Padel court dimensions — exact measurements and what they mean

The basic dimensions

A padel court is 20 metres long and 10 metres wide, giving a total playing area of 200 square metres. The court is divided exactly in half by a net at the 10-metre mark — each half is 10 × 10 metres. The court is fully enclosed by walls: back walls behind each baseline, and side walls running the full 20-metre length. For reference, a singles tennis court is 23.77m × 8.23m (196m²) and a doubles tennis court is 23.77m × 10.97m (261m²) — padel's court is similar in width to a doubles tennis court but nearly 4 metres shorter. The enclosed walls are what change everything: they reduce the effective play area while dramatically increasing tactical complexity.

The wall heights and glass/mesh layout

Back walls (behind each baseline): 3 metres high, constructed entirely from tempered glass (called 'cristal' in Spanish). The glass back wall is the defining feature of the game — balls that bounce and hit the back glass return into the court at a predictable angle based on pace and spin, creating the back-wall play that has no equivalent in other racket sports. Side walls: the height varies along the length of the court. In the back zone (the 4 metres closest to each back wall), the side wall is 3 metres high — the same as the back wall. Moving toward the middle of the court, the side wall steps down to 2 metres high. In the front zone (the 2 metres on each side of the net), there is no solid side wall — just the net posts and metal mesh above 2 metres. The material changes too: glass is used for the back portion of each side wall (typically the first 4 metres from the back wall), while metal mesh is used for the middle and front portions. This split affects ball rebound angles significantly — glass gives a truer, faster rebound; mesh absorbs pace and produces a slower, lower rebound.

The net

Net height is 88 centimetres at the centre and 92 centimetres at the posts. The 4cm difference is not an error — it's intentional, matching the same centre-droop design used in tennis. The net is 10 metres wide, running the full width of the court and attached to posts at each side wall. Net material is typically black synthetic mesh, fine enough that the ball cannot pass through it. The net band at the top is at least 5cm wide and white. At 88cm, the padel net is slightly lower than a tennis net (91.4cm at the posts in tennis) — which is why aggressive topspin volleys dip so readily over the net in padel.

Service lines and zones

Service lines are marked 6.95 metres from the net on each side of the court, parallel to it. This means the service zone (between the net and the service line) is 6.95m deep, and the rear zone (between the service line and the baseline/back wall) is 3.05m deep. A single centre line divides each service zone into two service boxes — left and right, commonly called the 'deuce' box and the 'advantage' box by analogy with tennis. The serve must land in the diagonally opposite service box: right-side server aims to the receiver's left service box. The rear zone behind the service line is not divided — it's a single area. Lines are typically 5cm wide and painted or taped in white.

The door (entry to the court)

Padel courts have one or two doors built into the side walls, positioned at the net line — at the midpoint of the court's length. Standard door dimensions are approximately 1 metre wide and 2 metres tall. The door frame is part of the playing surface: a ball that bounces in the court and then hits the door or its frame stays in play. Older courts (and some compact club courts) have only one door, on one side wall. Modern FIP-compliant courts have two doors, one on each side, for tournament accessibility. The door opening direction matters for match play — doors that open inward toward the court can interfere with players moving to the back wall; outward-opening doors are preferred.

The surface

Almost all padel courts use artificial turf. The FIP specification calls for synthetic grass with a pile height of 12–15mm and sand infill, with 8–10mm of turf fibre showing above the sand level. The sand adds weight that keeps the fibres upright and affects how the ball interacts with the surface — a higher sand level (leaving less turf exposed) produces a faster, lower bounce; a lower sand level (more turf showing) produces a softer, higher bounce. Indoor courts often use carpet — a lower-pile (6–10mm) artificial turf without sand infill — which produces a faster, more consistent bounce. Hard surfaces (concrete, asphalt) are not used for padel: they damage the ball, produce too-fast a bounce, and are inconsistent with wall rebound angles the sport is calibrated for.

The lighting

Outdoor courts require artificial lighting for evening play, typically from 4–8 poles positioned around the court perimeter. FIP standards specify minimum illuminance of 500 lux (measured at court level) for recreational play and 1000 lux for professional tournament play. Indoor courts use overhead lighting — suspended panels or LED arrays that must cover the full court area uniformly. Lighting placement affects play: poles positioned too close to the back wall create shadows that make lobs and overhead shots harder to track, particularly when looking directly up at the ball. Well-designed courts position lights at the mid-court zone and slightly outside the perimeter to avoid direct glare toward players tracking overhead balls.

Minimum construction space and height clearance

The playing surface is 20×10m, but the structural enclosure requires more space. Side walls require a perimeter of approximately 0.5m on each long side, and the back wall structure needs clearance behind it. In practice, a freestanding padel court structure takes a footprint of roughly 21×11m minimum — most installers recommend 23×12m of clear plot space for comfortable access and maintenance. Overhead height clearance is a harder constraint: the FIP recommends a minimum of 6 metres of clear height above the court surface for indoor installations to allow full overhead play on smashes. Outdoor courts require no ceiling but must account for permanent obstructions (trees, cables, overhead wires) within the play zone.

Why these dimensions matter for how the game feels

The 20×10m size is the result of decades of refinement, not arbitrary standardisation. It is small enough to make doubles feel intimate and tactically dense — you're always close to your opponents — while large enough to allow the multi-shot rallies and back-glass exchanges that define the sport. The 3-metre back wall height is tuned so that hard smashes directed at the back glass rebound into play at a manageable height, creating the back-glass attack-and-retrieve sequences padel is famous for, while a true power smash aimed high can clear the wall entirely and end the point. The 88cm net is high enough to force lift on most baseline shots but low enough that volley exchanges at the net remain aggressive and fast. Change any one dimension substantially and the tactical arithmetic of the game shifts.

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