I remember the first time I went down to our local padel court for a game, not knowing anything about the sport at all. I was joining the beginners’ group where padel rackets and balls were provided. I made the classic rookie mistake of asking if we use tennis balls for padel. The answer was no. When I got home I made a point of turning to Google to find the differences.
What is the difference padel vs tennis ball? Tennis balls and padel balls effectively differ only in terms of their internal pressure when new. That being 14psi for new tennis balls versus 11psi for new padel balls. They are made from the same materials, in the same ratio, by the same manufacturers.
1. More Similarities Than Differences
What holds true for the comparison between tennis and padel balls is so similar to most other things that are related on some level.
The regulations for tournament legal tennis balls are determined by the ITF while the WPT is responsible for the regulations governing padel balls.
In reality, though, the major racket sports brands use the same factories to produce both their tennis balls and padel balls.
That is because both tennis balls and padel balls are me from the same base materials in terms of their core and fuzzy outer layer. These base materials are used in the same proportions in both instances, giving tennis and padel balls identical weight.
Where differences do occur it is in terms of internal pressure of the balls. Here we are talking about 14psi maximum for tennis balls and 11psi maximum for padel balls. This higher pressure stretches the tennis ball to a slightly bigger diameter.
That extra pressure also causes a new tennis ball to bounce just one inch higher in the official bounce test. However, both tennis balls and padel balls have the same stipulated minimum bounce height before being classified as flat.
I may be completely out of line here, but I have a suspicion that tennis balls that fail the bounce test showing that they have insufficient pressure may very well be marked and branded as padel balls, especially those sold as off-brand by large sports retailers. It would certainly cut down on wastage costs for the manufacturer.
2. Diameter Difference
A tennis ball must have a diameter of between 6.54cm and 6.86cm.
The diameter of a padel ball needs to be between 6.35cm and 6.77cm.
The additional diameter of a tennis ball is in direct proportion to being pumped to a higher pressure when new.
3. Weight Difference
A tennis ball is required to weigh between 56.0 grams and 59.4 grams.
The weight of a padel ball must be between 56.0 grams and 59.4 grams.
So, as you can see there is no weight difference between padel balls and tennis balls.
4. Internal Pressure Difference
The ITF requires new tennis balls to have an internal pressure of 14psi (8.165kg per 2.54 square cm) when the seal is broken on the cannister during tournament play.
Interestingly, tennis balls do not have a stipulated minimum pressure. That limitation is only stipulated in terms of the bounce test. I would guess that is to mitigate for temperature, atmospheric pressure, and court altitude.
The padel ball must have an internal pressure of between 10psi and 11psi (4.6 Kg and 5.2 Kg per 2.54 square cm).
5. Bounce Height Test Difference
A “tournament legal” tennis ball needs to be able to bounce between 135cm and 147cm when dropped from a height of 254cm.
The “tournament legal” padel ball needs to be able to bounce between 135cm and 145cm when dropped from a height of 254cm.
6. The Special High Altitude Padel Ball
When padel is played on a court at an altitude of 500m above sea level or higher, a “high altitude” ball should be used. The high altitude padel ball is the same as a normal padel ball in terms of weight and diameter. However, the bounce height of a high altitude padel ball is limited to between 121.92cm and 135cm when dropped from a height of 254cm.
For the 2019 World Padel Tour tournament in Mexico City, a special padel ball had to be created to compensate for the more than 2000m altitude. Even so, many of the players struggled with the additional bounce at that high altitude.
7. Can Tennis Balls Be Used On A Padel Court?
I know that padel purists would cringe at the thought. Certainly brand new, out of the can, tennis balls would be way too bouncy for use on a padel court.
However, what researching this post has shown me is that if you have some tennis balls around that are a little old but still have some bounce then, by all means, use them for a casual game if that is all you have.
From my perspective the same counts for general practice. It certainly could give new purpose to a basket of old tennis balls should you be making the switch from tennis to padel. That way you can save your sealed cans of tournament-ready padel balls for when you play some serious games.
Great blog!
How much wool is there on a Padel ball? It seems that sometimes the ball is more “fluffy” is it more wool and less synthetic? And sometimes it’s the other way around! More synthetic and less wool!
Is there a standard?