Skip to Content
Features

A European Tennis Experience

In this feature from our latest Issue No. 24, Paramore's Zac Farro gives us a preview of his upcoming zine, Souvenir: A European Summer.

By Zac Farro

10:13 PM EDT on July 16, 2024

"There are many reasons to know, love, and follow Zac Farro. He is a striking photographer and a world-renowned musician. He is a tastemaker, being one of the original members of the Grammy-winning alternative rock band Paramore, and the founder of Congrats, a record label Farro built from the ground up, which supports indie artists in his creative orbit and beyond. He has a wry sense of humor and impeccable style, with undeniably one of the best hat collections in the industry." -Anna Zanes for Alternative Press

I love tennis almost as much as I love music these days. I play as many times a week as I can. I think it’s good for artists to have a period of time during the week to turn off the “creation” part of their brain and move into a competitive and active mindset.

Photo Feb 05 2020, 3 34 53 PM
Photo Feb 05 2020, 1 34 23 PM

One of my favorite things about playing tennis on tour, and especially in Europe, is that you see a different side of a city you wouldn’t normally see. There’s a common ground on a tennis court that’s very different from a city center or a hotel lobby. [vc_column width="1/2"]

image0
Photo Jan 30 2020, 1 16 07 PM

When I was younger, I used to want to see the most notorious monument or tourist attraction only, and I thought that would feel like I was getting some sort of special experience in a place.

Photo Feb 03 2020, 5 49 38 PM
Photo Jan 30 2020, 2 12 04 PM
Photo Jan 30 2020, 12 57 25 PM

But there’s nothing quite like the feeling of someone explaining how to prepare a clay court in a foreign language or the anticipation of finding directions to a brand new court you’ve never been to before. Once you’re there, the familiarity returns and you play tennis. That’s something you can’t buy at a souvenir shop.

Photo Feb 05 2020, 3 41 22 PM

Courts photographed: Colombes Tennis Club -Paris, France. Hellas Tennisklubb -Stockholm, Sweden. Haga Tennis -Stockholm, Sweden. Lisbon, Portugal. Photos of me by Brian O’Connor.

Photo Feb 08 2020, 11 59 13 PM

Zac Farro spends his free time on tour photographing friends, finding each city's best restaurants, and more recently, searching for some white clothes before stepping out onto the hallowed grass courts at Wimbledon.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Racquet

What if Dan Evans is the Hottest Player on Tour?

On the eve of his retirement, we celebrate the working-class hero with the definitive list of the kind of hot guy shit he's been up to for decades that suggests maybe he is.

June 11, 2026

Racquet’s 2026 Summer Must-Have List

Our Must-Have list is is also a Must-Do and frankly a Must-Be list as well. We don’t make the rules; we just help you abide by them in style, by finding and play-testing and visiting our way around the globe.

June 9, 2026

What Roland-Garros Inherited from Central Africa

Before France inherited its last men's Roland-Garros champion, Arthur Ashe spotted an eleven-year-old boy in Yaoundé. The miracle made Yannick Noah. The question is why tennis never built the road again.

June 8, 2026

Stella Artois, in Paris (and in Clay)

The “Stella Clay Bar” brought together the greats—including legendary Roland-Garros champion Gustavo Kuerten—and tons of raw terre battue on a gorgeous Paris rooftop for everyone to make their mark.

June 4, 2026

Red Shift: Training on the Terre Battue in LA

A garden in the San Fernando Valley is ground-zero for West Coasters eager to unlock the secret lessons only the slidey stuff can teach.

June 3, 2026

Dispatch from the World of Blind and Low-vision Tennis

The Wayfinder Family Services Center in Windsor Hills, CA, buzzed with competition. Shoes squeaked across the court, tennis balls filled with bells jingled through the gym, and players could be heard asking their opponents: "Ready?"

June 2, 2026
See all posts