Tennis Atlantique: Oh les Beaux Jours

My top tip for tourists visiting Paris is never go up the Eiffel Tower, but go up the Montparnasse Tower instead (it's taller, there is a lift to the top, there are no queues and best of all you can get the Eiffel Tower in your photos instead of the ugly old tower you are standing on!) It also affords a bird's eye view of Tennis Atlantique. Peering down from the top recently with a visiting friend I had a sudden hankering to play again on the courts in the garden above Montparnasse station. In many ways they are the least practical option for us now we live on the other side of Paris and they are quite a long walk from the Metro station, but I love the feeling of space you have on the roof and as it was Ascension Day it seemed appropriate to pick a high spot.

We weren't disappointed - the sun was shining, the wisteria was out and as a bonus the lovely man on reception let us have an extra hour when no one turned up to claim our court. It was perfect tennis weather - my skirt had its first airing this year and visors were essential for serving into the sun. There are five courts at Atlantique, but they are quite separate from one another - so no interruptions from stray balls - and lots of greenery overhanging the fences to provide some welcome shade. The concrete surface was slightly worn, but the net was in excellent condition. The SNCF chimes drifting up from the station platforms as the TGVs rumbled into and out of the station were strangely comforting, prompting thoughts of rail journeys across France and the promise of holidays yet to come.

The road at the back of the gardens offers a distant view of the Eiffel Tower and Paris's signature chestnuts in blossom. We decided to take a short detour through the famous Montparnasse cemetery (where I used to push the children in their prams as babies) to pay a visit to my favourite playwright - Samuel Beckett (I don't think he was a tennis player, but you can't have everything).

Tennis Atlantique

25 Allée du Capitaine Dronne

75015

Paris

Porte de Bagnolet: You are my sunshine!

Spring has sprung, it was the school holidays and my son and I were at a loose end. Booking a court in the middle of the day, mid week was no problem. We booked the court nearest to our new apartment and an hour later we were out there enjoying our game. The sun was shining, the air was warm - I was so happy to be back playing outside again. Porte de Bagnolet would certainly not figure among my favourite courts, but it had the great advantage of being nearby - practically walking distance in fact (and we did walk home). 

There are four courts - although only three had nets - but the surface is thoroughly worn and the lines faded. They reminded me of the tennis courts at my old school - the surface chipped away by lunchtime football matches in outdoor school shoes.

 The setting is very much Paris fringes - intramuros, but only just - surrounded by huge housing projects which would be more at home on the other side of the Péripherique. It didn't matter - the smell of the tennis balls, the shadows on the court, the warm sun overhead in a cloudless sky and the fact that I was finally able to enjoy a game of singles with my son, whose game has improved so much since last year, made for a perfect afternoon. 

My only regret was that I had not thought to wear my skirt. It was certainly warm enough!

Tennis Porte de Bagnolet

72 rue Louis Lumière

75020

Paris

Metro: Porte de Bagnolet

Tennis Poterne des Peupliers: Good moooove!

The Salon de l'Agriculture at the Porte de Versailles

It was pouring with rain and there were snow flurries this morning, but we were back indoors on my new favourite court at Poterne des Peupliers in the 13th arrondissement. I love Paris - two days ago we were drooling over the Raoul Dufys and Art Deco furniture in the Museum of Modern Art at the Palais de Tokyo (free entry), yesterday we were at the Salon de l'Agriculture admiring the livestock and channelling an Archers vibe (also free after a farmer in the queue gave me a spare ticket), and now we are playing tennis for the third time this week on an indoor court and at a reduced rate by dint of having the children with us. I was also sporting my new tennis bag - an early Mother's Day present since we can't play Sunday as we will be cheering on our chums in the Paris half marathon.

Last year I had a Coach handbag, this year a Babolat racket bag after the Head bag I'd brought with me from Ealing wore out. We had the benefit of an extra half hour on court when the people playing after us were late, resulting in an even more decisive victory for my son and I. The clouds had cleared when we emerged from the court so my husband and kids stayed on for a free kickabout on the adjoining football pitch. I took a stroll round the grounds in the sunshine and discovered a charming park complete with duck pond, waterfall and magnolias in full bloom.

It feels as if spring is finally on the way - in time for our move to the 20th arrondissement later this month. Long may it continue!

Tennis Poterne des Peupliers: Top marks

My son has a new racket - an early birthday present - and he absolutely had to try it out! So armed with his new kit - and some new balls for good measure (always a treat) - I booked an as yet untried court in the 13th arrondissement. As we stepped out of the metro at Maison Blanche it started to drizzle which was actually quite gratifying as I'd booked an indoor court which can feel like a waste on a glorious day.  Miserable weather and the usual miserable architecture of the 13th - but we had a spring in our step for our second game of tennis in as many days.

Poterne des Peupliers is a beautifully maintained sports centre just across the Paris tramway. We approached via a path lined with flower beds full of spring bedding and there were crocuses poking their heads up under the trees. There are two covered courts, each in its own bubble and the court surface was the best we've played on.

A new racket (for my partner!), new balls and a perfect playing surface - what more could you ask for? We had a great game. The ceiling height here is much better than in Jules Ladoumègue, where we played our last two games so there were fewer points to replay and the proportions of the dome were much better than at Tennis Carnot in the 12th arrondissement with a shorter distance to collect balls.  10 out of 10 for these courts!

Tennis Poterne des Peupliers

2 Rue Max Jacob

75013 Paris

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

Tennis Rigoulot-La Plaine: Autumn blues

I love Paris in the autumn (as the song doesn't say). Blue skies, warm sunshine, the leaves turning red and gold on the trees and everything bathed in a warm glow. Today was one of those perfect days, my husband had an unexpected day off and I managed to book a last-minute court in the 15th arrondissement.

My daughter broke her collarbone at the weekend, putting paid to our regular family four (and just as her service was starting to improve!) so it's back to energetic singles, better for my fitness levels, but not as much fun.
Tennis Rigoulot-La Plaine was quite a trek, involving two Metro rides and a tram and we arrived 15 minutes late for our 10am booking. In the end it wasn't a problem because the court was also free for the following hour so we ended up with nearly two hours of play - a record.
The blue concrete courts were a flashback to my tennis club in Ealing though the nets were in much better condition (Steve Riley please take note!) There are seven courts in total, set amid the trees and also an astroturf football pitch with its own stand that my son would have loved.

It is a lovely, spacious sports ground, the perfect spot for a blow around in the open air although it's proximity to the Péripherique makes it rather noisy so it was sometimes difficult to hear the score being called out. The court surface was in great condition with excellent bounce and the fencing was high enough to stop balls flying on to the neighbouring court. We live too far away for these courts to become a regular venue, which is a pity - I'm just glad we managed a two-hour stretch today.

Tennis Rigoulot-La Plaine
18 avenue de la Porte Brancion
75015 Paris