What will you do if you want to play pickleball on a beautiful sunny day, but all you have is a tennis court? Sounds problematic? Not at all!
You can always play pickleball at a tennis court. All you have to do is to follow specific rules and tips.
And to serve you with those tips and rules, we will share a handful of information on how to play pickleball on a tennis court. Later on, we have some tips on how to gain mastery of the game.
So, let’s begin the journey!
Tennis Court Dimensions VS Pickleball Court Dimensions
Before you know the playing process, let’s understand the court dimensions for these two different games. The Court Size for both the games are slightly different.
Court Size:
Tennis Court
The length of a tennis court is 26yd or 78ft. Besides, the service line is situated at 7yd or 21ft away from the net.
In the case of a double tennis court, the total playing area contains 312yd². At the same time, a single tennis court consists of 234yd² area.
Pickleball Court
Every pickleball court’s width is 20 feet or 6.10 m. The length is 44 feet long or 13.41 m. And the totals pickleback playing area is 30 feet wide or 9.14 m.
Net Size
Tennis Court
Tennis court nets are usually 3 feet 6 inches or 1.07 meters in height at the posts. Besides, the net is 3 feet or 0.91 meters in height at the center point.
Pickleball Court
From one post to another, the average net length of a pickleball court is 21 feet 9 inches or 6.63 m. the difference from bottom to the top of the net needs to be 30 inches.
Singles and Doubles Court Sizes
Tennis Court
In the case of tennis, there are two different court rules for single and doubles courts.
The dimension of the single tennis court is 78 feet by 27 feet. On the other hand, for doubles, a suitable area of measurement is 78 feet by 36 feet.
Pickleball Court
Unlike tennis courts, the size measurement is the same for both pickleball single and double courts.
The court size playing area for both single and double court in pickleball is 20 feet or 6.10 m wide and 44 feet or 13.41 m long.
Non-volley Zone
Tennis Court
In the tennis court, there is no specific zone called the non-volley zone.
Pickleball Court
The non-volley line in pickleball is located at 7 feet away from the service area net. The first area of a pickleball court outline is known as the non-volley zone. Also, this area is known as the kitchen zone in pickleball.
Now that you know the differences, you can quickly turn a tennis court into a pickleball play zone.
We are going to serve you a handful of information regarding this, and also the proper step by step tasks that you need to do. First, you have to draw the outlines. To do that, grab your chalk and tape.
Can You Play Pickleball on a Tennis Court
Yes. You can play pickleball on tennis court. Undoubtedly, if you want to play pickleball on a tennis court, there needs to be some changes.
Get Tape and Chalk!
With Gamma Court Lines, you can draw the whole court by yourself. Try to remember the pickleball court dimensions and draw according to that.
You can draw both indoor and outdoor courts using this. This is hassle-free than any paint and tape measure markings.
If you prefer chalk, an excellent and most popular chalk sets for tennis and pickleball will be TUOKEOGO 7 Color Jumbo Sidewalk Chalk Set.
The bright color and non-toxicity of these chalks are convenient to use for drawing chalk lines. Both adults and children can use these chalks with colors to get exact court lines. We recommend you to use White or Yellow colors pickleball lines on tennis court.
Colors Used In Pickleball Lines
If you have a good idea of tennis courts, you already know that tennis courts are painted using blue paints or green paints specifically. But this is different in the case of pickleball.
Pickleball courts do not have any specific painting colors. In the pickleball court, you have to choose the color in contrast to the line colors. So, the pickleball lines color choice is effortless as you can paint using any colors. However, we recommend you to use White or Yellow colors lines on a tennis court.
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How to Play Pickleball on a Tennis Court
You have already acknowledged the differences between the tennis court and the pickleball court.
Now we are going to share the step by step process to play pickleball on the tennis court.
Step-1: Adjust the Net
As in the pickleball court, the net is placed in a lower position than the tennis court; you have to adjust the net first.
Try to move the center net to approximately 34 inches high at the center. Afterward, move it for up to 36 inches or 0.9144 meters at the sidelines.
You can use a pickleball net in the same direction as the tennis net is situated. If you intend to play both pickleball and tennis on the same court, you can use a temporary portable pickleball net on the court.
Step-2: Adjust the Playing Area
The in-bounds playing area for the pickleball game is 20 feet by 44 feet, which is the same for a badminton game.
But as for tennis and pickleball, the dimensions and playing areas are different. You can make four different pickleball courts in the place of one tennis court.
So, you have to consume each court by 30 feet by 60 feet measurement for each of the pickleball courts in your tennis zone.
As a result, you can play pickleball on tennis’s existing surface following the measurements of pickleball. All you have to do is draw a pickleball baseline and striking surface.
Step-3: Draw the Lines
It’s the most crucial part as you have to be very careful and pointy while doing this. First, decide if you still want to play tennis afterward or not.
If your answer is yes, then you have to use blended lines for that. The surface color will help you to differentiate between tennis and pickleball lines at the same court.
You can try out a lighter or darker color than the exact court lines. It will help you to notice the line better.
Also, if you don’t want to play pickleball permanently, you can try tapes to draw the lines on tennis court so that you will be able to remove the temporary tapes again while playing in the existing tennis posts.
Step-4: Start Playing
What else? All of your work is completed. Now you know how to play pickleball on a tennis court, so it’s time to gather and play!
Also Read: Can you play pickleball on a wet court?
Wrapping up
We have reached the end of our guide on how to play pickleball on a tennis court. Playing pickleball on the tennis court is not a new idea.
Many people have been playing since the old times. If you follow our ideas and suggested steps, the whole process will be easier than ever. Also, you will be able to enjoy both the games on the same court.
Yet, if you need any other help with information, you can try reaching out to local players or expert opinions of your locality!
