Platform Tennis vs Padel Differences

Platform tennis and padel are both doubles-first racket sports where the enclosure stays in play, but the courts, serves and equipment differ. Platform tennis uses a 44 by 20 foot court on a raised deck inside 12-foot wire screens. Padel uses a 65.6 by 32.8 foot (20 by 10 m) court with walls of glass, brick or another solid material, topped with metal fence.

The serve is one difference between platform tennis and padel. A platform tennis server tosses the ball and hits it out of the air, overhand if they like, with one serve per point in doubles. A padel server bounces the ball, strikes it at or below waist level, and gets a second serve.

Platform tennis uses a flocked rubber ball and a paddle with a substantially flat hitting surface, while padel uses a rubber ball and a racket perforated with holes. We research from the rulebooks themselves and link them: the American Platform Tennis Association (APTA) rules and the International Padel Federation (FIP) Rules of Padel.

Platform Tennis vs Padel Side by Side

The APTA rules and the FIP Rules of Padel set different numbers for the court, the net, the serve and the equipment. Our padel comparisons hub sets padel against other sports, including padel vs tennis and padel vs pickleball, and for platform tennis against a paddle sport without walls, platform tennis vs pickleball.

Rule or spec	Platform tennis	Padel
Governing rules	APTA rulebook	FIP Rules of Padel
Court size	44 by 20 ft	65.6 by 32.8 ft (20 by 10 m)
Court area	880 sq ft (our calculation)	About 2,153 sq ft (200 sq m)
Enclosure height	12 ft	About 13.1 ft (4 m)
Enclosure material	1-inch hexagonal galvanized or plastic-coated wire mesh	Lower 9.8 ft (3 m) of glass, brick or other uniform solid material, top 3.3 ft (1 m) of metal fence
Playing surface	Raised deck, heated from beneath (Denver7)	Cement, synthetic material or artificial grass
Net height, center	34 in	34.6 in (0.88 m)
Net height, posts or ends	37 in	36.2 in (0.92 m)
Service line from net	12 ft	22.8 ft (6.95 m)
How the serve is hit	Tossed by hand, struck before it lands, overhand, underhand or sidearm	Bounced, struck at or below waist level, one foot on the ground
Serves per point	One in doubles, two in singles	Two (a second serve exists)
Ball off the enclosure	Playable after a bounce in the correct court, before a second bounce	Good after bouncing in the opponent's court, and players may use their own wall
Ball	Flocked rubber, 2.4 to 2.5 in across	Rubber, 2.50 to 2.67 in (6.35 to 6.77 cm), about 1.98 to 2.10 oz (56.0 to 59.4 g)
Max paddle or racket size	18 in long, 12 in wide	17.9 in (45.5 cm) long, 10.2 in (26 cm) wide, about 1.5 in (38 mm) thick
Hitting surface	Substantially planar, texturing material allowed	Perforated by holes about 0.35 to 0.51 in (9 to 13 mm) across in the center
Formats	Basically doubles, singles in Rule 18	Doubles only, per the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA)
Scoring	Tennis count, 7-point tiebreaker at 6-all	Sets to 6 games, tie-break at 6-6, tournament deuce by Advantage, Golden Point or Star Point
Published figures	Over 36,000 APTA members	1,073,000 US players in 2025 and just over 1,000 courts in 31 states, per the United States Padel Association (USPA)

Court Size in Platform Tennis vs Padel

A platform tennis court covers about 41 percent of the area of a padel court. By our calculation, 44 by 20 feet is 880 square feet, while the FIP court of 20 by 10 m is 200 square meters, about 2,153 square feet. Divide 880 by 2,153 and you get about 0.41.

The platform tennis court is 21.6 feet shorter (44 against 65.6 feet). It is also 12.8 feet narrower (20 against 32.8 feet).

Platform tennis adds room outside the lines. APTA Rule 1d puts 8 feet between each baseline and the back screen and 5 feet between each sideline and the side screen. Those strips are part of the playing area but not part of the court.

Add them up and the length becomes 44 plus 8 plus 8, or 60 feet. The width becomes 20 plus 5 plus 5, or 30 feet, which matches the 60 by 30 foot deck in Rule 1a. Even that full 1,800 square foot deck is about 84 percent of the padel court's area (1,800 divided by 2,153).

Both courts leave about 10 feet between the service line and the end of the court. APTA Rule 1c sets the service lines 12 feet from the net, with 10 feet from baseline to service line. In padel, half of the 65.6-foot court is 32.8 feet, and the service line sits 22.8 feet (6.95 m) from the net, which leaves 10 feet.

That makes the padel service box 22.8 feet deep against 12 feet in platform tennis. The nets sit within an inch of each other in the middle. Platform tennis nets stand 34 inches at the center and 37 inches at the posts (Rule 1b).

Padel nets stand 34.6 inches (0.88 m) at the center and 36.2 inches (0.92 m) at the ends. By our arithmetic, the platform tennis net drops 3 inches from post to center, against 1.6 inches in padel. Our padel court dimensions page has the full layout, and the padel court space checker tests whether a padel court fits a site.

Screens and Walls Around the Court

Platform tennis surrounds its deck with 12-foot wire mesh screens, while padel surrounds its court with solid walls topped by metal fence. APTA Rule 1a calls for 1-inch hexagonal galvanized or plastic-coated wire mesh, held taut by a superstructure.

The FIP enclosure stands 4 m, about 13.1 feet, so it is roughly 1.1 feet taller than the platform tennis screen. Its lower 3 m (about 9.8 feet) is wall of glass, brick or another uniform solid material. The top 1 m (about 3.3 feet) is metal fence, and the FIP requires the walls to give a uniform bounce.

Platform tennis is played on a raised deck. Padel courts may be cement, synthetic material or artificial grass, and our padel court surface guide compares those options.

Serve Rules in Platform Tennis vs Padel

Platform tennis gives a doubles server one serve per point, struck out of the air. Padel gives two serves, each bounced and struck at or below waist level.

Under the APTA rules, the server projects the ball into the air by hand and hits it before it touches the ground. The serve may be overhand, underhand or sidearm. In doubles only one service is allowed, so a missed serve gets no second try.

Singles changes that count. Rule 18 allows two services in singles, moves the singles sidelines two feet inside the doubles sidelines, and uses no-ad scoring. The return has its own rule: under Rule 10d, a receiver who volleys the serve loses the point outright.

Under the FIP rules, the padel server must bounce the ball on the ground and strike it at or below waist level. The server must keep at least one foot on the ground and hit diagonally into the service box. A net or let on the second serve repeats only the second serve.

Padel also ties the let to its fence. A served ball that touches the net and lands in the box is a let only if it does not touch the metal fence before its second bounce. Our padel rules page covers the rest of the serve.

If you play padel and try platform tennis, expect to toss and hit the serve in the air with no second chance in doubles. If you play platform tennis and try padel, every serve is bounced and struck at or below waist level, so the overhand serve is out.

Playing Off the Walls and Screens

Both sports keep a ball in play after it bounces in the correct court and then rebounds off the enclosure. The rules differ on what happens next.

APTA Rule 14s lets you play a ball that hits the deck in the correct court and then touches the back or side screens. It stays live as long as it does not bounce on the deck a second time. A ball taken off the screen must go back into the opponents' court.

The ball is out if it hits the screen on the fly, bounces out of bounds, bounces a second time, or goes over the screen. Platform tennis also has a rule for its mesh. Under Rule 13d, a ball that leaves the court through a hole in the screen or gets stuck in the screen is a let.

In padel, a return is good if the ball bounces in the opponent's court and then hits the fence or a wall. The FIP rules also let a player hit the ball off their own wall before it crosses to the opponent's court. The APTA sections we cite do not mention playing off your own screen.

Equipment Rules for Each Sport

The largest legal platform tennis paddle is slightly longer and wider than the largest padel racket, and the two ball size ranges meet at 2.50 inches. The APTA paddle may be up to 18 inches long and 12 inches wide. Its hitting surface must be substantially planar, and a separate texturing material is allowed.

The FIP racket may be up to 17.9 inches (45.5 cm) long, 10.2 inches (26 cm) wide and about 1.5 inches (38 mm) thick. Its hitting surface is perforated by cylindrical holes about 0.35 to 0.51 inches (9 to 13 mm) across in the center area. A non-elastic safety cord on the wrist is obligatory.

By our arithmetic, the largest platform tennis paddle is 0.1 inch longer and 1.8 inches wider than the largest padel racket. A platform tennis paddle wider than 10.2 inches would break the padel width limit. Our padel racket guide covers racket choices.

The platform tennis ball is rubber with flocking, 2.4 to 2.5 inches in diameter (APTA Appendix A). The padel ball is a rubber sphere 2.50 to 2.67 inches (6.35 to 6.77 cm) across. FIP sets its bounce at 135 to 145 cm, about 53.1 to 57.1 inches, from 2.54 m (100 inches).

The largest legal platform tennis ball equals the smallest legal padel ball, at 2.50 inches. Our padel balls page and the padel ball vs tennis ball comparison go deeper on the padel ball.

Scoring and Match Format

Both sports settle a set at 6-all with a tiebreak. APTA scoring runs love, 15, 30, 40, deuce and advantage, with a 7-point tiebreaker at 6-all. Platform tennis singles uses no-ad scoring under Rule 18.

FIP sets go to 6 games with a tie-break at 6-6. For tournaments, the FIP lists three ways to settle deuce: Advantage, Golden Point or Star Point. Our padel scoring page covers each one.

The APTA rulebook calls platform tennis "basically a doubles game" and sets out singles in Rule 18. The LTA describes padel as doubles-only. If you want singles as well as doubles, platform tennis has written rules for both.

Season and Playing Conditions

APTA describes platform tennis as usually played outdoors in cool or cold weather, though some regions play year-round. The raised deck is heated from beneath to melt snow and keep the surface playable, according to Denver7. In the same report, a club manager in Hinsdale, Illinois, said members play in temperatures down to zero degrees.

None of the padel sources we cite ties padel to a season or a heated surface. The FIP court rules cover the surface material and the walls.

The USPA says it counted just over 1,000 padel courts across 31 states as of April 2026, and that 1,073,000 Americans played padel in 2025. Our sources publish no count of platform tennis courts.

APTA reports over 36,000 members and oversees the APTA Tour and more than 275 tournaments a year. Members and players are different measures, so the APTA and USPA figures do not compare directly. Find padel courts on our padel courts near me page, and read more in our platform tennis guide.

Picking the Sport That Fits You

No governing body we cite ranks platform tennis or padel as easier or harder. APTA says platform tennis rewards finesse, patience and strategy as well as speed, power and quick thinking. The LTA says padel is generally considered easier to learn than tennis, which it links to the smaller court, underarm serve and slower ball, but it compares padel with tennis only.

Pick platform tennis if:

You want to play outdoors in cool or cold weather on a deck heated from beneath.
You like hitting your serve out of the air, overhand, underhand or sidearm.
You want a smaller 880 square foot court with screens you can play off.
You want written singles rules, which Rule 18 supplies.

Pick padel if:

You want a bounced serve at or below waist level, with a second serve behind it.
You want to play off walls of glass, brick or another solid material, including your own wall.
You want a sport with a published US court count, which the USPA puts at just over 1,000 courts in 31 states.
You only plan to play doubles.

Padel is the wrong pick if singles is what you want, because the LTA describes it as doubles-only. Platform tennis is a poor fit if you want a second serve in doubles. Our read would change if APTA or FIP rewrote the serve or court rules.

If padel wins out, our how to start playing padel page lays out first steps. If you are still choosing, try our new sport finder.

Platform Tennis Origins

The first platform tennis court was built in Scarsdale, New York, in 1928 by James Cogswell and Fessenden Blanchard, according to the Platform Tennis Hall of Fame. Padel's own beginnings are on our padel history page. To settle platform tennis vs padel for yourself, read the APTA rules and the FIP Rules of Padel, then book a session of each.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is platform tennis the same as padel?

No. They follow separate rulebooks: APTA governs platform tennis, and FIP publishes the Rules of Padel. Platform tennis uses a 44 by 20 foot court inside 12-foot wire screens, while padel uses a 65.6 by 32.8 foot (20 by 10 m) court with solid walls and metal fence. Platform tennis servers hit the ball out of the air, and padel servers bounce it first.

Which is bigger, a platform tennis court or a padel court?

The padel court is bigger. It covers about 2,153 square feet (200 square meters) against 880 square feet for platform tennis, so the platform tennis court is about 41 percent of the padel court's area by our calculation. Even the full 60 by 30 foot platform tennis deck, at 1,800 square feet, is smaller than the padel court.

Can you play the ball off the walls in platform tennis and padel?

Yes, in both sports, once the ball bounces in the correct court. In platform tennis the ball may touch the back or side screens and be played before a second bounce, but a ball that hits the screen on the fly is out. In padel a return is good if it bounces in the opponent's court and then hits a wall or fence, and you may also hit off your own wall.

How does the serve differ between platform tennis and padel?

Platform tennis servers hit the ball out of the air and get one serve per point in doubles. The serve may be overhand, underhand or sidearm, and the receiver may not volley it. Padel servers bounce the ball, strike it at or below waist level with at least one foot on the ground, and get a second serve.

Is platform tennis harder than padel?

No governing body we cite ranks one as harder. APTA says platform tennis rewards finesse, patience and strategy as well as speed, power and quick thinking. The LTA calls padel generally easier to learn than tennis, but it does not compare padel with platform tennis.

Do platform tennis and padel use the same racket or ball?

No. The platform tennis paddle may be up to 18 by 12 inches with a substantially planar hitting surface. The padel racket is capped at 17.9 by 10.2 inches (45.5 by 26 cm) and is perforated with holes. The platform tennis ball is flocked rubber 2.4 to 2.5 inches across, and the padel ball is rubber 2.50 to 2.67 inches (6.35 to 6.77 cm) across.

Can you play both in winter?

Platform tennis, yes: APTA describes it as usually played outdoors in cool or cold weather. Its raised deck is heated from beneath to melt snow, and a Hinsdale, Illinois, club manager told Denver7 that members play down to zero degrees. None of the padel sources we cite addresses winter play.

Is paddle tennis the same as platform tennis?

None of our sources defines "paddle tennis" as a separate sport, so we cannot confirm the two names mean the same game. The APTA rulebook uses the name platform tennis and calls its equipment a paddle. On paddle tennis vs padel, padel follows the separate FIP rulebook, so compare a club's "paddle tennis" rules with the APTA rules to see which game it means.

Platform Tennis vs Padel Compared Side by Side