Lucas Pouille revives the concept of the 'player-coach'

Fernando Murciego | 19 Jul 2025 | 16.00

Lucas Pouille being interviewed at Roland Garros. Source: Getty

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Our hearts sank last February when we saw Lucas Pouille break down live in the final of the Lille Challenger 125. "It may have been the last match of my career," he said at the trophy presentation. Six months later, we can say that the situation has shifted from dramatic to hopeful. The 31-year-old, while racing against time, has ventured into coaching in recent weeks, mentoring Arthur Rinderknech. This fruitful collaboration has allowed him to stay connected to the sport from a new perspective.

"Arthur came to see me during Roland Garros to ask for help and coaching. It was sudden, I didn't expect it, but after thinking about it, it motivated me a lot. It made me want to support him, to push him to become even stronger than he already is," the former World No. 10 told AFP in statements provided to Eurosport. "That's how we started working together, a collaboration that lasted until Wimbledon, but now we will sit down, evaluate what has happened, and make a decision," acknowledged the five-time ATP titleholder.

"Truth be told, we didn't know each other much; we used to chat and practice together, but there was no relationship beyond that. Getting to know each other now has been very pleasant. In Queen's, he already had a great tournament defeating Ben Shelton and Reilly Opelka and playing a good match against Alcaraz despite the loss. Of course, the victory at Wimbledon against Zverev was the most talked-about triumph. I am very proud of the work we have done," Pouille summarized, feeling quite capable in this new coaching role.

Following this experience, the question arises whether we will see Lucas pursuing a coaching career once his on-court career ends. According to his words, it is still too early to tell, but that path could be a possibility. "It's hard to say; we will see what opportunities arise when I stop playing. It will also depend on what I feel like doing at that time. But in general, I enjoy this work; I love talking about tennis, I am truly passionate about it. The experience with Arthur (Rinderknech) has been very interesting, leaving me with a very positive feeling," he evaluated with satisfaction.

THE INTENTION IS TO COMPETE AGAIN

Next February, he will turn 32, marking one year since that fateful fall. However, his Achilles tendon recovery is progressing so well that Pouille's return might be sooner than expected.

"The rehabilitation is going quite well, rather quickly. It has been a month since I started running and jogging again. It will take a bit more time before I can do sprints, accelerations, and changes of direction, but overall, the progress is very positive, and I am pleased. Since I also had wrist surgery six weeks ago, I won't be able to pick up a racket until September. I had been dealing with a wrist issue for nine months, so I finally addressed it," concluded the Grande-Synthe tennis player.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Lucas Pouille recupera la figura del "jugador-entrenador"

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