Hello there, this is a message to the members of the Holland Park Tennis Club. I am a tennis player…read moreand I would love to have a chance to play on grass one day! Since I am not a member myself and I am only going to be in London for the next 5 weeks, I was wondering whether I could play with one among you and so fulfill this little dream of mine. Thanks for your kind attention, Nino

This place is so much more than a tennis club; it's my second home. Tennis clubs and I have known…read morea few can be elitist, cold places, full of cliques and rules. Take Hurlingham, where if you're not wearing 87% white, some haughty octogenarian will shuffle over and delight in ticking you off. And where despite the fact they boast dozens of often deserted, pristine courts, you can't book for more than an hour. And don't get me onto the 10-year waiting list. HPLTC is infinitely friendlier with far more sensible rules. What makes it special is the fact it's small enough to encourage a community feel, but not so small as to feel claustrophobic. The grounds are also wonderful. If you don't have any outdoor space at home as I don't you can while away summer days with a few sets on grass courts, before collapsing with a newspaper and Pimms in a deckchair on their generous lawn. The club, tucked away in Holland Park, has a unique atmosphere and is the type of place where you can turn up alone and find someone to chat to and probably play with. There's a club night on Wednesday with a dinner afterwards, a singles league, tournaments, barbecues in the summer and a dedicated core of regulars. Really, if you're tennis-mad, as I am, there's no better place to be on a sunny day...and no better tennis club in London.

Wimbledon is absolutely beautiful! I can't believe I finally made it here. It's so cool being…read moreable to walk where Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, Alcaraz, and all of the former greats have played. We booked a tour online. On the tour we got to see court 1, centre court, the press room, a roofop, and walk the grounds. After the tour we had tickets for the museum. The grass is absolutely breathtaking. I can't believe what great care everything is in. Especially after I toured the Australian Open in Melbroune this past summer. This venue is certainly the granddaddy of them all. I like how they leave the scores of the championship matches on the scoreboard all year. And then, throughout the park they have the entire bracket scores from every single match played during Wimbledon of that year. I liked all of the history and facts that they tell you along the way. The only downside is they need to give more time for photos. You'd get like exactly 1 minute for a photo and then get yelled at about moving onto the next location.

My first time attending Wimbledon and a very fun experience. We bought tickets via the website and…read moregot seats at court 1. You can bring your own drink and food so you don't have th pay the crazy prices there. The grounds are quite large so lots of area to explore and take photos. There's plenty of parking for your lime bike too. The staff are friendly and very helpful to your seat. We night some strawberries with cream but after trying them I wasn't sure why these are so popular. They tasted very mediocre to me.

This system of not being able to speak to the staff at The ITC. is useless and has been operating…read morefor quite sometime now. All I want to do ,not very often, is just to confirm a booking at The Tennis Centre,on the indoor or outdoor court, and I cannot do that,let alone speak to a human being. On top of that it still is one of the most expensive places to play tennis on an an outdoor public court in London ,which has very low maitenence,with the lines badly painted.Its been like this for at least 25 years, and Islington Council should be ashamed of what a shoddy example of taking money, when they took over from David Lloyd.Things do not improve. Peter Alton

Um, yeah, it is pretty good…read more But really, if you don't like Tennis you're not going to really care much for Islington Tennis Centre are you? But then again, if you don't like Tennis why are you reading this? What's wrong with you? Huh? Anyway, at ITC you get 6 indoor hard courts (medium pace) and 2 outdoor courts that are always closed because it rains a lot and they close them if it rains the night before. Wet balls, you see. Yep. Also, someone might fall and hurt themselves, I guess. I love Tennis though, so I love ITC. The instructor led courses are really well priced and the instruction seems to instruct you on Tennis quite well, which I find is often the point. Indoor courts means the Tennis is year round and there are lockers, showers, a gym and a super expensive racquet shop with stringing service should you need it. You don't have to be a member to book a court, but it is more expensive if you aren't and you can only book 5 days in advance with 7 days in advance for a member. ITC's downside it its popularity; it is often very difficult to book a court and even if successful you can only book for an hour (around 20 pounds on this date). That isn't nearly enough time for me to flail about unconvincingly and still feel that I got my money's worth so for that reason (as well as price) it loses a star. However, it is one of the best places to play Tennis in London and well worth checking out. They also have drop-in Tennis sessions, where I imagine you show up and get schooled by a surly mustachioed club pro. Or perhaps own the court with your penetrating backhand line drive. Either/Or.

Played here as a guest recently. Very friendly club. I love the US Open style hard courts. Really…read morenice to play on.

Nice, relatively small, local tennis club. The 10 hard surface courts are well maintained and there…read moreare almost always some available to play on, apart from on the sunniest weekend days when the club gets quite busy. You can have group or private professional coaching and in the school holidays there are also lots of children's courses. There's always plenty gong on and there is a real community spirit, particularly with the ladies' tennis group which meets on a weekly basis for friendly games. There are also bridge games and other activities in the little clubhouse. A great way to get to know more people from the local community and play some good tennis too!

Hi, Just would like to share my great expirience with…read moreJasons Tennis Club. Our family joint the Club three years ago. During this time me, my son and my husband discovered a brilliant atmosphere of the Club. So high standart of teaching on every single level that we are receiving from Jason and his professional Team. In addition,he is caring so professional not just of his business, but he is caring of environment and local community. I would highly recomend to everyone to start tennis wiht Jason's Totally Tennis and to join his Clubs!

Talk about a foiled plan, but we went for a game all prepared with paraphanelia and turned out…read morethere were not courts free. So my friend and myself just landed up using the sufficient cafe and watched the others play. Watching is good too, since you get to talk about the style and technique of players. Haha. The have a small shop selling basic tennis equipment. So please book before you go to play. The courts seem fine, by the standards I've seen elsewhere in Lawn tennis. Coaching facilities available for young and adults. They have 12 courts.

I used to play quite a bit of tennis when I was younger but then I got older. A while back I…read moredecided that maybe I'd quite like to take it up again but on a smaller court, where I could have a few drinks either before or after and not be completely and utterly destroyed for days. Things had got bad with the fitness and the tennis. So that's when I decided that badminton might be the answer. After considering the options in the local area I dragged a friend down to one of their open sessions on a Sunday evening. It's £10 for about two hours and if you're new you get lessons in with that. Not cheap really but it's good to see if you like it enough to continue. After that you can either join or try table tennis, an even smaller court. I didn't end up continuing the badminton for very long but actually did really enjoy it here. It's an ultra friendly club, very neighbourhoodly, a little bit suburban and most members are either older or very young. Good indoor racquet sport options though for cold weather adverse. Gym too.

A brief study of previous clubs I've been to…read more Nearly all of the badminton clubs I've had the pleasure of gracing tend to subscribe to various extremes. These can be applied to the temperaments of the people, the quality of the play, the poise and precision of post-play banter, height, width and length of the hall, and the quantity of shuttle cocks. Because without enough shuttle cocks we might as well be swatting flies as a form of sweaty recreation. I recall two clubs in particular in Maidstone in Kent. I can't remember what they're called. I forgot them successfully. The first one interested me, because even the worst of players acted in a godlike manner. I left this club. The second abomination had a hall so small, and a ceiling so low that I'm convinced the dwarfs stranded outside wanted their wedding reception back. Why the Wimbledon Racquet & Fitness Centre is a 'keeper' in my view? Beyond expectations frankly. Lockers (which require only £1 deposit) and have enough room to keep all you groceries, a child of average height, a jacket, a brief case, and anything else associated with a burdensome modern lifestyle. The halls (playing space) is huge, immensely well kept and there is ample space allocated for those who wish to watch including (can you believe) more locker space near the court. But never fear, there aren't endless opportunities for the humble and nimble to spectate gormlessly at the sidelines. Whatever skill level you happen to be; whatever your racquet wielding disposition; you'll get regular on-court action. And advice to improve your game. The opportunities for improving your technique are constant, and the trainer's timekeeping sharp. For example on Sundays from 5 to 7pm the Beginners & Improvers Session takes place. This is £6 to members and £12 to non-members. The coaching sessions and playing sessions mix in perfectly. Either you can train (the coaching is excellent) or play mixed (or non-mixed) doubles games. There is also the Open Session on Friday which cost me, as a non-member, £12.50. But that's for over three hours of solid badminton and half time snacks (often delicious Chelsea Buns, doughnuts and Apple Turnovers). And hot tea. This is all thrown in to the price. If you haven't got a racquet they always have a good quality piece of equipment to hand - no extra charge or renting fee etc. Excellent stock of badminton goods to buy. I purchased my court shoes from the club for roughly 30 quid (excellent quality - superb in usage). Sublime cushioning. They're good. There are gym facilities. Full membership includes unlimited use of a fully equipped air-conditioned gym, unlimited use of saunas and changing-room facilities, and a free gym induction/training programme. Massive bonus: they're not (I repeat not) cliquey like a great many clubs. Anyhow I could go on and on. And you (doubtless) want your evening to yourself. I recommend the place. You can find out more here: http://www.wimbledonclub.co.uk Words: Phillip J Cogger

I was lucky enough to be invited to the tennis, by a Queen's Club member, yesterday and it was a…read morereal treat. The seat was comfortable, the view was great and the tennis - especially the Nadal-Nishikori match - was riveting. The Stella Artois is a great prelude to Wimbledon - good for spotting future stars (18 year old Nishikori is definitely one to watch, as is young Latvian, Nilgis). The venue is more intimate and welcoming than Wimbledon; if you can get into the Clubhouse - with its vibrant buzzing and friendly atmosphere - it's easy to bump into the players and celebs. Ticket prices vary according to the day you attend, although they're not cheap, you get decent value for your money and they're easier to come-by than their Wimbledon counterparts. If you fancy popping-along late in the day there's a possibility of buying returns for just £5 and you'll have the opportunity to still see a match or two.

I used to live nearby the tennis club and used to get free tickets after a certain time to the…read morequeens tennis. It is always such a treat to be sitting in the sun, a glass of pimms and watching some pro athletes knock it out. It's small and intimate yet you still get to see some top stuff. The staff are always friendly enough also: overall great experience!