Former world No 10 Lucas Pouille found himself in a very dark place last year as he started to drink alone and began to “sink into some creepy stuff.”
Last June, Pouille suffered a loss to Gijs Brouwer in the Ilkley Challenger first round.
For Pouille – a five-time ATP champion – it was his sixth consecutive defeat and also his final match of the 2022 season.
“I started having a darker side and going into a depression that led to me sleeping an hour a night and drinking alone. I was sinking into some creepy stuff. I made the decision to say stop,” Pouille told Quentin Moynet of L’Equipe.
“J’ai commencé à avoir un côté plus sombre et à entrer dans une dépression qui m’a amené à dormir une heure par nuit et à boire seul. Je m’enfonçais dans un truc glauque. J’ai pris la décision de dire stop. Sinon j’aurais fini à Sainte-Anne chez les fous.” https://t.co/xViQJYLYxK
— Quentin Moynet (@QuentinMoynet) March 25, 2023
At the start of the 2019 season, Pouille made his first Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open.
But after that, Pouille’s career unexpectedly went downhill.
“Do you find it normal that at 28, when I am a father, I cry every night in my hotel room, every time I lose,” Pouille recalled asking his close friends last year.
Après une semaine d’insomnies, Pouille balança ses raquettes à la poubelle et demanda à ses proches : “Vous trouvez ça normal qu’à 28 ans, alors que je suis père de famille, je pleure tous les soirs dans ma chambre d’hôtel à chaque fois que je perds ?”https://t.co/n8v0l1Nq0Q
— Quentin Moynet (@QuentinMoynet) March 26, 2023
Pouille returned to tennis at the start of the 2023 season
In January, Pouille made his return to tennis and competed in three Challenger events.
“In my head, it was over. I couldn’t do it at all. I didn’t watch tennis until October. But at some point, I came back to it. Tennis is my life,” Pouille said.
Lucas Pouille : “Les raquettes au placard ? Je ne sais pas si la poubelle c’est le placard (sourire). Dans ma tête, c’était terminé. Je n’y arrivais plus du tout. Je n’ai pas regardé un point de tennis jusqu’en octobre. Mais à un moment, on y revient. C’est ma vie le tennis.”
— Quentin Moynet (@QuentinMoynet) March 25, 2023
In 2018 March, Pouille achieved his career-high ranking of No 10 in the world.
Now, Pouille is ranked at No 459 in the world.
For Pouille, the most important thing right now is to again enjoy himself on the court and that will hopefully lead to some positive results.
Just a couple of years ago, Pouille was considered one of the best players in the game.
It remains to be seen if 29-year-old Pouille can bounce back in 2023 and get his career back on the right track.
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