The rise and rise of Lucas Pouille

Lucas Pouille’s win over Rafa may have come as a surprise to Nadal’s legions of fans, but not to anyone who has been following the Frenchman’s meteoric rise. This feature on Pouille originally featured in Australian Tennis Magazine after his run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals, and explains why the #NextGen star is a player that the rest of the draw should fear.

Armed with a handy serve, an impressive forehand and the ability to move deftly around the court, Lucas Pouille has every quality required to be a top player. But he may want to work on his self-assessment.

Entering Wimbledon, the 22-year-old had just one goal: to claim his first grass court match. The Frenchman easily exceeded that expectation, with four quality wins showcasing Pouille as a man who’ll almost certainly return to many more Slam quarterfinals – and beyond – in the future.

At Wimbledon, the world No.25 recorded straightforward victories over Marius Copil and Donald Young, before downing the mighty Juan Martin del Potro in the third round. “I think he was really smart,” del Potro acknowledged after Pouille’s 6-7(4) 7-6(6) 7-5 6-1 win.

Smart and tough. In the fourth round Pouille played the waiting game against Aussie Bernard Tomic, toughing out a 6-4 4-6 3-6 6-4 10-8 win. “At the end I was maybe, more fresh than him,” said Pouille when asked to explain the difference.

Any physical advantage is no accident; Pouille has long been known for his natural ability but needed to work hard to match it with results. A turnaround came with a pre-season training block in Dubai. While the hot and difficult conditions were important to Pouille’s development, so too were high-profile practice partners, including his idol, Roger Federer. “I practiced with Roger, with Andy (Murray) as well, and (Alexandr) Dolgopolov, as well,” Pouille explained. “That was quality playing. But also quantity playing …these were long rallies and a long practice. So physically I trust myself much more. I can play longer matches. I know that.”

Another powerful influence is 1983 French Open champion Yannick Noah, an unofficial advisor alongside regular coach Emmanuelle Pascual.

Managing the pressure is among many important lessons. One of 12 top-100 Frenchmen and the third youngest man (behind Nick Kyrgios) in the top 25, it has been an important mental hurdle for Pouille to overcome.

“I’m trying to be more relaxed, trying to focus on my game,” Pouille noted. “Every time I’m on the court I just think about that, about my tennis, and about improving.”

Certainly he’s done plenty of that. Ranked No.90 in January, Pouille’s rise to No.25 has been helped by wins over David Ferrer and Richard Gasquet, making him one of the biggest movers this season. Now blazing a trail through the US Open draw – including today’s win over Rafa Nadal – Pouille is one player whose star is definitely on the rise.