Many people consider badminton and tennis pretty similar, due to their common features. For instance, both sports involve players using a racket to send an item over a net that divides the court into two equal sides.
Nevertheless, there are many differences between the two sports. Getting to know them will allow you to see which one best suits you.
Even though both sports use rackets, badminton uses a plastic item known as a birdie or a shuttlecock, while tennis uses a heavier rubber ball with a fluffy fabric covering.
Both sports allow for single players competition as well as for “doubles,” in which two teams of two players each confront each other.
As opposed to tennis, though, badminton allows for up to six players in each competing team. If you want to enjoy a game with all of your family members or with a group of friends, badminton could be best for you.
In addition, the rules of the two games are different.
In tennis, players are allowed or even required to bounce the ball to the ground once per hit. In badminton, the birdie shouldn’t touch the ground during a volley.
The scoring is also different. In badminton, players use single points scoring, adding up to 11, 15, or 21. In tennis, the scoring system is peculiar, with players scoring “love,” 15, 30, 40, or “deuce.”
The Courts
Badminton and tennis can both be strenuous. Out of the two games, tennis has the largest court, being, therefore, more challenging from a physical standpoint. The net is set at different heights; 5 feet in badminton and much lower in tennis.
By getting familiar with these similarities and differences, you’ll be able to pick the right sport to make your new hobby or routine activity. To find out how much does a padel tennis court costs see here.
The Ball Speed
As strange as it may seem, the ball speed can be much higher in badminton than in tennis. Data in the Guinness Book show that the fastest ever tennis hit reached over 260 km/h, while the fastest badminton shot reached over 420 km/h.
The Racket Weight
Rackets are extremely important in both games. Badminton and tennis use rackets of different styles and weights.
Tennis rackets may weigh anywhere between 255g and 365h. Among the world’s most famous players, Roger Federer uses a 365g racket, while Murray prefers a 345g one.
Badminton uses much lighter rackets. They can weigh between 80g and 100g. If you want to find out how much a badminton racket weighs, seek the letter U on its frame. Click here to find out more details about badminton rackets.
Earning Potential
Tennis players can get much wealthier than badminton players. Check out the chart of the top richest players in the world for both sports to see what a huge gap there is between tennis and badminton players.
According to this chart, even the least rich tennis player earns much more than the wealthiest badminton player. If we compare the top-earning players, we can easily see that the tennis player earns 8.5 times more than the badminton player.
Penetration Rate
The penetration rate is a measure of a sport’s popularity worldwide. You can calculate it by dividing the number of players by the total population in the world.
If you take a closer look at tennis, you’ll see that this sport is extremely popular and cherished in Europe, Australia, and the United States. Badminton is way lower on this scale.
