TL;DR: Tennis and table tennis, another has a table in its name but both sound the same otherwise. However, that isn’t the only difference between the two. Whether you like tennis or table tennis, it’s important to know the many differences between the two as a racket sports lover or just a curious human being.
For starters, let’s look at the origins of both sports. Tennis originated in England during the 12th century while Table tennis was created by James W. Gibb in 1901. Secondly, the equipment needed to play both sports is different as well. In tennis, you need rackets, balls, and a net while for table tennis all you need are paddles and a small plastic ball.
The playing field is also different for both sports. A tennis court is 78 feet long and 27 feet wide while a table tennis table is 9 feet long and 5 feet wide with a net stretched across the middle.
The biggest difference between the two sports though is how they are played. Tennis is played with players standing on opposite sides of a net in a court while table tennis is played with players on opposite sides of a table.