We're tennis nuts, so whenever we travel we bring our racquet, and hope that we can find a public court to perfect our serve. Here in New York City, it's a breeze to find a court (and inexpensive to play.)

Here are three of the best in Manhattan: 

There are two places in Riverside Park to play: 96th St. has 10 clay courts; 119th St has 10 hard courts.

Central Park at 93rd St. (pictured above) is probably the most popular place to play in the city. There are four hard courts, and 26 Har-Tru (quick-dry) courts. The cool thing about Central Park? If you don't have a partner, just reserve your time and when you show up, there's always someone ready for a game. 

All outdoor courts open at 8 a.m. and close at dusk, except Central Park which opens at 7. (Randall's Island opens at 6:30 and closes at 11 p.m.) You can play outdoors until the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Court times are limited to an hour for singles and two hours for doubles. 

A parks tennis permit is needed, but nabbing one is easy-peasy. You can purchase a single-play permit ($15) and reserve a court here.

If the weather is not cooperating, head to Sportstime on Randall's Island, where there are 11 indoor hard courts which can be reserved through the Parks department.

One more thing. Make sure you're on time! If you're even a few minutes late, your court will be given away.

Image via Warren Eisenberg/iStock