In short, yes—though the answer depends on where you stand relative to the court. The character of padel sound is different and, because two padel courts can often fit in the footprint of one tennis court, overall activity (and therefore cumulative sound energy) can almost double on the same footprint of land. Padel also encourages rapid rallies and more vocal interaction than tennis, which adds to perceived loudness at the boundary.
Both sports generate intermittent sounds: impacts and player vocals. At typical club level we measured tennis racket–ball impacts roughly every 6.5 seconds. In padel, impacts arrive more frequently—about every 4 seconds—because the enclosed court keeps the ball alive and rallies run longer (around 14 hits for padel versus about 5 for tennis). On top of that, padel adds distinct events: ball-on-glass and ball-on-mesh grille contacts. They are less frequent but stand out because their sound contrasts with the regular racket strikes.
A tennis racquet strike actually carries more raw sound energy at source than a padel racquet strike, but the strings on a tennis racquet dampens and spreads the sound so it seems softer to bystanders. A padel racquet presents a rigid face, so the noise sounds like a sharper ‘crack’. Wall contacts produce a lower-frequency thud, while mesh grille contacts ring at higher frequencies. At club level we logged each of those latter events about once every 30 seconds. As player skill rises, the mix changes—frequency and loudness of certain impacts shift—so expect the acoustic signature of local courts to evolve as the player base matures.
In both games, players are the primary sources of noise. On a padel court the perimeter glass wall behaves like a partial barrier: it reflects some energy back into the playing area and restricts direct sound through the ends. The sides, where mesh grille dominates, become the ‘leakiest’ sound directions. Standing 5 metres out from the net line at mid‑side, we measured about twice the total sound level than what was observed 5 metres out from the end wall of the court. By contrast, at positions 5 metres behind the ends, padel and tennis read similarly because the wall screens the padel sources.
Yes. Reflections from the court surface can lift sound over barriers, which can impact nearby multi‑storey residences. Some schemes investigate adding roof structures. A canopy can reduce upward propagation of sound but calculations and product tests predict it may also trap sound energy and increase lateral breakout through the sides. Any proposal should model both effects before treating a roof as a universal fix—we’ll unpack mitigation options in later updates.
Understanding noise in padel is the difference between a smooth planning journey and a protracted one. It also helps you interrogate a Noise Impact Assessment (NIA). Many NIAs reference ‘measurements from an existing site’ without stating where microphones were placed. Given noise levels around a padel court can increase by 100% depending on where you stand, using vague reference data when making predictions can cause large inaccuracies and potentially require expensive mitigation.
If you are in the midst or at the start of planning a sports project that will or may need a noise impact solution, get in touch!
May Walters Acoustic Consultants (MW Acoustics) specialise in acoustics for padel and sporting facilities. In 2024 we undertook an independent programme of nearly 50 hours of measurements on padel and tennis courts to build a robust comparison dataset. The work maps how sound propagates from padel courts, characterises impact content and frequency, and highlights how patterns shift with player ability. The findings have been presented to the Institute of Acoustics (IOA) and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and inform current training content. The dataset underpins a propagation model that supports reliable predictions for planning submissions in the UK.