Tennis: Novak Djokovic plays at the French Open

A local provides a little tennis fairy tale at the French Open. Lucas Pouille, world number 670, plays his way into the main draw of Roland Garros thanks to a three-set (1: 6, 7: 5, 6: 0) in the third qualifying round against the Austrian Jurij Rodionov. In 2019 Lucas Pouille was in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, but since then his career has been anything but as desired.

In addition to the sporting crash, the Frenchman also struggled with mental problems. “I suffered from depression, only slept an hour a night and started drinking alone,” he revealed in an interview with “l’Équipe”. In June 2022, he even decided not to play any more tournaments for the time being, before finding new motivation with the long-term goal of the home Olympics in Paris in 2024. (flo)