Is Racquetball Harder Than Tennis? (Sports Comparison)

Racquetball is an indoor racket sport played with immense power, requiring fast reaction time and a quick body. In contrast, tennis is a bit slower outdoor racket sport played on a big court, requiring precise accuracy and versatile skills. This raises the question, which sport is more difficult?

Tennis is harder than racquetball. Racquetball allows you to punch the ball and score without much thought anywhere except straight down. In tennis, on the other hand, there is a lot of strategies involved, a bigger court, all sorts of different moves, and you run a lot more.

Racquetball has can be played outdoor or indoors and has three sets where whenever a team wins the first two sets, the game ends, and the winner proceeds to the next level. I have well-researched facts, rules, and faults of racquetball. Have a look.

How Does a Racquetball Court Look Like?

The Racquetball court is enclosed by the front and back wall for a closed court or located in an open area with a front wall only. The standard measurement of a racquetball court is 40 feet long and 20 feet wide, and 20 feet front wall. Some courts have sidewalls, but others have only the front wall. It has a red line separating the service and reception sections.

The service section has standard dimensions of 20 feet in length and 5 feet in width. It is enclosed by a service line that is near the front wall and a short line beyond the service line. The distance of the service box is 15 feet from the front wall and is marked by a red line. The service box has a doubles box enclosed by a screen line.

The opponent stands in the doubles box when the server is serving. The serve stands in the service zone facing the front wall, and the opponent prepares to receive the ball from any direction.  

On the right of the pitch and inside the service box, there is a 36-inch section where the service should not step when hitting the ball.

The receiving line is marked by a dotted red line and is 25 feet from the front wall and 5 feet behind the short line of the service box.  

What Are The Requirements For Playing Racquetball?

The racquetball ball has the following equipment; 2.25 inch in diameter racquetball, which is hollow inside and bouncy, racquetball eye guards, racquetball gloves with a firm grip, a racquetball court, and sports shoes.

As a racquetball player, I need all the above equipment for a game. It is mandatory for the field to be marked by solid and dotted lines to distinguish the sections.

What Are The Racquetball Rules?

Racquetball has simple rules that can be mastered by any racquetball expert or a newbie. The first serve or receive goes to the team which wins the toss. The next game is started by the loser of the first toss, and the third game depends on whether one team dominated the first two games. If the result is a draw, the coin is tossed again, and the winner will have the option to start or receive.

The ball bounces once on the ground, and before the second bounce, the serve strikes it towards the front wall. If the service is missed, the server loses to the receiver. The ball should not touch the body or garment while serving or the racket handle.

The ball must be played within the court, and players maintain it within the defined boundaries. If it touches service above the playground, it is declared out-of-play.

The service is started from any point in the service section, and nobody part of the service, the racket or the racquetball, should extend the service or the short lines. The serve can step on the service line but not extend the feet beyond the service line.

Upon finishing the service motion, the service can extend the feet past the service line provided part of it remains inside the service box until the ball goes past the short line.

When the serve takes position in the service box, the service motion starts, and when ready to release the ball, the racket must strike the ball hard to hit the front wall and touch the back edge past the short line. The ball may or not hit the sidewalls and is a valid service.

The receiver strikes the racquetball upon touching the back edge to hit the front wall. If the ball hits the serve before hitting the front wall, the serve earns a point. A player can only serve twice and earn 11 points to be declared a winner.

What Are The Faults Of Racquetball?

The ball is served only when the receiver is ready to receive the ball. It means the server cannot serve the ball anytime he wishes.

A racquetball player is awarded a loss when the ball is not begun by a service motion with the feet inside the service section. When the ball hits the front wall and lands between the service line and the front wall, it is considered a short service and score awarded to the opponent.

When the ball first hits the front wall and on rebound hits the two side walls before landing on the back edge, it is referred to as a three-wall serve, and the score is awarded to the opponent.

The serve can strike the ball hard that it hits the front wall, and on the rebound, it hits the ceiling before landing on the back edge. Such a service is called ceiling service; the receiver is awarded the score.

A long serve results when the serve strikes the ball hard and hits the front wall, and on the rebound, the ball hits the back wall before touching the back edge. The score is awarded to the recipient side.

As a service, I must make sure the ball does not pass close to my partner or me. The receiver must have a clear view of the ball, and when I destroy the receiver, I lose the service because of the screen serve. Racquetball players observe the said rules keenly because when one offends them, it results in a fault. A player ensures that the ball does not hit the opponent because the result is a hinder and the game can lead to cancellation.