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
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