If you've heard people talking about padel and pickleball and aren't sure which is which — you're not alone. Both are exploding in popularity across the UAE, both are easier to pick up than tennis, and both are genuinely social sports. But they're different games, played differently, and Top Padel is one of the only operators in the UAE running both seriously — so we get asked this question a lot.
The short answer
Padel is played in doubles on an enclosed court with walls you play the ball off — think tennis crossed with squash. Pickleball is played on an open court (no walls) with a lighter paddle and a plastic ball, and can be singles or doubles — think tennis crossed with table tennis and badminton.
Padel, in more detail
- Played on a court about a third the size of a tennis court, enclosed by glass and mesh walls
- Solid, strung paddles (no strings like a tennis racket, but not solid plastic either)
- The walls are part of the game — the ball can bounce off them, which creates longer, more tactical rallies than you'd expect
- Always doubles (2v2) — padel is built around the social, four-player format
- Popular across Spain, Latin America, and now rapidly growing in the UAE
Pickleball, in more detail
- Played on an open court, about the same size as a doubles badminton court
- Solid, lightweight paddles and a perforated plastic ball (similar to a wiffle ball)
- No walls — points end when the ball goes out or into the net
- Can be singles or doubles
- The "kitchen" (the no-volley zone next to the net) is central to strategy — you can't smash from inside it
- One of the fastest-growing sports in the US for several years, and now catching on fast in the UAE
Which one should you try first?
Genuinely — try both. They're different enough that a lot of players end up loving both for different reasons: padel for the tactical wall-play and doubles camaraderie, pickleball for how fast you can start rallying on day one.
If you're coming from tennis or squash, padel's enclosed-court, racket-sport instincts will feel familiar fast. If you want the fastest possible path to "I can actually play this," pickleball's slower ball and simpler rules get most beginners rallying in their first session.
Play both at Top Padel
Top Padel is one of the few operators in the UAE running padel and pickleball seriously, side by side — not just padel with pickleball bolted on. You can play padel at Me'aisem, Al Zahia, Wafi Mall, or DIP; pickleball at Me'aisem, AIS Sharjah, Universal American School, or Deira International School. See our full pickleball page for community, pricing and venue details, or check all seven venues to find your nearest club.
Not sure which to book first? Message your nearest club on WhatsApp — happy to talk you through it.
