The Robert Abdesselam Trophy returns to France

The 10th edition of the Robert Abdesselam Trophy took place from 21-23 August and brought together four international teams — Spain, Belgium, Great Britain, and France — for a competition featuring one Women’s Doubles, one Men’s Doubles, and two Mixed Doubles per match.

The French team prepared with great professionalism, with some high-altitude training in the Vercors Mountains. There, the players enjoyed scenic hikes through historic forest trails, breathtaking views over Grenoble, and, most importantly, an intensive tennis camp led by their long-time coach, Bruno Delorme, at the Villard-de-Lans Tennis Club. Off the courts, the group took time to share meals and test their culinary skills, further strengthening team spirit and camaraderie.

On arrival in Avignon, the competitors faced stormy weather. The French delegation managed a short training session on the superb courts of TC Montolivet before heavy rain rendered the grounds unplayable. The club’s President, Jean-Pierre Azam, and his wife Gisèle extended a warm welcome to all participants, their passion and dedication keeping the Avignon club thriving.

Due to the weather, the opening matches were held indoors on a single court instead of the planned four outdoor ones. Consequently, the format was shortened to a single set of six games with a tie-break at 6-6. France started the tournament strongly, defeating Great Britain — a new permanent participant in this long-standing competition — by 4–0 in the morning session. Spain then overcame Belgium in the afternoon.

The following day saw the return of sunshine, allowing play to resume outdoors for the France–Belgium encounter. Despite gusty conditions, France prevailed 3–1. In the afternoon, players and guests enjoyed a guided cultural visit to the Chartreuse de Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, a monastic complex renowned for its austere order and beautiful architecture.

The evening’s social programme featured a warm reception hosted by Odile de Roubin in her elegant family residence, where players gathered for an aperitif before the official dinner — a highlight of the event’s convivial atmosphere.

The final day brought the much-anticipated showdown between France and Spain. The French team were eager to reclaim the Robert Abdesselam Trophy, which had been in Spanish hands since the 2023 edition in Madrid.

The opening women’s doubles match proved challenging: Spain’s pair, Pauline Rodriguez (a former French player ranked no. 15) and Noelia Perez Penate (former WTA no. 121), showed their experience, while France’s Isabelle Billard-Delage sustained an early injury. Fortunately, the French men responded with a narrow win, leaving the teams level at one match apiece.

It was therefore down to the two mixed doubles to decide the title (and avoid a super tie-break in the event of two tied teams after all the matches). The French pairs — Chantal Grimal & Alain Moracchini, and MarieDo Larras & Nicolas Fourcade — made an excellent start, taking their first sets 6–1 and 6–0 respectively. Grimal and Moracchini secured their victory swiftly, while Larras and Fourcade were pushed into a deciding tie-break after their Spanish opponents, Noelia Perez Penate and Fernando Gomes de Segura, fought back to win the second set 6–4. The final tie-break was a thrilling affair, keeping spectators — including loyal French supporters Pascale and Christine — on edge. In the end, the French pair held their nerve to win 11–9, sealing overall victory for France.

The Robert Abdesselam Trophy thus returned to France, to the delight of players, organisers, and supporters alike — a fitting conclusion to three days of high-level tennis, sportsmanship, and international friendship.

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Meet a member: Antonia Lottner, IC of Germany

Former professional player Antonia grew up in Düsseldorf, and rose to prominence as a junior, reaching the 2013 French Open girls’ singles final. Turning professional in 2010, Antonia went on to win seven ITF singles and six doubles titles. She achieved a career-high singles ranking of number 128 in 2018 and made main-draw appearances at all four Grand Slam tournaments. Among her career highlights was a breakthrough win over world number 6 Dominika Cibulková at 's‑Hertogenbosch in 2017 and an upset of Belinda Bencic in Lugano in 2019. She also represented Germany in the 2018 Fed Cup. Antonia faced injury setbacks during her career but returned strongly, winning back-to-back ITF titles in 2016. She retired from professional tennis in 2022 and has since shifted her focus to coaching and club work at Rot-Weiß Cologne, where she also plays Bundesliga tennis and padel.

Antonia was invited to join the IC of Germany by its President Eva-Maria Schneider in 2023. She didn’t know much about the IC at the time but was attracted by the opportunity to play events with some other former players from around the world. And she has loved being involved ever since. As a former player, what she likes most is the close relationship she has built with the other players she has met – particularly her IC of Germany team – and the chance to play tennis in a fun, team atmosphere. “In professional tennis you’re always alone on the court and you don’t travel as a team – so that’s what I like most about being part of the IC.”

Antonia’s IC highlight was playing the IC Week Centenary event in the UK last year in August – and winning the Mercelis Trophy. “Playing at Wimbledon again when there’s no tournament, it’s so pretty and to just walk around without all the people but still so much going on. I loved it – it was just so nice. And then we also won the tournament, so that was even better!”

Now also training as an office manager, Antonia continues to inspire younger players through her involvement in the sport at the grassroots level.

You can connect with Antonia on Linkedin here