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