Are we in the Philippines? It sure felt like it playing tennis here. For being public courts, these…read moresix lighted courts are well maintained. There is also a hitting wall, so you can practice while waiting for your partner. We noticed and heard mostly a Tagalog-English speaking crowd of men playing social singles and doubles. In fact, except for us - visiting out of towners - seems like everyone there knew each other. If you live in the area and need to play, I'm sure they'd be more than willing let you join in if you're an average player. I doubt they'd be too excited playing with a novice or advanced player.
When I say social tennis, winning isn't the top prioirty. It's having a good time while playing with friends. There will be plenty of commentary about the weather, politics, people, and some kidding trash talking about you personally and your tennis skills. My brother was getting ready to play a tournament (not here) so we practiced hard. We were fairly quiet except for occasional motivational words uttered like, "Ah he!!, d@m_ it, etc.
The courts around us, we heard trash talk from these mostly old men like:
"Ay nako, pangit ang service mo" which means "Oh man, what an ugly serve!" Of course, they let out a big laugh especially if the trash talker makes a mistake.
"Mahina ang forehand mo, parang babae!" which means, "Your forehand is weak, dude, like a girl.." Of course, they know that girls like Serena Williams has a harder forehand than any of them!
Some days, the courts are just super crowded, especially Saturday and Sunday mornings before noon. For some reason, at the sun's apex, a lot of them go back home and drink beer while watching Manny Pacquiao re-runs. It gets busy other times, too but those early morning hours it's nuts. For free, though, these courts are hard to beat.
