Today at 4:08 p.m.
Lucas Pouille has long hoped that he would not need the reciprocal wild card between the French and Australian Federations to compete the Australian Open. On October 21, on the evening of his defeat in the final of the Saint-Brieuc Challenger, he knew that his 2024 season was over. “I would have missed one victory to make the cut,” he said. But the Northerner’s right wrist was in too bad a condition.
“I went to the end in Saint-Brieuc. I came off the court with tears of pain in my eyes,” he remembers. “I was doing tests during this tournament to make sure the retinaculum wasn’t becoming more and more detached. There were days I couldn’t even hit forehands. I was quite surprised to make it to the final because I couldn’t lift.”
Five weeks followed in full splinting. And a time trial to be ready for this Australian Open. “We took the plane without knowing if things would get better,” he admits. Finally, after giving up on Auckland, he was able to experience a decent week of training before discovering his opponent, Sascha Zverev. Meeting scheduled for Sunday evening at the Rod Laver Arena.
>> Pouille continues to discuss the upcoming clash against one of the best players in the world
