Tennis Candie was an early favourite when I first started playing in Paris. Tucked away in a back street off the bustling Rue St Antoine, not far from Bastille, it has two courts - one with wheelchair access and one perched on the roof of a sports hall up a concealed flight of stairs. It hadn't popped up in the reservations for some time and I thought perhaps it was so popular it was always booked up or it had been removed altogether, like the lovely courts in Jardin Luxembourg. In fact I now wonder if it was closed for refurbishment as both courts were immaculately surfaced in green carpet, with pristine markings and new nets (though watch out for the posts - they are not sunk into the ground, but are on a stand with wheels and my partner managed to trip up twice). We arrived early, produced our passports, and finding Court 1 empty nipped on for a quick knock-up while the game finished upstairs.
Both courts were equally pristine, but while Court 2 is purely a tennis court, Court 1 has two other pitches marked out in a confusing jumble of lines. On a sunny, May day it was an appealing location. Wisteria tumbling down a neighbouring building was about to burst into flower, a man was setting out deckchairs on his rooftop terrace, washing fluttered from a balcony and an old lady, sunning herself in a window seat, appeared to watch our game. It would also have been peaceful were it not for a team of workmen on a cherrypicker trimming a curtain of foliage on a neighbouring modern building - we were treated to a racket of hooting every time they adjusted the height of the platform.
The court surface took a bit of getting used to - the bounce is low requiring even more running than usual (I much prefer doubles!). It was also slightly static - fluffing up the fibres on our tennis balls, but easy underfoot, non-slip and far preferable to concrete. The area around Tennis Candie makes it a great spot for a lunchtime game with lots of cafés and bars nearby as well as the Marché Aligre. We rounded off our game with some Dim Sum at 21G Dumpling on the corner - great serves followed by great service!
Tennis Candie
11 Rue Candie
75011
Paris
Metro: Ledru Rollin
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