and green, which are easily visible through the transparent glass wall.
The net: warning danger.
Right in the middle of the court, standing at about 88 centimetres high in the centre, you will find the net. Don’t mix it up with a standard traffic cone; it’s roughly the same height, but there is no danger here, it will allow you to execute your volleys and smashes over it.
Service line: so close, yet so far.
The service lines are located 6.95 meters from the net and 3 meters away from the back wall. Picture yourself standing in a line of 3 people at a coffee shop. The distance between you and the coffee machine is how far you have to stand to serve. Now that you have your coffee, you wouldn’t spill it, so don’t miss your serve.
The glass walls: you are surrounded.
Padel courts are enclosed with walls, a lot of them. Made of tempered glass, the back walls are 3 meters high, the height of a basketball hoop. The side walls attached to the back ones start at 3 meters and then drop down to 2 meters, which is about as tall as a king-size mattress standing on its end. Solid walls are used to provide a regular rebound to the ball and ensure player safety. Don’t fall asleep; the ball is going to bounce everywhere. Before to learn how to dance with the walls and be friends with them, they will be your worst enemies.
The doors: how to make a good entrance.
Finally, padel courts have entrance doors on the side walls, usually placed in the middle. These doors are typically 2 meters high and 0.82 meters wide. This is similar to the size of a regular home door, just to make you feel at home.
Padel court dimensions: a quick recap.
Court Size: 20m x 10m (four cars long, one school bus wide).
Net Height: 88 cm at centre, 92 cm at sides (a standard traffic cone).
Back Wall Height: 3m (a basketball hoop).
Side Wall Height: 2m (the length of a king size mattress).
Service Box: 6.95m x 4.975m = 34.58 square meters (a standard hotel room).
Service Line: 3m from the net (the coffee shop queue).
Doors: 2m x 0.82m (just a regular door).
Court surface: made of synthetic material (artificial turf or artificial grass).
Conclusion: not that complicated.
Understanding padel court dimensions might seem challenging at first, but once you compare it to everyday objects and distances, it is easy to navigate. I’m sure that by now you have a pretty good visual of what a padel court looks like, and whether you're planning to play, watch, or just learn more about padel, mastering these court dimensions is a great start.
If you haven’t started padel yet and want to understand why people love it, I invite you to read my blog post, ‘Why You Should Try Padel: Benefits Beyond the Game’.
If you just started padel and want to buy your first racket, you will find here our selection of the best padel rackets for beginners.