Team Tennis à la française!

Within about two days of arriving in France in October, I found my tennis home at the Racing Tennis Club de Joinville.  The regulars at the club have become my little family here in Paris.  A week ago, we began league play in the Ligue de Paris.  

The first week, we had a relatively easy match against the club "Les Cheminots de Paris".  The actual tennis left a little to be desired, but the ambiance was amazing.  It doesn't get much better than a beautiful spring afternoon out on the terre battue, or red clay.  For us, it might as well have been Roland Garros.  

Since the removal of the big white bubbles that allow us to continue to play on the clay during the inclimate winter months, the Racing Tennis Club de Joinville as taken on a whole new vibe.  Tennis at the club has now become a spectator sport.  The club's faithfuls come out to sit under the awning of the club house, drink beer or Orangina and cheer on the team.  The atmoshphere was magical.  It had rained a bit during the afternoon, and the dampness brought the clay to its most magnificent deep red.   It was one of those moments in which you'd wish for the power to freeze time just so that it could last a bit longer.  I didn't even take any photographs for fear that they would spoil my impression and memory of the moment.  Perhaps I'll post a photo of the club in a later blog so as to allow the image to simmer a little longer.

Yesterday, we played our second team match and posted our second victory.  This time we were "à l'extérieur" (away) at the "club sélect" in the Bois de Boulogne, Tir aux pigeons.  I heard whispers from my teammates that there is a 4-5 year waiting list, you must be sponsored by 2 members, and the cost is about 4000 euros per month.  In any case, the grounds were awe-inspiring.  As we entered the main gate, with the restaurant on our right, just past the reception, a small lake opened up before us.  I excused myself with my teammates for being such a shameless tourist, but they were equally enamoured with the place and happily paused for a photo.

As the tennis club is situated in the Bois de Boulogne, you have a view of the nearby business district called La Defense.  I had a kind of "out of Paris" experience for it is not the skyline that you associate with the French capital.  The view from the courts reminded me of playing tennis in Grant Park in Chicago in the shadow of all of the Windy Cities tall buildings.

The deceiving aspect of these courts is that they are "Quick", a kind of hard court that resembles the pavement of a road, which were converted into terre battue.  While red clay does not allow for the same surefootedness as on hard court, these courts riveled the experience of playing tennis on an ice skating rink (which I have never done, but can only image the challenge!)

Nonetheless, our team pulled out our best "Système D" (a French expression that indicates an individual's ability to use all available resources to overcome adversity), a simulataneouly pulled off a win.

Our 60-year old Dominique pulled out a 3-set nail biter over a 17-year old!

Christelle showed that she is worth more than her ranking by beating another 17-year old with an FFT standing two levels higher.

 

Team victorious! (me, Christelle, Dominique.  Not pictured: Teiya) 

Fortunately, I managed to contribute to the team's 3rd and 4th points with a minor battle against a "slicer and dicer" at the number 1 singles position and in a beautifully executed 0,0 doubles win with my partner in crime, Christelle.  And here we are, at the end of our 6 hour stay among the "pigeons".

A la prochaine, Tir aux pigeons!