Fitia Robinson, 17 years old and already with big ambitions: "It would be so great to represent France"

At only 17 years, Fitia Robinson continues to progress. At the FIP Platinum in Lyon, the young player secured her first place in the main draw of a tournament of this caliber. Now trained at My Center Palavas She moves forward surrounded by Benjamin Tison, Yannick Morel and now Alix Collombon. From Madagascar to France, via her almost accidental discovery of padel, Robinson recounts a still recent journey, but one already geared towards the very highest level.

A first in a FIP Platinum final table

Associated with Lucile Pothier Fitia Robinson, a player on the French national team, successfully navigated the Lyon qualifying rounds. The pair initially dominated Lucie Vichier and Amanda Pestre-Grange then Manon Marcarie and Cassandra Senjean to secure his ticket to the main draw.

A first experience that ended against a pair of a completely different caliber: Lucia Sainz , 25th ranked player in the world, and Letizia Manquillo , future semi-finalists of the tournament. The score was clear, but for Robinson, the main frustration did not necessarily stem from the level of his opponents.

"It was just me against myself." The young player feels she never truly managed to get into the match. She admits she only really found her rhythm for a few games, with the unsettling feeling of being aware, right there on the court, that she might regret not having made the most of the opportunity.

The result, however, does not erase the journey she made in qualifying. At 17, reaching the main draw of a FIP Platinum tournament for the first time represents a new milestone for someone who now operates daily in an environment geared towards the highest level of competition.

Fitia Robinson, 17 years old and already with big ambitions: "It would be amazing to represent France"

From Madagascar to padel almost by chance

Padel wasn't always an obvious choice for Fitia Robinson. Coming from a tennis background, she discovered the sport at Madagascar , when her cousin comes to play on the island. The first experiences are far from sparking love at first sight.

“At first, I didn’t like it at all. I only wanted to play tennis.” Everything changed when a player noticed her and her sister’s potential. They then entered local competitions, won their first championships, and Fitia gradually began to get hooked.

Its development is notably facilitated by the emergence of the Madagascar Padel Tour This allows him to accumulate matches. With competitions sometimes organized every two weeks, Robinson quickly finds an ideal environment to progress and gain experience.

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The encounter with Yannick Morel that changed the trajectory

The real turning point came about a year and a half earlier, in Mauritius. At a FIP tournament, Yannick Morel He sees her play and tells her about her academy at My Center Palavas. A few months later, Fitia crosses the Mediterranean to complete her first three-day internship.

At that point, nothing was decided yet. "I never thought I'd end up there," she admits today. Yet, this first experience would gradually lead to a change of life and a move to the south of France.

In Palavas, Robinson worked notably under the direction of Yannick Morel and Benjamin Tison Her profile is emerging: an attacking player who likes to come to the net, block, volley, and accelerate. Her baseline game is still an area for development, but her philosophy is already clear: attack and take the initiative.

Alix Collombon, a new everyday reference

The arrival of Alix Collombon My Center Palavas has further enhanced the environment in which the young player develops. Being able to regularly share the track with the French number 1 inevitably changes the intensity of the training sessions.

The first training sessions were even special for Robinson. "I had never put so much intensity into a training session in my entire life as when I played next to her." Not necessarily because Collombon was giving her lots of advice, but because her mere presence motivated the young player to want to raise her level.

Fittya describes her primarily as an extremely solid partner, who forces her to stay focused and minimize mistakes. An ideal role model for a player still developing and gradually discovering the demands of top-level competition.

Days entirely devoted to padel

This progress involves a particularly busy daily routine. Fitia lives with other young people from the academy and takes her courses remotely with the CNED, which allows her to adapt her studies to her sporting project.

Her days usually begin at the club around 8:30 or 9:00 with school classes. Around 10:15, it's time for warm-up before her first padel session from 10:30 to noon. After lunch and a nap – which she readily admits is sometimes quite long – she returns to the court at 2:00 PM.

The afternoon then consists of approximately 1.5 hours of padel followed by 1.5 hours of physical preparation A pace already close to that of a professional player for a teenager who is still trying to balance athletic progress and studies.

France in the back of my mind

Born and initially trained in Madagascar, but now living in France to continue her development, Fitia Robinson could also face an important sporting choice regarding her future national selection.

Naturalization procedures have already been initiated with the long-term goal of potentially joining the French national teams, particularly the youth teams. And when asked if wearing the French jersey would interest him, his answer is unequivocal.

"It would be amazing to represent France. I would love it." A possibility that obviously remains subject to administrative procedures and future selections, but Robinson does not hide her desire, as she is now building a large part of her sporting project in France.

A real connection with Lucile Pothier

His time in Lyon also allowed him to discover a particularly interesting partnership with Lucile Pothier Robinson still changes partners regularly and acknowledges that it is not always easy to find an immediate connection, both personally and athletically.

He and Pothier clicked immediately. "I loved playing with her. She's so nice and I think our games complement each other well." The two players demonstrated this during the qualifying rounds, securing their place in the main draw together.

This association could therefore provide ideas for the future, as Fitia continues to seek stability and accumulate experience on the French circuit.

Paola Josemaría as inspiration

Paradoxically, despite her ambition, Robinson is not a big fan of professional padel. She admits to still watching relatively few matches on the international circuit, even though she is gradually starting to take a greater interest in it.

One player in particular caught his attention: Paula Josemaría Not necessarily for a specific move or a particular characteristic of her game. "I think it's just because she was number 1 for a while. She's the only one I watched," she smiles.

A rather consistent reference for a player who also likes to move forward, impose a rhythm and seek to take control of the exchanges.

Returning to Madagascar after a year away from his family

After her time in Lyon, Fitia Robinson is now going to take a significant break. She's heading to Madagascar, where she'll be reunited with her parents after nearly a year away from them.

"It'll do me good." The break won't be total, however, as the young player plans to continue her physical training. Regarding padel, she's considering taking it a bit easier, although she already expects to be asked to play once she returns to the island.

At 17, Robinson is still only at the beginning of his journey. But between moving to My Center Palavas, being coached by Yannick Morel and Benjamin Tison, training alongside Alix Collombon, and now his first appearance in a FIP Platinum main draw, things are starting to fall into place. The talent is there, and so is the environment. Now he just needs to develop this potential over the coming seasons.

Maceo ZERHAT

Maceo Zerhat discovered padel in 2020 in Savigny-sur-Clairis, Burgundy. He contributed to the club's expansion by bringing his energy and curiosity. Padel Magazinehe transmits his Padel"mania" by skillfully bouncing on all the latest news about your favorite sport!