Jules Ladoumègue: It's not the Luxembourg Gardens!

The worst possible news this week - it is no longer possible to book a court at the Jardin du Luxembourg! The lease between the city of Paris and the Sénat has expired and the courts have reverted to the Ligue de Tennis de Paris (which no doubt will require that players demonstrate an official ranking - something all the tennis players at the English class I teach at school seem to have - and a medical certificate). I can't believe I cancelled the one and only booking I managed to snag at the Luxembourg courts last year in favour of a lie-in after a rather late night out. There is a lesson in there somewhere. As it is, I felt I was paying the price today when we played at Jules Ladoumègue in the 19th arrondissement for the second week in a row - there could hardly be a greater contrast between the social housing just across the Périphérique and the leafy Luxembourg Gardens in the swanky 6th arrondissement. It was my husband's choice - he was hoping to book a football pitch for our son's 13th birthday party next month, something which seems to be rather more complicated than booking a tennis court.

The main saving grace was that the weather was perishingly cold so I was at least grateful to be inside and we were at least on a different  court, at the other end of the aircraft hangar, for a new perspective.

Even inside it was freezing and we kept our tracksuits on throughout. We are not hardy souls, unlike my husband's colleagues at AFP's London office who are in training for the London West Tough Mudder and hope to raise £15,000 for charity along the way (see here). As my husband managed to strain a hamstring during our chilly hour on court (another excuse for losing) I think he can breathe a sigh of relief that he is safely ensconced in the Paris office offering support in the form of a donation rather than actually being required to take part.

Tennis Jules Ladoumègue: Service with a smile!

I can hardly remember the last time I played tennis. My daughter's broken collarbone back in October, the terrorist attacks just minutes from our home in November, countless weekends spent flat-hunting and finally the diabolical weather at the start of 2016 all conspired to keep me off court. But with two weeks of holiday stretching ahead and nothing planned (since we were supposed to be moving to a new apartment) it was time to stop the rot. I managed to book an indoor court for Sunday morning and the joy was palpable as we set off to Porte de Pantin in the 19th arrondissement. Jules Ladoumègue had been my least favourite court, but no matter - indoor courts are rare as hens' teeth on February weekends so I was prepared to give it another chance. Tennis courts in Paris fall into broadly two types - individual or pairs of courts squeezed into a small space between the buildings intramuros or large sports complexes on the outskirts of the city. Jules Ladoumègue falls firmly into the latter category. Last time we played there in November 2014 the Philharmonie de Paris was still very much under construction and the surrounding area resembled  a building site. Now Jean Nouvel's gleaming, futuristic, silver concert hall dominates the the skyline like something out of a sci-fi movie.

Perhaps because of this, perhaps because the weather was warmer and brighter or perhaps because we were just so thrilled to be playing tennis again, everything about the experience felt so much more appealing and welcoming. The indoor courts are in a long aircraft hanger of a building - laid end to end and stretching into the distance. The one we played on could have done with a good sweep, but the concrete surface gave a nice even bounce. The overhead lights were still rather dazzling, but a trickier problem this time was balls bouncing off the ceiling. It may have been over-enthusiastic lobbing on our part, but a number of shots went awry after hitting the roof - perhaps this is just another environmental factor to take into account in the same way you might have to compensate for a strong wind when playing outside. It didn't matter, we were literally jumping for joy to be back on court - in fact after our game the children were so full of beans they went over to the running track for a few laps (at no extra cost). Great to be back on court - and I intend to stay there.

Tennis Jules Ladoumègue, 39 Rue des Petits Ponts, 75019, Paris

Metro: Porte de Pantin