Tennis Edouard Pailleron: Clay court is an instant hit

It is only two weeks ago that my friend Tanya and I were admiring the manicured perfection of the French Open courts at Roland Garros - raked, watered and with lines swept clean, the clay surface looked so inviting. Little did we imagine that we would soon be playing on clay ourselves on one of Paris's public courts. Even better, when we arrived the couple on court before us were raking and watering the surface - we could hardly believe our luck or restrain our squeals of enthusiasm.

Edouard Pailleron is in the 19th arrondissement at a sort of mid-point between Tanya's home in the 10th and ours in the 20th. I can't believe we have never played here before - it turns out that these are the only public clay courts in Paris. The address, in Rue Edouard Pailleron, had proved slightly tricky to find - the courts are poorly signed and tucked behind a large building next to the swimming pool. We had to ask at the neighbouring ice-rink, but once we arrived we had the friendliest and most helpful welcome I have ever received at a Paris tennis court. The woman at reception showed us to an underground changing room and then personally conducted us to our court.

There are two courts side by side in a lovely, leafy setting - so much nicer to play to a background of birdsong than the roar of the traffic. The clay surface means they are used only for tennis so there are no distracting handball or basketball markings and the fencing is in good order so the balls stay in the court. I'm far more used to playing on concrete or carpet - the surface of choice for most public courts in the city - so it was a real treat to play on clay. The court had a good, even bounce and disputed line calls were easy to judge by checking the mark where the ball bounced. At the end of our game it was our turn to rake and water - something I know my kids will enjoy when I bring them for a game. As we left we joked should decant some of the red surface into tiny glass jars of the type sold in the Roland Garros souvenir shop for €20 - who would ever know the difference?

The rakes progress: Smoothing the surface post match

Let us spray: Damping down the dust for the next game

Tennis Edouard Pailleron

22 Rue Edouard Pailleron

75019

Paris

Metro: Bolivar (line 7bis)

Roland Garros Court 18: Only in my dreams

With its brand new clay surface groomed and raked after each set, its lines carefully swept free from dust,  gently watered in the heat and lovingly tucked under covers during rainy spells, this has to be one of the best courts in Paris. Add to that a scrupulously adjusted net, new balls supplied every seven games, a line judge to adjudicate every call and a scoreboard so no one ever has to be reminded who is serving or from which side and you are pretty much looking at perfection. 

Needless to say I was watching rather than playing!

Court 18 is the newest outside court at Roland Garros and definitely one of my favourites. With plenty of room for spectators on all sides you are guaranteed a great view and in close enough proximity to hear the swish of a racket and maybe even catch a stray ball. 

My friend Tanya and I were there for our annual trip to the French Open and were more than happy to be in the cheap seats with our €20 ground tickets. The weather forecast was diabolical, but at that price any tennis was a bonus. We arrived when the ground opened at 10am and bagged great seats behind the baseline to watch John McEnroe pair up with French veteran Cedric Pioline in the Trophée des Légendes.

A huge hit with the crowds: tennis legend John McEnroe

It was a great match with McEnroe jokingly querying line calls to cries of "You cannot be serious?" from the delighted crowd. When the umpire overturned a line call in McEnroe's favour on a close serve he asked her: "Where were you 30 years ago?" After a particularly arduous rally Pioline borrowed a chair from a line judge and played from sitting - almost winning the point. In the end the pair beat their opponents Spain's Sergi Bruguera and Moroccan Younes El Aynaoui by two sets to love.

Pioline takes a pew

I always enjoy watching the cut and thrust of doubles on clay courts - so much more entertaining than endless grunting rallies from the baseline during singles matches. The thrilling volleys and cheeky lobs had the players dashing all over the court jumping and sometimes even diving for shots. On Court 18 you are also close enough to see the player at the net give a secret behind-the-back hand signal to their partner, or to overhear a whispered tactical aside. 

We'd already enjoyed a ladies doubles match in the Trophée des Légendes Dames featuring France's Marion Bartoli who was playing with Martina Navratilova against Belgium's Kim Clijsters and Nathalie Tauziat of France and we returned after a break for lunch (this is France after all!) to watch the semi-final of the mixed doubles in which Latisha Chan and Ivan Dodig beat Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Robert Farah in a hard-fought tie-break. Most striking was seeing the size of today's tennis stars who look like Amazons in comparison with the stars of yesteryear. Tracy Austin, who I remember becoming the youngest ever winner of the US Open at the age of 16 in 1979, looked absolutely tiny when she came out to play her doubles match with fellow American Lindsay Davenport against Spain's Conchita Martinez and France's Sandrine Testud. 

Brolly good show - the covers come on

It was at this point that the heavens finally opened and the covers came on. We decided to call it a day - if Roland Garros has a fault it is that there is nowhere for the thousands of spectators to shelter. All the seating, even on the big show courts, is open to the elements, the assorted cafes and snack bars are all out in the open and the various merchandising stands are little more than that. We weren't complaining though. We'd definitely had our €20 worth and headed back into Paris for an aperitif and some post-match analysis. Next stop Paris Tennis to book a court for our next game!

Tanya (right) - who took most of these photos