Tennis Reims - Asnières: Lawn tennis (I wish!)

I'm getting the hang of this tennis court booking lark! Earlier in the week it looked as if every court in Paris was booked up during the weekend, but a last minute attempt to find somewhere for a family four on Sunday revealed a court in the 17th arrondissement had suddenly come free (probably someone had decided to stay home and watch the Roland Garros final). I booked the slot at Tennis Reims-Asnières and then made a quick phone call to check it wasn't closed due to a strike. A good lesson in never giving up hope of finding a court - and it was a perfect day for tennis! We took the Metro to Porte de Champerret -  the 16-stop journey was much quicker than anticipated - and arrived in a part of Paris I've never visited before. The courts, like so many others, are on the edge of the city, but this part of Paris felt much leafier, and airier than many of its fringes and the sports centre here did not disappoint. There are nine courts in total and play was in full swing when we arrived, putting me in mind of Sunday afternoon at the tennis clubs of my youth. The green, astroturf surface could almost fool you into thinking you were playing on grass and it was certainly a very welcome sight on a warm afternoon.

 
I'd like to say our game rose to the occasion, but a late night celebrating my birthday the night before meant we were all rather tired and no-one was playing at their best. Still there is nothing like a game of doubles to blow away the cobwebs. The astroturf is not so bouncy as a hard court, but perfect for a gentle game of doubles when you don't have so much court to cover. The birds sang, the sun shone and we were home to see Wawrinka win the final.
9 out of 10 - we'll be back!
Tennis Reims-Asnières
34 Boulevard de Reims
75017 Paris

Léo Lagrange: New balls (and tennis gear) please!

It's my birthday today - and a rather significant one at that! My husband (and tennis partner) bought me new balls, but much more excitingly my lovely London girlfriends bought me a fabulous new tennis outfit from Sweaty Betty. I had hoped we might bag some ground passes for Roland Garros today, but it was not to be. Instead I made a last-minute booking at this tried and tested court at Port de Charenton in the 12th arrondissement. I'd had my eye on a flat overlooking these courts, but the For Sale sign was gone today so we've probably missed the boat there (to my husband's relief - he doesn't think proximity to a great tennis court is a good enough reason to buy a flat). 

In honour of my fabulous birthday present I'm breaking with tradition to appear in a photo. The skirt - or 'skorts' to be more accurate - even had a handy ball pocket sewn into them for storing an extra ball when serving. My game was definitely improved by my new attire and perhaps even more so by the new balls. Imagine what a difference it would make to my game if I could have new balls (and perhaps even a new outfit!) every seven games like the pros - a much more even bounce, with no ball bouncier than another and none too flat. Of course typically, as we had a full set of new balls, our court was inadequately fenced with a gap between us and the next court. I did have a moment where I thought we'd lost a ball as we could only find seven - the other was in fact in my new Sweaty Betty pocket!

On our previous trip to Léo Lagrange we had played on Court 6, a green, astroturf carpet with a liberal sprinkling of sand. This time we were on concrete, but a smart, well-maintained court none the less, notwithstanding the gap between us and our neighbours. It is definitely one of my favourites - on the edge of the Bois de Vincennes with lots of trees, flowers and lawns. A perfect spot on a perfect summer day.

Fabulous birthday - huge thanks to Lou, Simone, Corinne, Hélène, Gilli, Lisa and Anne.

Louis Lumière: court maintenance French-style

I was going to let today's game pass without comment since it isn't the first time I've played at Louis Lumière in the 20th arrondissement, but an honourable mention must go to this extraordinary attempt at keeping the net at the correct height. A previous player - no doubt infuriated by the sagging net - had fashioned a prop from a forked branch foraged from the surrounding bushes. And just to be on the safe side they had also jammed a stick in the winding mechanism to hold it taut - an arrangement which worked surprisingly well.

Fortunately we weren't actually booked on to this court (number 3 - in case you want to avoid it!), but   had moved over from the much more satisfactory Court 1 when our time there was up. Courts 1 and 2 are concrete and ours had been scrupulously cleaned since our previous game in November last year when it was rather mossy. Court 3 is surfaced with a sand-covered carpet with a few dips and bumps to catch you unawares. Definitely one to avoid in future, though full marks to the man on reception who took pity on us when we mistakenly arrived at 5pm for a 4pm booking and let us play anyway when the people who had booked were either late or failed to show. A good reminder to be on time for  bookings though otherwise you really will lose the court.

Tennis Léo Lagrange: Bloomin' marvellous!

I was itching to try out the tennis courts at Léo Lagrange near the Porte de Charenton in the 12th arrondissement after visiting a flat just opposite. It wasn't exactly a court-side seat, but you could certainly see the stadium and it would be a two-minute walk at most. My husband wasn't keen on the area, but with the Bois de Vincennes on the doorstep and great sporting facilities a stone's throw away I felt he was writing it off too quickly. The Centre Sportif Léo Lagrange has just about everything you could ask for in a sports centre - football pitches, basketball and handball courts and an athletics track - and most importantly six tennis courts and also a practice wall. It is also the first place we have played that feels less like a huge municipal facility and more like an English tennis club with lots of lawns and flowerbeds to soften the hard lines with the woods of the Bois de Vincennes as a backdrop. A particularly pretty planting scheme along one side of the court  reminded me I was missing the Chelsea Flower Show and it was Chelsea weather too - sunny, but rather blowy with the constant threat of a shower.

We had booked one of the five concrete courts, but the man on reception let us switch our booking to court number 6 - a green astroturf carpet with a liberal sprinkling of sand. We'd passed it on the way in and I wanted to try it as it is the closest thing I'll get to grass in Paris unless I can persuade someone to let me play on the court at the British Embassy. It took a bit of getting used to - the bounce wasn't great, but it made for an interesting game, forcing me to get to the net and volley with surprising success. 

9 out of 10 for this court and with six to choose from you are relatively sure of a booking - though I'm not sure it will be enough to persuade my husband to buy the flat opposite!

Tennis Léo Lagrange

68 Boulevard Poniatowski

75012 Paris

Tennis Jandelle: Birdsong in Belleville

 Another weekend in May, another Bank Holiday in Paris - Ascension Day this time (on Thursday in fact, but extended over Friday to give a long weekend). I'd booked a court in the 19th arrondissement  - combining a game of tennis with checking out a different area in our hunt for a new flat. The closest Metro to Tennis Jandelle was at Belleville - Paris's Chinatown. Paris was quiet for the bank holiday, but it was business as usual in bustling Belleville.

It was busy, noisy and dirty with traffic and roadworks and crowds of people blocking the pavements - you could hardly walk down the road in the Rue du Faubourg du Temple and it wasn't much quieter up the hill on the Rue de Belleville. The restaurants were doing roaring trade, there were bins blocking the pavements - I couldn't imagine where they would squeeze a tennis court  into this hubbub so I couldn't have been more surprised to see the quiet cul-de-sac Cité Jandelle with its unmade road and overhanging gardens.

Tennis Jandelle was a haven of peace and tranquility - sitting quietly among apartment blocks with birds singing in the trees and neighbours watering plants on their balconies. This is the warmest and friendliest welcome we have ever had. The man on the desk suggested we play first and pay afterwards in case rain stopped play (it didn't). There is only one court, but it had an excellent surface and was well-fenced - the net needs tethering in the middle, but this is a small gripe. My son and I won as usual - in spite of my husband's attempts to wind him with a fierce volley in the ribs.
8 out of 10.

Tennis Jandelle
15-17 Cité Jandelle
75019 Paris

Tennis Moureu-Baudricourt: A dazzling performance

Back to the concrete jungle around Place d'Italie for our game this morning. The architecture in that part of the city always makes me think of our years in East Berlin, but the French deserve some credit for including so many excellent sports facilities when they built their high-density housing projects and the Centre Sportif Charles Moureu has three indoor and three outdoor courts as well as four basketball courts and an athletics track. 

This is the third court we have played on in the area and the best of the three without a doubt. It was a longish and slightly confusing walk from the Metro, with plenty of opportunity to take the wrong fork in the road, but we arrived in good time to find our court and admire all the beauty that 60s and 70s town planning has to offer.
It was another gorgeous, sunny day so we were playing outside on court number three - and for the bargain price of €5.40. The surface was the classic concrete block construction, but the court surface was in excellent condition as was the net, with a towering umpire's chair making me think matches must be played here.

Two small gripes, there was a wall at the back of one of the baselines on our court which meant balls could easily rebound and roll underfoot. The other problem was the glass roof of the reception area which on a bright, sunny day reflected blinding flashes of sun right into the eyes of whoever was serving in that direction.

Court rating: 7/10 and on a cloudy day 8!

Tennis Moureu-Baudricourt

17 Avenue Edison

75013 Paris

An unusual window box near Place d'Italie

Tennis Croix Nivert: Room to to manoeuvre

In France, almost every weekend in May has a Bank Holiday attached. This Friday was VE Day so Paris was quieter than usual with lots of Parisian leaving the city. We had started the day with a Champagne brunch with friends who were over from London - not the best precursor to a sporting contest, but I hoped my husband would over-indulge by way of a handicap. I'd adjusted the time of our booking which meant changing courts as well - and what a stroke of luck. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the only court available was in a leafy part of the 15th arrondissement. We emerged from the underground into Place du Commerce with its bandstand and beds full of tulips. 

My friend and I had been Googling vintage tennis dresses on eBay and it was so warm I even braved my tennis skirt on the Metro ride across the city. It felt like a holiday weekend with the terraces of pavement cafes full of people enjoying a leisurely lunch even at 3pm. It was warm and sunny - perfect tennis weather.

Tennis Croix Nivert has just one outside court positioned between the apartment blocks and balconies. The space was so vast it felt as though two courts could have been squeezed in so it was a long way from the baseline and the tramlines to the outside netting - take plenty of balls or you'll walk a long way between points.

The surface was excellent - one on the best we've played on - with no cracks between panels to send the ball awry. If I have a gripe it is that the court also serves as a basketball pitch and handball court  so there was a confusing number of lines leading to more than one suspect line call.

  

As it was we had a perfect Sunday afternoon game of tennis and I believe the Champagne had done its job knocking my husband off his stride so my son and I were once again victorious in our family four! My friend suggested an innovation - giving each court a mark. So this one was 8/10.

Tennis Croix Nivert

107 rue de la Croix Nivert

75015 Paris

Metro: Commerce