Pickleball On a Tennis Court

Though pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports, there are not as many permanent pickleball courts as tennis courts. This is likely because tennis was invented far before pickleball, so they have had a lot more time to build!

Official pickleball courts and clubs are popping up more and more, but there is another option if you don’t have a permanent pickleball court near you. Utilizing tennis courts is the most popular solution for a temporary pickleball court. 

Take a look at how to set up your own pickleball courts on a tennis court and what you’ll need. 

In order to first talk about playing pickleball on a tennis court, we must first talk about how big pickleball courts are. 

Despite common perceptions, pickleball courts are far smaller than any one tennis court. In fact, the entire court is only a couple of feet longer than the service box of the tennis court. 

The exact measurements of pickleball lines can be found on the US Pickleball Association website, which is helpful for setting up your own court lines for pickleball. 

Since pickleball courts are smaller than a regulation size tennis court, more than one temporary court for pickleball can be set up on a tennis court. Tennis courts are actually big enough for four pickleball courts. 

However, it can get a bit tight, especially if you are having to chase balls into another area of the court, so two or three is more popular. Two courts also allow the use of the tennis net to control any stray balls. 

With two tennis courts, you could even set up six to eight pickleball courts. This is commonly done at tennis court complexes.

Many people are concerned about damaging the surface of the space they are using. To prevent any damage to basketball courts, tennis courses, or any existing surface, it is important to utilize the proper materials. 

Of course, traditional materials such as paint may be used on permanent pickleball courts, but for a temporary solution, you shouldn’t use those same materials. 

Some temporary materials for adding pickleball lines that are good to use include rubber pickleball markers which you can buy in sets, cones, and non-damaging tape such as painter’s tape. These materials will ensure that you do not damage a court that you use for other racket sports or activities other than pickleball.  

You’ll also need a solution for the pickleball net. If you are using a tennis court and marking out only one pickleball court, you can simply just lower the tennis net on the existing tennis posts. 

However, when marking out two pickleball courts or more, a portable pickleball net is a better choice. These can be found in a kit with the pickleball markers or on their own through pickleball equipment supply stores and online. 

There is one problem with a multipurpose court conversion. The tennis court lines can make it difficult to see the temporary pickleball lines when you play pickleball on a tennis court. 

Additionally, when tennis players play tennis on the same court as the pickleball lines, they will also have difficulty seeing the tennis court lines. 

Though playing regularly can help differentiate between the tennis and pickleball lines, it can also help to use a different color for each sport. 

Here are the two most frequently asked questions about playing pickleball on a tennis court.

You can play a pickleball game on any hard surface, including a badminton court or even a slab of concrete, but playing pickleball on a tennis court is arguably the easiest. Turn your old tennis court into brand new pickleball courts and play pickleball with what you have near you.