As a lot of you know, I will be playing tennis at Biola University starting next month! So it was not the ideal time to take three weeks off of tennis. Luckily enough, I have an amazing Dad to play tennis with! Dad and I played tennis four times on this trip in four different countries on all types of courts. Here’s our experience with tennis around the world:

Iceland

After a long day of exploring the Golden Circle in Iceland, Dad and I drove 30 minutes into the city to find these courts. It may look like 5 in the evening, but it was actually 10pm! These courts were turf, a new surface for me and Dad. We had to adjust to a slower style of play because the ball did not bounce quite as much. While we were playing, a group of middle school boys asked to hit against me… I don’t think they had played before, but they were very happy and excited!

Scotland

Dad and I play tennis together every Sunday no matter where in the world we are, so I was so happy to be able to play in Aberdeen! We booked these courts online and were not disappointed! These outdoor courts at the Aberdeen Tennis Center were well maintained and busy with tennis players enjoying the lovely weather. The courts were just painted asphalt, which is a little difficult on the joints, but we still had a wonderful time!

France

While we didn’t actually play tennis in Paris, we got to experience tennis at the Olympics! This was the highlight of our trip for me. We got to watch Swiatek, the current #1 woman in the world, and Medvedev, the current #4. It was incredible and so unbelievably inspiring. It was such a joy to even be at the Rolland Garros stadium, where the French Open takes place. Dad and I were taking mental notes the entire time!

Dubai

We had to struggle with the concierge and google to find courts in Dubai that were not in the 107° heat! Eventually, we discovered Dubai Sports World located in the Dubai Trade Center. During the summer, no one wants to visit Dubai, so they turn their convention center into a sports center! The entire floor of the building was covered with soccer fields, volleyball, courts, basketball courts, tennis courts, and more! We had much fun playing here, but so did the men playing soccer right next to us, and they were very loud!

Japan

Playing tennis in Japan was no easy task. We ended our day in Tokyo and made our way back to the Bay for dinner only to adventure back out on the bus system to the local sports center. When we arrived we discovered that you have to be a registered visitor to book a court so we spent time working through a language barrier with the very polite staff to get registered. During that time, it began to rain. I was tempted to lose hope because we were running out of time, but we kept working through the next steps by finding the courts and playing the lighting fee. Finally, after waiting out the rain, we got to play for 30 minutes! These courts were also turf which makes it easier to play in the rain!

Overall, my favorite courts were in Scotland. It was a beautiful sunny day and the courts were in wonderful condition. Truly, I am so grateful to have a dad to play tennis with anywhere in the world! I know we will continue to play all over the world for a very long time! Thanks Dad!

— Dakota