Measurements and dimensions of a padel court

The official measurements

The official rules of the International Padel Federation state that the standard size for a padel court is 10 metres wide by 20 metres long, which results in two symmetrical squares of 10 metres by 10 metres each. This gives a total of 200 square metres for the complete court. The distance from the wall to the service line should be 3 metres, and each line on the court should be 5 cm thick and clearly distinguishable from the court surface.

The walls

The court is surrounded by four walls, each with a minimum height of 3 metres. The side walls may have a rectangular shape of 3 metres in height and 4 metres in staggered length, according to the European standard. The back walls must have a minimum height of 4 metres and can be made of different materials, such as standard wall, glass or plastic. The regulation also allows for the possibility of the first metres being made of one material and the remaining metres of metal fencing.

The history of how the walls were set up in the early days of the sport is curious to say the least. Enrique Corcuera, the inventor of paddle tennis, got tired of the fact that when he played fronton on his court all his balls went far away. For this reason, he requested the construction of walls that have ended up being fundamental for the essence of this modality. 

The surface

As for the surface of the court, three materials are usually used: synthetic grass, cement or carpet. However, according to the International Padel Federation, the surface of the court can be made of different materials, such as concrete, cement, wood, synthetic materials, artificial grass or any other material that allows the ball to bounce properly.

It is recommended that both the grass and the carpet have a small amount of special sand to facilitate movement on the court. The permitted colours for the surface are blue, green or earth-brown, according to the rules.

The net

The net of the padel court must be 10 metres long to cover the entire width of the court, and its height varies from 0.88 metres in the centre, the lowest part, to 0.92 metres on the sides, with a maximum tolerance of 0.005 metres.

The net is suspended by a metal cable with a maximum diameter of 0.01 metres and is attached to the two side posts, which may not exceed a maximum height of 1.05 metres. These posts must touch the side boundaries of the court, so no space is allowed between them. In addition, the posts must have rounded edges to prevent possible collisions, they can be circular or square.

The net tape must be white and have a width between 5 and 6.3 cm. It is also permitted to place an additional strip above the tape, usually for advertising purposes, but its width may not exceed 9 cm.