Following Carlos Alcaraz in 2017, the future champions of tennis in Lyon at the All in Country Club competing for the european final of the Babolat Cup

The final of the Babolat Cup, the European tournament for under 12-year-old girls and boys created by Babolat in 2009 and won by Carlos Alcaraz (World #2, ESP) in 2017 in total Babolat look and Babolat racquet and strings in hand, was held this weekend in Lyon. More than 10 years after its creation in Spain and expansion in the UK, the Babolat Cup is active in five countries (France, Italy, UK, Spain, and Germany) and has helped young European tennis hopefuls blossom. The award ceremony took place on Sunday at the All In Country Club, the club and tennis academy of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – former French #1 and World Top 5, in the presence of Eric Babolat, President of Babolat, and Frédéric Ascione, Director of the All In Country Club.

In 2023 the Babolat Cup expanded to include three new countries on the calendar: France, Italy, and Germany, in addition to the two original countries Spain and the UK. In each country, the Babolat teams organized a national circuit of tournaments throughout the year in Babolat partner clubs and certified by the national federations. The player who scored the most points throughout the year out of the 2,500 players who participated was crowned the national champion – one girl and one boy per country. Lyon hosted the European Finals this weekend with 12 players competing. Briton’s Roberta Gaskell and Kamran Arif won the Babolat Cup 2023 and will have the chance to spend two days at Wimbledon during the 2024 tournament.

"I'm delighted to see the Babolat Cup expand and have more of an international stage, having already won over Spain and England. Our knowledge and expertise in tennis are demonstrated daily by our close involvement with the players on the courts of the 20,000 clubs we partner with in nearly 150 countries around the world including the junior players whom we have supported with passion for almost 150 years," says Eric Babolat.

This competition allows young players to emerge and follow in the footsteps of the great champions of Team Babolat, such as Rafael Nadal (ESP), Holger Rune (DAN), Arthur Fils (FRA), and Leylah Fernandez (CAN). These young players were able to experience the dynamic atmosphere of the Babolat Cup this weekend in Lyon. The next edition of the tournament has already been scheduled with the addition of two countries (The Netherlands and Austria) for 2024 which promises to be even more exciting.