On a Saturday in July you have to take whatever court is available. We didn't want to trek too far from home so we settled on Louis Lumière near Porte de Bagnolet in the 20th arrondissement. Last time we played here court 3 was a pot-holed disaster so I studiously avoided it this time. In the interim, courts 2 and 3 had been refurbished and court 1 was now the poor relation, its sagging net wedged with two old ball tins and gaps under the side netting where the balls could escape.
Another new addition since the last time we played was the open-air gym at the far end of the court where a kick boxing club were training intensely to the strains of some rather loud music, drowning out the usual roar of the nearby Périphérique.
No matter! The sun was shining and we were buoyed up by the prospect of Andy Murray in the Wimbledon final. We enjoyed a leisurely couple of sets in the heat of the day - another win for my son and I. The match concluded when my poor daughter was struck on the ear after an over-enthusiastic serve by her partner, but still riding high from her triumphant result in her Brevet des Collèges rounded off the morning with a jog round the adjoining running track.
Tennis Louis Lumière
30 rue Louis Lumière
75020
Paris
