Pouille emotionally reflects on his injury: "It's a terrible tear"

During the final of the Lille Challenger on February 9, Lucas Pouille had to withdraw due to an ankle injury. After several examinations, the results revealed a complete rupture of the Achilles tendon. At 31 years old, the Northerner's career could have ended there.

In an Amazon Prime documentary, Pouille revisited his injury during the final:

"He hits a drop shot. I want to move, but my leg stays stuck to the ground. My foot doesn't lift, and I fall. At that moment, I felt like a big racket hit, as if someone had struck me from behind.

I immediately knew it was the tendon, that it was going to be a long recovery, and that it was potentially over. In my mind, at that moment, I thought it was impossible to come back and play at a high level.

At that instant, it's a terrible tear. So, it's going to end like this. You never know how a career will end. It's something you dread as you approach the end. I really don't want to finish like this."