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: Jimmy Tasker, IC of Barbados

Jimmy Tasker was born and raised in the beautiful island paradise of Barbados. His father Jimmy Tasker Snr. was a well-respected tennis coach on the island and it was no surprise that young Jimmy and his two older sisters were all handed racquets at an early age. A natural talent with a feel for the ball that can’t be taught but which one has to be born with, left-handed Jimmy became dominant at both the junior and senior levels in Barbados while still a young teenager.

Jimmy represented the island in the Brandon Trophy – a Caribbean Open tournament – from as early as age 16 and also played on the Caribbean team in the Davis Cup before each island had its own team. Once Barbados had its own Davis Cup team, he would go on to represent his country between 1989-1992. One of the highlights of his career was his participation at Junior Wimbledon in 1980 where he competed alongside juniors Mats Wilander and Henri Leconte.

Jimmy attended and played college tennis for Houston Baptist College with his two older sisters and went on to play the American Circuit for 3 months. Jimmy has continued to play tennis and has represented his Club at every interclub tournament for which he has been available. His introduction to IC Barbados some 12 years ago was through another highly respected member of the tennis community of Barbados, Mr. Peter Symmonds.  Jimmy’s love of the sport, along with his desire to give back to it after bringing him so many happy memories and positive aspects to him and his family over the years, is what led to his decision to accept the invitation to become a member. He has contributed in many ways to the IC of Barbados, including serving as captain of the Barbados team to the IC Rod Laver Junior Challenge tournament in the Bahamas in 2019. He has participated in most of the invitationals to IC events since becoming a member and counts the reconnection with comrades from his earlier tennis days as well as the forming of new friendships, among the many aspects of what he loves most.

Jimmy is currently looking forward to attending the IC of Canada’s 60th anniversary event in September and then onwards to India’s 75th celebrations in 2026. Jimmy can always be counted on to enjoy a friendly game of tennis, which he preferably follows up with some socializing on the beach with his friends and/or guests.

You can connect with Jimmy on Instagram here.