Both tennis and badminton are popular racket sports. They can be played individually or on a team of two people. Despite these similarities, these two sports have a lot of differences and it can sometimes be confusing when you are trying to tell them apart. This article will help you to easily tell the difference between them.
Definitions
Badminton is a racket sport that is played with shuttlecocks and rackets. The sport can be played by two opposing individuals, or by two opposing teams of two people. Players position themselves on either side of a rectangular court separated by a net and strike a shuttlecock back and forth over the net. A player strikes the shuttlecock only once after passing over the net into the opponent’s court. A rally ends when the shuttlecock hits the floor.
Tennis is also a racket sport that can also be played by a single player against a single player or two against two. A rubber ball is used and is struck over the net into the opponent’s side of the court. A player aims to hit the ball in such a way that it the opponent can’t make a good return hit.
Comparison Chart
| Badminton | Tennis |
| Uses a shuttlecock (relatively light) | Uses a hollow rubber ball (relatively heavy) |
| Relatively light and small rackets are used | Heavy and large rackets are used |
| Court measures 20 by 44 feet | Court measures 36 by 78 feet |
| Players aim to make drop shots | Players can make many manipulated shots |
Badminton vs Tennis
What is the difference between badminton and tennis? The difference in these two types of sports is in the kind of equipment used, how they are played and size of court on which they are played.
Badminton and tennis differ completely in so many ways. For instance, the type of rackets used for each of them is different from the other. They are also different sets of rules that govern how each of them is played, different components, equipment, as well as size and setting of courts on which they are played.
- A tennis court is larger than that of badminton. It measures 36 feet by 78 feet, while that of badminton measures 20 feet by 44 feet.
- The rackets used in the tennis games are much larger and weigh a lot more than those used in badminton. A badminton racket is narrower all round and has a relatively smaller head. It weighs about 100g compared to the 350g that a tennis racket weighs.
- The nature of play in each of these sports is also different. A tennis player can manipulate the ball in so many ways by using different racket spins. Badminton players, on the other hand, aim to drop every shot they make. In addition, a hollow ball is used in tennis while a shuttlecock is used in badminton.