# Lucas Pouille
**Lucas Pouille** (born 1994 in Grande-Synthe, France) is a French professional tennis player who reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 10 in March 2018, won five [ATP Tour](https://www.edgepedia.org/atp-tour) titles, and clinched the [2017 Davis Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/2017-davis-cup) for France in the decisive fifth match of the final.[1](https://www.tennismajors.com/people/lucas-pouille) • [2](https://www.tennisabstract.com/cgi-bin/player-classic.cgi?f=B2&p=LucasPouille) • [3](https://www.atptour.com/es/players/lucas-pouille/pf39/bio) • [4](https://www.lequipe.fr/Tennis/Actualites/Coupe-davis-lucas-pouille-offre-le-point-de-la-victoire-a-la-france/854078) A right-hander with a two-handed backhand who turned professional in 2012, he reached three Grand Slam quarterfinals and the 2019 [Australian Open](https://www.edgepedia.org/australian-open) semifinal before a right elbow injury in 2019 and surgery in 2020 derailed his career.[2](https://www.tennisabstract.com/cgi-bin/player-classic.cgi?f=B2&p=LucasPouille) • [5](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/players/26325-l.pouille) • [6](https://ausopen.com/articles/match-report/pouille-punches-his-ticket-quarters) • [7](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/rg2023-qualifying-lucas-pouille-laurent-lokoli-make-final-round)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1994, Grande-Synthe, France; 1.85 m, right-handed with a two-handed backhand[1](https://www.tennismajors.com/people/lucas-pouille) • [2](https://www.tennisabstract.com/cgi-bin/player-classic.cgi?f=B2&p=LucasPouille) |
| Career high | World No. 10, first reached 19 March 2018[2](https://www.tennisabstract.com/cgi-bin/player-classic.cgi?f=B2&p=LucasPouille) |
| Titles | 5 ATP Tour singles titles; he saved match point in three of them (Budapest 2017, Stuttgart 2017, Montpellier 2018)[3](https://www.atptour.com/es/players/lucas-pouille/pf39/bio) |
| Best Grand Slam | Australian Open semifinal 2019; quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2016[6](https://ausopen.com/articles/match-report/pouille-punches-his-ticket-quarters) • [5](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/players/26325-l.pouille) |
| Davis Cup | Clinched the 2017 final for France, beating Steve Darcis 6-3, 6-1, 6-0 in 1 hour 36 minutes for France's tenth title[4](https://www.lequipe.fr/Tennis/Actualites/Coupe-davis-lucas-pouille-offre-le-point-de-la-victoire-a-la-france/854078) |
| Career record | 143-134 in tour-level singles, with $8,834,022 in prize money[5](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/players/26325-l.pouille) |
## Rise to the top 10
Pouille started playing tennis at age 8 and completed his baccalaureate at INSEP, the French national sports institute.[8](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/lucas-pouille/pf39/bio) His first ATP Tour title came on home soil, on the hard courts of Metz in September 2016, and his second followed on the clay of Budapest in April 2017.[9](https://www.tf1info.fr/sport/coupe-davis-france-belgique-l-ascension-fulgurante-de-lucas-pouille-le-nouveau-heros-des-bleus-2052575.html)
**Breakthrough in 2016.** At 22, Pouille reached consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2016, and the players voted him the 2016 ATP Most Improved Player of the Year.[5](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/players/26325-l.pouille) • [8](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/lucas-pouille/pf39/bio) His ranking climbed to a career-high No. 10 in March 2018.[2](https://www.tennisabstract.com/cgi-bin/player-classic.cgi?f=B2&p=LucasPouille)
A distinctive feature of his title record is how narrow his escapes were: he won three of his five ATP Tour titles after saving match point, at Budapest 2017 (against Vesely in the second round), [Stuttgart](https://www.edgepedia.org/stuttgart) 2017 (against Struff in the second round), and [Montpellier](https://www.edgepedia.org/montpellier) 2018 (against Tsonga in the semifinal).[3](https://www.atptour.com/es/players/lucas-pouille/pf39/bio)
## 2017 Davis Cup
In the 2017 [Davis Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/davis-cup) final against Belgium in Lille, France trailed 2-1 after [David Goffin](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-goffin) beat [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga](https://www.edgepedia.org/jo-wilfried-tsonga), leaving the tie to the fifth rubber (an individual match within a Davis Cup tie).[10](https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2017/11/26/tennis-la-france-remporte-sa-dixieme-coupe-davis-apres-la-victoire-de-lucas-pouille_5220651_3242.html) Pouille, the world No. 18, faced Steve Darcis, who was unbeaten in five previous decisive fifth matches.[4](https://www.lequipe.fr/Tennis/Actualites/Coupe-davis-lucas-pouille-offre-le-point-de-la-victoire-a-la-france/854078) Pouille won 6-3, 6-1, 6-0 in 1 hour 36 minutes, taking the last twelve games of the match, to give France a 3-2 victory and its tenth Davis Cup, its first since 2001.[4](https://www.lequipe.fr/Tennis/Actualites/Coupe-davis-lucas-pouille-offre-le-point-de-la-victoire-a-la-france/854078) • [10](https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2017/11/26/tennis-la-france-remporte-sa-dixieme-coupe-davis-apres-la-victoire-de-lucas-pouille_5220651_3242.html) His match statistics included 7 aces, 67 percent first serves, and 89 percent of points won on first serve.[11](https://as.com/tenis/2017/11/25/copa_davis/1511633094_711367.html)
## 2019 Australian Open and the Mauresmo partnership
After his ranking fell from No. 10 to No. 32 during the 2018 season, Pouille hired former world No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion Amelie Mauresmo as coach in December 2018.[6](https://ausopen.com/articles/match-report/pouille-punches-his-ticket-quarters) At the 2019 Australian Open, after five straight first-round exits at the tournament, he beat the No. 11 seed Borna Coric 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5, 7-6(2) to reach his third Grand Slam quarterfinal and first since the 2016 US Open, then advanced to the semifinal, where he lost to top seed [Novak Djokovic](https://www.edgepedia.org/novak-djokovic).[6](https://ausopen.com/articles/match-report/pouille-punches-his-ticket-quarters) • [5](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/players/26325-l.pouille)
## Injury and decline
Pouille suffered a severe right elbow injury in 2019 and underwent surgery in 2020, after which his ranking collapsed amid further setbacks, injuries, and mental struggles; he later said he fell into depression and alcoholism after the elbow operation.[7](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/rg2023-qualifying-lucas-pouille-laurent-lokoli-make-final-round) • [12](https://as.com/tenis/roland_garros/norrie-cierra-el-cuento-de-hadas-de-pouille-n/) In a 2023 interview with L'Equipe he said that, for his mental health, he had to stop playing.[1](https://www.tennismajors.com/people/lucas-pouille)
**2023 comeback.** Watching Gilles Simon's farewell matches at Roland-Garros 2022, he said, was the wake-up call that revived his motivation.[7](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/rg2023-qualifying-lucas-pouille-laurent-lokoli-make-final-round) Ranked No. 670, he came through three rounds of qualifying to reach the Roland-Garros 2023 main draw, then beat lucky loser Jurij Rodionov 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 in the first round before losing to [Cameron Norrie](https://www.edgepedia.org/cameron-norrie) 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.[12](https://as.com/tenis/roland_garros/norrie-cierra-el-cuento-de-hadas-de-pouille-n/) • [1](https://www.tennismajors.com/people/lucas-pouille) In 2024 he qualified for Wimbledon and reached the third round.[5](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/players/26325-l.pouille)
## Personal life
Pouille's wife is Clemence and they have a daughter, Rose; his mother, Lena, is Finnish, and he has brothers Nicolas and Jonathan.[8](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/lucas-pouille/pf39/bio) He admires [Roger Federer](https://www.edgepedia.org/roger-federer), whom he occasionally trained with in Dubai, and supports Paris Saint-Germain.[8](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/lucas-pouille/pf39/bio) During the COVID-19 pandemic he launched a business producing hydroalcoholic gel dispensers and donated part of the profits to the Foundation for Hospitals in Paris.[8](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/lucas-pouille/pf39/bio)
## References
1. [Lucas Pouille, Tennis Majors player page](https://www.tennismajors.com/people/lucas-pouille)
2. [Lucas Pouille Match Results and Splits, Tennis Abstract](https://www.tennisabstract.com/cgi-bin/player-classic.cgi?f=B2&p=LucasPouille)
3. [Lucas Pouille, ATP Tour player biography (Spanish)](https://www.atptour.com/es/players/lucas-pouille/pf39/bio)
4. [Coupe Davis : Lucas Pouille offre le point de la victoire à la France, L'Équipe](https://www.lequipe.fr/Tennis/Actualites/Coupe-davis-lucas-pouille-offre-le-point-de-la-victoire-a-la-france/854078)
5. [Lucas Pouille player card, Roland-Garros](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/players/26325-l.pouille)
6. [Pouille punches his ticket to quarters, Australian Open](https://ausopen.com/articles/match-report/pouille-punches-his-ticket-quarters)
7. ['Wake up call' prompts Pouille renaissance, Roland-Garros](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/rg2023-qualifying-lucas-pouille-laurent-lokoli-make-final-round)
8. [Lucas Pouille, ATP Tour player biography](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/lucas-pouille/pf39/bio)
9. [Coupe Davis : l'ascension fulgurante de Lucas Pouille, TF1 Info](https://www.tf1info.fr/sport/coupe-davis-france-belgique-l-ascension-fulgurante-de-lucas-pouille-le-nouveau-heros-des-bleus-2052575.html)
10. [La France de Yannick Noah remporte sa dixième Coupe Davis, Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2017/11/26/tennis-la-france-remporte-sa-dixieme-coupe-davis-apres-la-victoire-de-lucas-pouille_5220651_3242.html)
11. [Resumen y resultado del Francia-Bélgica: Final Copa Davis 2017, AS](https://as.com/tenis/2017/11/25/copa_davis/1511633094_711367.html)
12. [Norrie cierra el cuento de hadas del ídolo Pouille, AS](https://as.com/tenis/roland_garros/norrie-cierra-el-cuento-de-hadas-de-pouille-n/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Racket and precision ball sports › Tennis › Tennis players and seasons › Individual tennis player biographies › Western European tennis player biographies (French, Italian, Low Countries, Swiss)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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