Back in Paris after five weeks away I was looking forward to playing some tennis, but Paris was sweltering in a heatwave with temperatures of up to 38 degrees - too hot to leave the apartment let alone think about running round a tennis court. The heat feels particularly intense in the city, reflecting off the pavements and buildings and without so much as a breath of wind to cool things down. It is probably for this reason that I had my pick of the courts when I came to book one yesterday - the temperature had fallen to a chilly (by comparison!) 25 degrees and it was a chance to try somewhere new. We just got in under the wire with a booking at Poliveau in the 5th arrondissement. The court is only open during school holidays which come to an end tomorrow. It is close to the Jardin des Plantes (the botanical gardens) where my husband lived in a tiny two-room apartment before we were married. It is also only 25 minutes on a direct bus route from outside our new flat.
In fact Poliveau is technically a covered court, with an orange canvas roof stretched over the top like a gigantic 14-legged beetle. Fortunately there are gaps in the side to let in some air so today the roof served as a parasol keeping off the blazing sun which would otherwise have been beating down mercilessly. The court surface is a clay-coloured hairy matting - pleasant underfoot and with a nice even bounce. It was still very hot though - too hot for me and my son took his chance. He had had a few hours coaching over the holidays and has also grown so he is now taller than me. Fired up by a summer of sport - the Euro 2016 followed by the Olympics - he was very much on form and also ready to run for every ball so I suffered my first defeat, but couldn't have been more delighted. We both agreed it was a great game.
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| The Champion! |
39b rue Poliveau
75005
Paris
Metro: Saint Marcel
