Guide to the best tennis courts in London

Fulham might be known for being one of the more affluent areas of London, chock full of incredible restaurants, bars, and boutique shops, but venture to Bishops Park, and you'll also find it's a hot spot for tennis players. Rocks Lane Bishops Park has 12 floodlit courts and four mini tennis courts, which sit side-by-side withthe Thames. There's also LTS-qualified coaching that can get you game-ready for the adult matches they also host here.

This often-overlooked park in Clapton should certainly be on your list for must-visit tennis courts in London. Since there are no super close tube stops, it's less frequented than its more famous siblings, Clissold and Victoria, but is well worth a visit. You'll find five porous macadam courts that overlook Walthamstow Marshes and the Lea River. The best bit? You don't need to book (yay for not being too busy), so you can just turn up and play whenever you fancy a game.

Golders Hill Park Tennis Courts is the ultimate racket-swinging spot, with four hard-surfaced courts open year-round and two grass courts available during weekends and bank holidays. They're available to book up to a day in advance, but if you're a local and looking to play more regular games, you might want to sign up for an annual membership which allows you to book courts up to three days in advance.

Kilburn Grange Park is a sports lover's playground, complete with two playgrounds, an outdoor gym, three tarmac tennis courts and plenty of green space, which is perfect for jogging. Once you've registered for an account, you can book tennis courts up to five weeks in advance.

Clapham Common is home to some of the swankiest courts in South London, thanks to a £250,000 grant from Lambeth Council and the Lawn Tennis Association. There are eight hard courts available for anyone to book, which tend to get fairly busy. They're also open later than most, and five of them are lit by floodlights, so you can even enjoy a match after work in the darker months.

Parliament Hill has a whopping ten hard-surfaced courts to practise your backhand, so a court is always likely to be available when you want it. There's even a resident coach for those who want to polish up on their tennis skills. It'll set you back less than a tenner for an hour-long session, which is more than enough time to work up a sweat. However, if you play regularly, there's an annual membership option which costs a little over thirty pounds per year and lets you book five courts a week, up to four days in advance.

There's a reason that this is one of the busiest tennis centres in the entire country. It houses two floodlit hard-surfaced outdoor courts and six indoor cushioned acrylic courts - ideal for the unpredictable British weather. They also offer coaching sessions and there's an adjoining gym, class studio and a steam room and sauna for some post-match relaxation.

Sydenham Wells Park has two nicely positioned courts available to book for totally free in partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association, Marathon Charitable Trust, and Glendale. They are bringing tennis activities for all ages and abilities to the courts, including women-only tennis sessions, junior and adult wheelchair games, social 'park play' and more. They also offer coaching for those who want to improve their game.

Crystal Palace Park boasts four hard-surfaced outdoor courts as a part of the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. The courts are lit by floodlights, so if you want a match after work, you don't need to worry about it getting dark. There are also tennis lessons for all ages available to book, which are run by Better, the largest public provider of affordable tennis lessons.

Dulwich Park has been around since 1890 and is home to a boating lake with family-sized pedalos and traditional rowing boats. But when you're not busy floating on the water, there's an assortment of sporting facilities to make the most of, including two hard-surfaced tennis courts on the park's north side and two more on the south side. They're available to book between 8 am and 7:30 pm, up to seven days in advance.

It's a sporting bolthole at Blackheath Wanderers Sports Ground, where you'll find grass courts and hard-surfaced courts to hire, including one that's lit by floodlights. There are also football, netball and cricket pitches to hire, and if you want, you can become a member of the local tennis group, which is affiliated with the Lawn Tennis Association.

You'll find six tarmac courts on the Highgate end of the leafy Waterloo Park in north London. It's also home to Lauderdale House, which overlooks the pretty Tea Lawn and terraced gardens. When you've finished exploring the grounds and trying your hand at tennis, swing by the park café for some post-game refreshments.

Established in the 1630s, Lincoln's Inn fields has remained the largest public square in London since. It's one of the most central spots to hit a tennis ball and boasts three tarmac tennis courts which are best accessed through the gate opposite the Royal College of Surgeons.

This neighbourhood park opened almost 100 years ago and has two tennis courts run by The Tennis For Free in the Parks scheme, a charity dedicated to growing the game of tennis in predominantly underprivileged areas. It'll set a whole family back only £22 to be a part of, granting them access to the courts, tournaments and the Wimbledon Ballot.

Hackney Downs is the ultimate tennis spot in the heart of East London, boasting four courts for the public to play on. It's also close to excellent cafés which are perfect for a post-game bite to eat, like Brunswick East Bakehouse and the vegan Black Cat Café.

Regardless of whether you're an avid tennis player, you should still check out Victoria Park, the oldest public park in London. It's an excellent spot for a game of tennis and has four porous macadam courts. It's also a lush spot to enjoy a Sunday stroll; make sure you stop by Pavilion Café for a cup of coffee and their iconic kimcheese sandwich