A padel racket is solid, stringless, perforated and no longer than 45.5 cm. A tennis racket is strung, hollow-framed and up to 73.7 cm. They are not interchangeable in either direction, and the reasons are mechanical rather than traditional.
The specifications
| Padel racket | Tennis racket | |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum length | 45.5 cm | 73.7 cm |
| Maximum width | 26 cm | No fixed limit; head 29 in² and up |
| Maximum thickness | 38 mm | Frame typically 20–28 mm |
| Hitting surface | Solid foam core with a carbon or fibreglass face, perforated | Strings under tension in an open frame |
| Typical weight | 355–375 g | 280–340 g strung |
| Handle | One standard slim size, adjusted with overgrips | Sized L0 to L5 |
| Wrist cord | Required by the rules | None |
| Restringing | Not possible — no strings | Every 20–40 hours of play |
Note the weight row, which surprises people: a padel racket is heavier than most tennis rackets despite being 40% shorter. All that mass is packed into a short, thick frame, which is why it feels dense in the hand and why balance matters so much — see padel racket weight.
Why padel rackets have holes
Three reasons, in order of how much they matter:
- Air resistance. A solid 26 cm face pushed through the air is a paddle. The perforations cut drag so you can accelerate the racket for a volley, a bandeja or a lob — all shots with almost no backswing available.
- Weight. Removing material from the face lowers total mass and, crucially, lowers it at the head, where it costs the most in manoeuvrability.
- Shock. A perforated face flexes slightly more than a solid one, absorbing part of the impact rather than sending it up the arm.
Hole pattern is a genuine design variable — larger holes towards the top of the face raise the sweet spot, smaller ones spread it — but it is a second-order effect compared with shape and core. The measured version of that trade is in padel racket shapes.
Strings versus foam
| Strings (tennis) | Foam core (padel) | |
|---|---|---|
| How the ball is returned | The string bed stretches and springs back | The core compresses and rebounds |
| Spin | Substantial. Strings grip and roll the ball | Limited. The face is smooth or lightly textured |
| Tuning | Tension, gauge, pattern — all adjustable | Fixed at manufacture. You buy the feel |
| Sweet spot | Large, set by the string pattern | Small, set by shape and core |
| Running cost | Restringing, several times a year | None until the frame dies |
| Lifespan | Frames last years | Cores soften; 1–3 years of regular play |
The practical consequence for a tennis player: you cannot tune a padel racket. There is no tension to drop and no softer string to try. If the frame is too stiff, the answer is a different frame — or a thicker grip, which is the one adjustment available and is covered in padel racket grip size.
Can you use one for the other?
A tennis racket for padel
No, and not only because the rules forbid it. A 73.7 cm racket is unusable in a 20 × 10 m box: you have no room for the swing, the length gets caught on the glass on a low defensive shot, and the string bed launches a depressurised padel ball unpredictably. It is also illegal — the FIP sets the 45.5 cm limit and the wrist cord requirement.
A padel racket for tennis
Also no. A padel racket has too little face area and too little energy return for a pressurised tennis ball at tennis distances. You can rally gently with one; you cannot play.
A padel racket for pickleball or paddle tennis
Not legally, and not well. A padel racket is up to 38 mm thick where a pickleball paddle is around 16 mm, and each sport specifies its own equipment. The full disambiguation is in padel vs paddle tennis.
What transfers if you already play tennis
| Habit | In padel |
|---|---|
| Timing and hand-eye | Transfers completely |
| Grip changes | Transfers, and the slim padel handle makes them faster |
| The full backswing | Must go. A 45 cm racket with a tennis swing sends the ball into the back glass on the full, which is out |
| Heavy topspin | Largely wasted. No strings to bite the ball, and a lower-pressure ball to bite |
| Buying by head size | Meaningless. Padel faces are all within a few centimetres of each other |
| Buying by weight | Nearly meaningless. Every serious frame sits in a 15-gram band |
The sport-level version of that transfer table — what your tennis game gives you and what it costs you — is in padel vs tennis.
What a tennis player should buy first
Counter-intuitively, a round, soft, head-light frame — the same profile we recommend to complete beginners, for a different reason. A tennis player’s contact point is excellent and their swing length is wrong, and a forgiving frame absorbs the transition while the swing shortens. Buying a diamond because it “feels like a proper racket” is the most common and most expensive mistake in the crossover.
The shortlist with British prices is best padel rackets for beginners; the graded ranking is best padel rackets.
Frequently asked questions
Can you use a tennis racket for padel?
No. The rules limit a padel racket to 45.5 cm long, 26 cm wide and 38 mm thick, and require a wrist cord. A tennis racket is up to 73.7 cm, which is also unusable inside an enclosed court.
Why do padel rackets have holes?
Mainly to cut air resistance so the racket can be accelerated quickly on shots with almost no backswing. The holes also reduce weight at the head and absorb part of the impact.
Is a padel racket heavier than a tennis racket?
Usually yes. Padel rackets run 355 to 375 g against 280 to 340 g strung for tennis, despite being about 40% shorter — the mass is packed into a much smaller frame.
Do padel rackets have strings?
No. The hitting surface is a solid foam core, usually EVA, faced with carbon or fibreglass and drilled with holes. There is nothing to restring and nothing to tune.
How long does a padel racket last?
One to three years of regular play. The core softens with use rather than the frame breaking, so the racket gets progressively less lively rather than failing outright.
Can a tennis player use their tennis grip size in padel?
Not directly — padel rackets ship in one standard slim handle. Tennis players usually need one or two overgrips to reach a comparable thickness.
Sources. Padel racket dimension limits and the wrist cord requirement: Rules of Padel, International Padel Federation (FIP), consulted 30/08/2026. Tennis racket dimension limits: ITF Rules of Tennis, consulted 30/08/2026. Weight ranges: manufacturer specifications recorded in our own reviews.