Lucas Pouille, a former member of the ATP top ten, is making another attempt at professional tennis after a difficult period. With a big goal.
by Jens Huiber
last edited: 03/28/2023, 11:58 am
© Getty Images
There were times when Lucas Pouille seemed to be inexorably on his way to the absolute top of the world. In 2018, the Frenchman made it into the top ten for the first time, winning his fifth and so far last title on the ATP tour that year in Montpellier. A few days later, Pouille reached another final in Dubai, which should also have been the last until today.
After that, things went downhill for the now 29-year-old, and Lucas Pouille only managed five victories on the tour in the entire 2021 season. After all, everything seemed fine privately, Pouille and his wife Clemence were able to look forward to the birth of their daughter Rose.
But what do you know from afar?
In truth, Pouille hasn’t fared well in recent years, as he now explained to France’s L’Équipe. “I started to have a darker side and I fell into a depression that made me sleep an hour a night and drink alone. I got into something creepy. I quit tennis for my sanity. Otherwise I would have ended up in an institution.”
What got him this far? That he no longer had to fight for every single point in big stadiums, but on the Challenger Tour. “It’s awful because I’m still top ten in my head. When you see Domi (Thiem) and Stan (Wawrinka), I don’t even want to imagine what the two are going through. I haven’t checked my ranking since last May. I lost all sponsors except for the clothes. When you’ve been through so many great emotions, it’s difficult
Lucas Pouille wants to go to the Olympics
At the beginning of the year, Pouille competed in three tournaments on the Challenger Tour and reached the quarter-finals in Quimper. Anything else coming? In any case, Lucas Pouille has defined a big goal for himself: the 2024 Olympics in Roland Garros. “Ten days before Paris-Bercy, Pierre-Hugues (Herbert) asked me if we could hit a few balls. And it felt good. Then, in Bercy, I was asked about the Olympic Games, which I have never played in. It clicked. I told my wife that I would try tennis again. She was overjoyed. I think about Paris 2024 every single day.”
Of course, Lucas Pouille, who is currently in position 459 in the ATP charts, knows for himself that there is a huge catch to this matter. For one thing, he should have competed in the Davis Cup this year or next. And then he should also be quite far ahead among the French players. You need a lot of imagination for that at the moment.
