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.

I have been a member for over 14 years, and this place used to be amazing. Fair warning: the branch…read morehas actively been pushing members away for a little over a year to justify drastic changes driven by a shockingly unprofessional management at the top (up to the brand level). The club stopped paying Zumba licence, right before removing all music so they could slowly remove valuable classes and replace trained instructors with cheap in-house staff with basic knowledge. Exit cycling, swimming, Zumba, boxing and anything worth paying a premium membership. Now all you get is a few machines, one working toilet at best per changing room and some mediocre offering with extremely boring AI music (instructors who played their own music got either fined or fired). Pool is often broken and closed, with regular shortage of hot water in the changing rooms. All the best instructors have left by now. The club has fallen so badly it's made it to the newspaper. If you are looking for anything else than jogging on a few treademills for a very high price, look elsewhere.

This is a lovely Virgin gym. I especially like that the freeweights are kept separately to the…read morecardio machines etc. The pool feels a little like a tin can - so they lose points for that, but the jacuzzi is huge and deserves recognition! Very lush changing rooms and they come with little tvs to entertain!

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.

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.

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!

Currently closed for a refurbishment that was long overdue. Great pool to learn to swim in for…read moreyounger kids and used by Anaconda Swimming Club. The deep end is deep enough for learning to dive. We miss this pool as was a handy place for training or just a quick local swim. Good showers changing room basic. No doubt they will be updated as part of the refurbishment Edit: Pleased to say this has now reopened as from Saturday 4 February 2012 although Anaconda no longer use it. Not been back not sure we will be back as all the kids have outgrown it.

From the owner: Enjoy the state of the art gym, studio. swimming pool and tennis courts in the heart of the City of…read moreLondon. The centre is brought to you by City of London Corporation, in partnership with Fusion, a highly experienced sports and leisure organisation. As a registered charity, Fusion continually reinvest to improve and develop what's on offer in your community. So why not make us your first choice when you want to get active?

Having the desire to pick up my tennis again, as I was a regular player in Switzerland, having a…read moregood example with Roger Federer, it started to do my research into tennis courts in London. Living in Fulham as a student, I discovered a tennis court when going jogging in Bishops Park. At that point I did not have a tennis racket in London. With a friend we went there to inform our selves. They actually rent out rackets, they are not the newest models, but they do for getting your first introduction to tennis again. The Bishop Park Tennis Centre has hard out door courts only. Therefore it is more fun in spring, summer and autumn. There are also coached lessons, which you can book with a friend. As this tennis court is run by the Hammersmith & Fulham borough, the tennis courts are relatively cheap and they are usually only crowded around the Wimbledon period. The exercise value of tennis improved the more we played. The bending, stretching, leaping and running made us fit and healthy with sometimes a rather unhealthy student life.

8 lovely hard tennis courts in Burgess Park available for £4 an hour…read more Great way to spend the afternoon.