Tennis Rigoulot-La Plaine: Autumn blues

I love Paris in the autumn (as the song doesn't say). Blue skies, warm sunshine, the leaves turning red and gold on the trees and everything bathed in a warm glow. Today was one of those perfect days, my husband had an unexpected day off and I managed to book a last-minute court in the 15th arrondissement.

My daughter broke her collarbone at the weekend, putting paid to our regular family four (and just as her service was starting to improve!) so it's back to energetic singles, better for my fitness levels, but not as much fun.
Tennis Rigoulot-La Plaine was quite a trek, involving two Metro rides and a tram and we arrived 15 minutes late for our 10am booking. In the end it wasn't a problem because the court was also free for the following hour so we ended up with nearly two hours of play - a record.
The blue concrete courts were a flashback to my tennis club in Ealing though the nets were in much better condition (Steve Riley please take note!) There are seven courts in total, set amid the trees and also an astroturf football pitch with its own stand that my son would have loved.

It is a lovely, spacious sports ground, the perfect spot for a blow around in the open air although it's proximity to the Péripherique makes it rather noisy so it was sometimes difficult to hear the score being called out. The court surface was in great condition with excellent bounce and the fencing was high enough to stop balls flying on to the neighbouring court. We live too far away for these courts to become a regular venue, which is a pity - I'm just glad we managed a two-hour stretch today.

Tennis Rigoulot-La Plaine
18 avenue de la Porte Brancion
75015 Paris

Tennis Max Rousié: Pitch perfect, location off-key

Sometimes a trip to a new court takes me to a delightful, undiscovered corner of Paris, a leafy backwater where you can hear the birds sing, a sunny rooftop or a bustling neighbourhood with an enticing bistro for lunch after a game, a part of Paris that I long to return to, to explore more fully or dream of living in. Rue André Bréchet in the 17th arrondissement ticks none of these boxes! Emerging from the Metro at Porte de Saint-Ouen I had the same sinking feeling I had when we played at Porte de Clignancourt and arrived to find the courts closed due to a strike.

  

It's one of the grimmer fringes of Paris and its charms were not enhanced by the fact that it was being dug up when we visited. Tennis Max Rousié is a short walk from the Metro, but it's a route lined by kebab shops, depressing social housing projects and dubious gangs of youths hanging around aimlessly. It wouldn't warrant so much as a paragraph in a tourist guide and it's certainly not somewhere I'll be flat-hunting.

The sports stadium itself, on the other hand, is as impressive as we have come to expect from municipal facilities in Paris. A well-maintained athletics track, assorted football pitches, basketball courts and three tennis courts (to say nothing of the indoor facilities which I didn't have a chance to inspect). The courts were newly resurfaced in a clay-coloured matting - it always surprises me to find carpet-type surfaces on outdoor courts. It was an easy surface to play on, reassuringly non-slip, easy on the knees and with an even bounce. The net was well-maintained and the netting round the court was high enough to ensure we didn't have any stray balls. We played at 6pm and as we left the floodlights came on. The courts stay open until 10pm.

In short, great courts where we'd love to play again were they not such a long Metro ride from home in the 11th arrondissement. But not a place to linger after tennis. Even the setting sun couldn't shed a romantic light on this lack-lustre district - and that's saying something for Paris.

Tennis Max Rousié

28 rue André Bréchet

75017 Paris

Metro: Porte de Saint-Ouen

   

Léo Lagrange: Brolly good game

Rain was rattling on the roof terrace when I threw back the shutters this morning so I logged on to www.tennis.paris.fr to see if we could switch to an indoor court. Some hope! I thought about cancelling, but I could hear my father's voice as he stood in the doorway of the tennis pavilion looking out over a rain-sodden court: "I think it's brightening up. The birds are singing - we'll be back on in 15 minutes!" So, ever hopeful, we put on waterproofs and set off. And guess what? By the time we'd registered under my son's name (I've discovered that if we're playing with the children we get a reduced rate) and paid for the court, the rain had stopped - and the man in the office promised us a refund if it started again before our time was up.

There was not a soul to be seen on any of the six courts - clearly the French lacked our British optimism in the face of a downpour. The courts dried out surprisingly quickly so there was no danger of slipping and we were soon into the game. 

It's not the first time I've played at Léo Lagrange and it remains one of my favourite spots. A short walk from the metro with well-maintained courts and the feeling of playing at a tennis club surrounded by trees and flowers rather than in a high-rise housing estate on a court that has been crammed in as an afterthought.

It was an unusual sensation having the courts to ourselves on a Saturday morning and we had nearly the full hour before the rain started again. But the man in the office was as good as his word because as we sheltered in the reception while the rain pelted down he gave us a refund. A good lesson not to be deterred by the weather. Hope for a break in the clouds and if you do get rained off, at least you'll get your money back!

Tennis Léo Lagrange
68 Boulevard Poniatowski
75012 Paris
Metro: Porte de Charenton

Tennis Cordelières: Best foot forward!

It's been too long since I had a game of tennis. Six weeks in England over the summer and a spectacular toe injury, caused by a freak escalator accident in Boots the Chemist, conspired to keep me off court during peak season. Even if we'd been in Paris though I suspect the record temperatures in July and August may have had a similar effect.

Now the rentrée is upon us - the French word that means so much more than 'back to school' - so for me it's back to tennis and after many visits to www.tennis.paris.fr  I finally managed to bag a court for 10am on Saturday (rather early for some members of the family, but what better way to kick off the weekend?).

Tennis Cordelières is in the 13th arrondissement not far from the  Corvisart Metro station. I've never had a particularly favourable impression of the 13th from visits to previous courts near the Place d'Italie. But the roads around Rue des Cordèlieres were more low-rise than concrete jungle  (though there are one or two tower blocks thrown in for good measure) and we even found a leafy short cut through a park to reach the courts.

There are two courts tucked in between the buildings - both well surfaced and with well-maintained nets - and as luck would have it we managed to play on both! Just as we came off court after our first set the other court came free following a cancellation and we were able to book it at reduced rate because we were playing with the children. A bonus two hour session meant we had plenty of time to find our form. The weather was perfect, dry and fine, but with no dazzling sunshine to blind us for overhead shots. My toe proved no handicap, though the same could not be said for my husband's shoulder, injured in a boating incident in Bandol, and my son and I won easily by two sets to love. 

Tennis Cordèlieres

35 Rue des Cordèlieres

75013 Paris

Metro: Corvisart

Alan Dixon: Game, set and match

Jumping for joy: My dad is second from the left 

I have my father to thank for my love of tennis. He and my mum met at a tennis club and my earliest memories are of trips to the grass courts at Temple Newsam in Leeds. I have only to catch a whiff of warm wood and creosote to be whisked straight back to my childhood with my brother  Peter in the pavilion waiting for the tennis club tea to begin.

As soon as we were old enough to hold a racket my brother and I were on court ourselves, learning to play under the supervision of my dad or the club coach and it wasn't long before a family four became the preferred way to spend a Saturday or Sunday or a summer evening during the week.

We moved house several times and wherever we went we joined a club making friends and playing lots of club tennis. My dad was a fantastic player who usually played in the team - sometimes belonging to more than one club so he could play more matches. As a Yorkshireman he wasn't known for his extravagance, but when it came to tennis kit he was happy to shop - if it was for tennis I could have it and he would buy us tennis rackets and tennis whites (and it always was white in those days) so we always looked the part. 

He would have so loved me to excel, but I lacked his competitive spirit - I knew how to play and had every opportunity to do so, but I didn't really care whether I won or lost and my wins mostly came when I was playing in the team with my brother who had inherited my dad's determination or of course in a family four where, with dad on my side, I was pretty much guaranteed a victory.

Dad was fiercely competitive and raced around the court. As he got older the years of pounding hard courts in Dunlop Green Flash took a toll on his knees so he wore two knee bandages - lulling his opponents into a false sense of security. He developed a new, crafty style of drop shots and carefully placed lobs, getting his opponent out of place before going in for the kill.

Eventually my mum banned him from playing - fearful he would drop dead of a heart attack rather than lose a game and he took up the more sedate sport of golf which he played with equal enthusiasm, but much less success. 

I never had anything like his success on court, but what I did inherit was a lifelong love of playing tennis. Nothing makes me happier or lifts my heart more. However bad things get a game of tennis is guaranteed to put a smile on my face.

My dad died on Monday at the age of 82, but he will always be with me on court - his voice in my head reminding me to call out the score before each serve so we don't lose track, shouting at me to cover the court or telling me to stand well back to receive serve. Indeed my consistency in serving - not especially powerful, but usually in - comes from his total intolerance of double faults and on the rare occasions when I do double fault I can hear the exasperated noise of disgust he would make and see him shaking his head.  

Whenever I want to remember him I can do no better than head for the courts - which means only one thing, more tennis. Nothing would have delighted him more.

Alan Dixon June 3 1933 - July 20 2015

Tennis Neuve Saint Pierre: Cooling off in the Marais

After confidently proclaiming it can never be too hot for tennis I have to confess it can be and it has been! Paris has seen record temperatures in the last week, but when today dawned cool and blowy I wasted no time in getting on the website to book a court. Amazingly this one was available in the Marais - the first time I've ever seen it pop into the list because there is only one court and it seems to be permanently booked. Tennis Neuve Saint Pierre is practically local for us - a stone's throw from my children's school, but although I've walked along the street many times I've never noticed it in spite of an unusual sculpture over the entrance.

Rue Neuve-Saint-Pierre runs parallel with the Rue St Antoine not far from St Paul Metro station. The court is slotted in between a higgledy-piggledy collection of apartment blocks and a primary school. The walls of the surrounding buildings form a barrier on two sides while one side is open and the other fenced with some rather holey netting which necessitated lots of running out to collect balls from the neighbouring basketball court or from the entrance. You are guaranteed to have the place to yourself, though we counted a few spectators in various open windows. The court surface was excellent, but a mishmash of markings sometimes makes it difficult to remember which line is which. It was cool, breezy and there were even a few drops of rain, a refreshing change from the sweltering heatwave. A nice enough court, but I won't be rushing back even if it were possible to get another booking.
7 out of 10.

Tennis Neuve Saint Pierre
5-7 Rue Neuve-Saint-Pierre
75004 Paris

Tennis Atlantique: Feeling hot, hot, hot!

Paris is sizzling. It is the hottest week of the year with temperatures set to soar to 39C - in fact my greatest find has not been a tennis court, but the open air swimming pool at the Porte de Vincennes. But can it ever really be too hot for tennis? Parisians certainly don't think so! The courts are as booked up as ever and I still can't get a court in the Luxembourg Gardens. Anyway, isn't this the weather I dreamed about when toughing it out on freezing mornings in winter or even on the drearier days of the average British summer? So onwards and upwards - in fact upwards quite literally since I'd booked a court on top of Montparnasse station in the Jardin Atlantique. 

I'd been to the Jardin Atlantique years ago when my children were tiny and I remember just how unexpected it was to find this garden on the roof surrounded on all sides by office blocks and flats with the Montparnasse Tower, the tallest building in Paris, looming over everything. The garden is a green lung of sorts in the surrounding concrete and tarmac and has five tennis courts running down one side. Russian vine tumbling over the courtside netting offered some welcome shade to keep our water cool and retreat from the full glare of the sun between games, but the view from the court is essentially one of office blocks and of course the tower. And although you can't actually see the station it certainly makes its presence felt - we could hear the TGVs rumbling underfoot as we played and the SNCF chimes that precede each station announcement. Sunglasses and visors at the ready, it actually felt cooler on court than off although I'm sure the heat made the balls more bouncy as so many returns bounced away over my head.

It was an excellent court, but perhaps a bit too far from home to become a favourite and my children would definitely recommend the creperies in the nearby Rue du Montparnasse.

Tennis Atlantique
25 alle du Capitaine Dronne
75015
Paris

Docteurs Déjerine: Putting other courts in the shade!

It was the first day of the school holidays and I decided to start as I mean to go on - with a game of tennis. I wasn't so organised that I'd booked anything ahead which was how we ended up back at Docteur Déjerine in the 20th arrondissement which is technically a covered court. I say technically because it has open sides and when we played here for the first time in December we nearly froze. No need for covers this time, Paris was basking in a balmy 24 degrees and I was feeling slightly resentful of paying a €17 an hour - no wonder it was the only court left. In fact it turned out to a blessing as the roof shaded us from the strong sunshine while the open sides let in a cooling breeze and no need for sunglasses or visor. These were, dare I say it, perfect conditions. It might have been my imagination, but I think we all played better for it - though it could be an expensive summer if we get too hooked.
Finally I just need to take a moment to share two of my favourite birthday cards this year.

Thank you Gilli - you have perfectly captured my formal tennis attire (and I believe the ladies are even enjoying a Lapsang Souchong).

And thanks to Jonty for so perfectly anticipating my new Sweaty Betty outfit!

Tennis Docteurs Déjerine

32 -36 rue de Docteurs Déjerine

75020 Paris

Metro: Porte de Montreuil

Tennis Reims - Asnières: Lawn tennis (I wish!)

I'm getting the hang of this tennis court booking lark! Earlier in the week it looked as if every court in Paris was booked up during the weekend, but a last minute attempt to find somewhere for a family four on Sunday revealed a court in the 17th arrondissement had suddenly come free (probably someone had decided to stay home and watch the Roland Garros final). I booked the slot at Tennis Reims-Asnières and then made a quick phone call to check it wasn't closed due to a strike. A good lesson in never giving up hope of finding a court - and it was a perfect day for tennis! We took the Metro to Porte de Champerret -  the 16-stop journey was much quicker than anticipated - and arrived in a part of Paris I've never visited before. The courts, like so many others, are on the edge of the city, but this part of Paris felt much leafier, and airier than many of its fringes and the sports centre here did not disappoint. There are nine courts in total and play was in full swing when we arrived, putting me in mind of Sunday afternoon at the tennis clubs of my youth. The green, astroturf surface could almost fool you into thinking you were playing on grass and it was certainly a very welcome sight on a warm afternoon.

 
I'd like to say our game rose to the occasion, but a late night celebrating my birthday the night before meant we were all rather tired and no-one was playing at their best. Still there is nothing like a game of doubles to blow away the cobwebs. The astroturf is not so bouncy as a hard court, but perfect for a gentle game of doubles when you don't have so much court to cover. The birds sang, the sun shone and we were home to see Wawrinka win the final.
9 out of 10 - we'll be back!
Tennis Reims-Asnières
34 Boulevard de Reims
75017 Paris

Léo Lagrange: New balls (and tennis gear) please!

It's my birthday today - and a rather significant one at that! My husband (and tennis partner) bought me new balls, but much more excitingly my lovely London girlfriends bought me a fabulous new tennis outfit from Sweaty Betty. I had hoped we might bag some ground passes for Roland Garros today, but it was not to be. Instead I made a last-minute booking at this tried and tested court at Port de Charenton in the 12th arrondissement. I'd had my eye on a flat overlooking these courts, but the For Sale sign was gone today so we've probably missed the boat there (to my husband's relief - he doesn't think proximity to a great tennis court is a good enough reason to buy a flat). 

In honour of my fabulous birthday present I'm breaking with tradition to appear in a photo. The skirt - or 'skorts' to be more accurate - even had a handy ball pocket sewn into them for storing an extra ball when serving. My game was definitely improved by my new attire and perhaps even more so by the new balls. Imagine what a difference it would make to my game if I could have new balls (and perhaps even a new outfit!) every seven games like the pros - a much more even bounce, with no ball bouncier than another and none too flat. Of course typically, as we had a full set of new balls, our court was inadequately fenced with a gap between us and the next court. I did have a moment where I thought we'd lost a ball as we could only find seven - the other was in fact in my new Sweaty Betty pocket!

On our previous trip to Léo Lagrange we had played on Court 6, a green, astroturf carpet with a liberal sprinkling of sand. This time we were on concrete, but a smart, well-maintained court none the less, notwithstanding the gap between us and our neighbours. It is definitely one of my favourites - on the edge of the Bois de Vincennes with lots of trees, flowers and lawns. A perfect spot on a perfect summer day.

Fabulous birthday - huge thanks to Lou, Simone, Corinne, Hélène, Gilli, Lisa and Anne.

Louis Lumière: court maintenance French-style

I was going to let today's game pass without comment since it isn't the first time I've played at Louis Lumière in the 20th arrondissement, but an honourable mention must go to this extraordinary attempt at keeping the net at the correct height. A previous player - no doubt infuriated by the sagging net - had fashioned a prop from a forked branch foraged from the surrounding bushes. And just to be on the safe side they had also jammed a stick in the winding mechanism to hold it taut - an arrangement which worked surprisingly well.

Fortunately we weren't actually booked on to this court (number 3 - in case you want to avoid it!), but   had moved over from the much more satisfactory Court 1 when our time there was up. Courts 1 and 2 are concrete and ours had been scrupulously cleaned since our previous game in November last year when it was rather mossy. Court 3 is surfaced with a sand-covered carpet with a few dips and bumps to catch you unawares. Definitely one to avoid in future, though full marks to the man on reception who took pity on us when we mistakenly arrived at 5pm for a 4pm booking and let us play anyway when the people who had booked were either late or failed to show. A good reminder to be on time for  bookings though otherwise you really will lose the court.

Tennis Léo Lagrange: Bloomin' marvellous!

I was itching to try out the tennis courts at Léo Lagrange near the Porte de Charenton in the 12th arrondissement after visiting a flat just opposite. It wasn't exactly a court-side seat, but you could certainly see the stadium and it would be a two-minute walk at most. My husband wasn't keen on the area, but with the Bois de Vincennes on the doorstep and great sporting facilities a stone's throw away I felt he was writing it off too quickly. The Centre Sportif Léo Lagrange has just about everything you could ask for in a sports centre - football pitches, basketball and handball courts and an athletics track - and most importantly six tennis courts and also a practice wall. It is also the first place we have played that feels less like a huge municipal facility and more like an English tennis club with lots of lawns and flowerbeds to soften the hard lines with the woods of the Bois de Vincennes as a backdrop. A particularly pretty planting scheme along one side of the court  reminded me I was missing the Chelsea Flower Show and it was Chelsea weather too - sunny, but rather blowy with the constant threat of a shower.

We had booked one of the five concrete courts, but the man on reception let us switch our booking to court number 6 - a green astroturf carpet with a liberal sprinkling of sand. We'd passed it on the way in and I wanted to try it as it is the closest thing I'll get to grass in Paris unless I can persuade someone to let me play on the court at the British Embassy. It took a bit of getting used to - the bounce wasn't great, but it made for an interesting game, forcing me to get to the net and volley with surprising success. 

9 out of 10 for this court and with six to choose from you are relatively sure of a booking - though I'm not sure it will be enough to persuade my husband to buy the flat opposite!

Tennis Léo Lagrange

68 Boulevard Poniatowski

75012 Paris

Tennis Jandelle: Birdsong in Belleville

 Another weekend in May, another Bank Holiday in Paris - Ascension Day this time (on Thursday in fact, but extended over Friday to give a long weekend). I'd booked a court in the 19th arrondissement  - combining a game of tennis with checking out a different area in our hunt for a new flat. The closest Metro to Tennis Jandelle was at Belleville - Paris's Chinatown. Paris was quiet for the bank holiday, but it was business as usual in bustling Belleville.

It was busy, noisy and dirty with traffic and roadworks and crowds of people blocking the pavements - you could hardly walk down the road in the Rue du Faubourg du Temple and it wasn't much quieter up the hill on the Rue de Belleville. The restaurants were doing roaring trade, there were bins blocking the pavements - I couldn't imagine where they would squeeze a tennis court  into this hubbub so I couldn't have been more surprised to see the quiet cul-de-sac Cité Jandelle with its unmade road and overhanging gardens.

Tennis Jandelle was a haven of peace and tranquility - sitting quietly among apartment blocks with birds singing in the trees and neighbours watering plants on their balconies. This is the warmest and friendliest welcome we have ever had. The man on the desk suggested we play first and pay afterwards in case rain stopped play (it didn't). There is only one court, but it had an excellent surface and was well-fenced - the net needs tethering in the middle, but this is a small gripe. My son and I won as usual - in spite of my husband's attempts to wind him with a fierce volley in the ribs.
8 out of 10.

Tennis Jandelle
15-17 Cité Jandelle
75019 Paris

Tennis Moureu-Baudricourt: A dazzling performance

Back to the concrete jungle around Place d'Italie for our game this morning. The architecture in that part of the city always makes me think of our years in East Berlin, but the French deserve some credit for including so many excellent sports facilities when they built their high-density housing projects and the Centre Sportif Charles Moureu has three indoor and three outdoor courts as well as four basketball courts and an athletics track. 

This is the third court we have played on in the area and the best of the three without a doubt. It was a longish and slightly confusing walk from the Metro, with plenty of opportunity to take the wrong fork in the road, but we arrived in good time to find our court and admire all the beauty that 60s and 70s town planning has to offer.
It was another gorgeous, sunny day so we were playing outside on court number three - and for the bargain price of €5.40. The surface was the classic concrete block construction, but the court surface was in excellent condition as was the net, with a towering umpire's chair making me think matches must be played here.

Two small gripes, there was a wall at the back of one of the baselines on our court which meant balls could easily rebound and roll underfoot. The other problem was the glass roof of the reception area which on a bright, sunny day reflected blinding flashes of sun right into the eyes of whoever was serving in that direction.

Court rating: 7/10 and on a cloudy day 8!

Tennis Moureu-Baudricourt

17 Avenue Edison

75013 Paris

An unusual window box near Place d'Italie

Tennis Croix Nivert: Room to to manoeuvre

In France, almost every weekend in May has a Bank Holiday attached. This Friday was VE Day so Paris was quieter than usual with lots of Parisian leaving the city. We had started the day with a Champagne brunch with friends who were over from London - not the best precursor to a sporting contest, but I hoped my husband would over-indulge by way of a handicap. I'd adjusted the time of our booking which meant changing courts as well - and what a stroke of luck. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the only court available was in a leafy part of the 15th arrondissement. We emerged from the underground into Place du Commerce with its bandstand and beds full of tulips. 

My friend and I had been Googling vintage tennis dresses on eBay and it was so warm I even braved my tennis skirt on the Metro ride across the city. It felt like a holiday weekend with the terraces of pavement cafes full of people enjoying a leisurely lunch even at 3pm. It was warm and sunny - perfect tennis weather.

Tennis Croix Nivert has just one outside court positioned between the apartment blocks and balconies. The space was so vast it felt as though two courts could have been squeezed in so it was a long way from the baseline and the tramlines to the outside netting - take plenty of balls or you'll walk a long way between points.

The surface was excellent - one on the best we've played on - with no cracks between panels to send the ball awry. If I have a gripe it is that the court also serves as a basketball pitch and handball court  so there was a confusing number of lines leading to more than one suspect line call.

  

As it was we had a perfect Sunday afternoon game of tennis and I believe the Champagne had done its job knocking my husband off his stride so my son and I were once again victorious in our family four! My friend suggested an innovation - giving each court a mark. So this one was 8/10.

Tennis Croix Nivert

107 rue de la Croix Nivert

75015 Paris

Metro: Commerce