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.

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"]

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.

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.

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

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 Stories

My Time With Rafa

In our Issue No. 29 cover story, award-winning documentarian Zach Heinzerling reflects on capturing the real Rafael Nadal during the making of Emmy-nominated RAFA.

August 19, 2026

Tennis on the Edge of Wildness

Nihi Sumba may be the most written-about resort on earth that not enough people have seen with their own eyes.

August 18, 2026

Jakub’s Ladder

Czech Jakub Mensik is making deep runs at majors and winning the tunnel-walk hands-down

August 14, 2026

Reilly Opelka’s Art x Tennis Club is in Session

The TVLG ART x TENNIS club is Reilly Opelka writ large(r).

August 10, 2026

Tennis Art en Plein Air

The supercool city of Montréal is EVEN COOLER now: tennis murals adorn citywide backboards at the home of the Canadian Open Championships.

August 10, 2026

The Art of the Open

The gold leaf-adorned artwork by CDMX artist Euri Lorenzo is magnificent, and makes us want to head South, pick up a poster, and frame it on the wall of our new home on the Sea of Cortez. 

July 30, 2026