How many padel courts fit on a tennis court?
On a tennis court, 18.5 × 36.5 m, 1 padel court fit with the LTA clearances, also with a competition layout.
Open in the plannerWhy 1 court
Dimensions: ITF recommended total area: a 23.77 × 10.97 m court with 6.40 m run-back and 3.66 m side run-off, 675 m² in all. A padel court is 20 × 10 m, but it cannot go just anywhere:
- Orientation: outdoors, the long axis of each court runs north–south, so that low sun is not in the players' eyes. Tennis courts and pitches are usually laid out the same way.
- Access zone: 8 × 2 m kept clear at the side opening, centred on the net (the LTA's 8 m × 2 m player access).
- Between courts: 1.5 m, as the LTA guidance recommends, and the same to the walls.
- Route to the exit: 1.2 m clear from every court to the entrance.
“Three padel courts fit on a tennis court”: they do not
It is the figure that does the rounds, and it comes from dividing square metres. With the access zones, the gaps between courts and the route to the gate, not even two fit inside a tennis court's area. Conversions that do get two widen the site: at 25.5 m wide instead of 18.5 m (7 m more), 2 courts fit north–south with the LTA's 1.5 m between them.
| Layout | Courts | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| LTA clearances | 1 | Access zone on one side, 1.5 m between courts |
| Competition | 1 | 2 m clear all round and an exit on both sides |
Flat, open surface with one entrance in the middle of a long side. Fencing, stands, access and levels change the result: enter them in the planner and see it at once. Covering the courts with a canopy is in padel court cost in the UK, and it usually needs planning permission.
Other surfaces: a widened tennis court · two tennis courts side by side · a five-a-side pitch · a full-size football pitch