Former world no. 10 Lucas Pouille experienced a devastating injury in the Lille Challenger final. Seeking his fourth Challenger crown against Arthur Bouquier, Lucas chased a drop shot in the ninth game of the second set and ruptured his Achilles tendon.
The 30-year-old left the court in a wheelchair and returned for the trophy presentation on crutches, paying respect to his rival and the partisan crowd! The former Major finalist confirmed the Achilles tendon injury and will undergo surgery on his left leg in a couple of days.
Lucas is aware that he might have played the last match of his career. However, he will do everything to recover and return to action. Pouille has been injury-prone for years, and this is another undesired twist in the tale after everything worked so well for him!
Arthur Bouquier wins his 1st Challenger title, beating Lucas Pouille 6-3 3-5 AD-40 RET in Lille.
What an unfortunate end to such an incredible run👇
Arthur more than doubles his ranking tally and will jump deep inside the Top 300. Pouille was taken off the court in a wheelchair. pic.twitter.com/6f18MSRfk1— Damian Kust (@damiankust) February 9, 2025
The Frenchman had been dealing with personal issues after countless injuries. He battled against depression and left it behind, returning to tennis and starting all over. Lucas embraced a notable run in 2024, passing 128 rivals on the ATP ranking list.
He conquered two Challenger titles from five finals and wrapped up the season on the verge of top-100. On Monday, Pouille will crack the mentioned group again thanks to this week’s points, just to highlight the irony even more.
Lucas Pouille & Arthur Bouquier, 2025 Lille Challenger© Facebook – Play In Challenger Lille
Lucas suffered early losses in Brisbane, Australian Open and Montpellier at the beginning of 2025. He returned to Challengers and reached the title clash in Lille. The former top-10 star faced Arthur Bouquier in the final and served for the second set when the injury ruined his progress.
Bouquier denied two break points in the first game of the match and welcomed Pouille’s forehand error in the next one for an early advantage. Lucas saved a break point in the fourth game and added his name to the scoreboard.
2025 Lille Challenger© Stream screenshot
Arthur held in the seventh game for 5-2 and served for the opener at 5-3. The younger Frenchman fired a service winner in game nine, wrapping up the first part of the duel 6-3 in 33 minutes. They served well early in the second set before Pouille closed the seventh game after a deuce.
He made a push on the return in game eight and landed a winner at the net for a break and a 5-3 lead. Bouquier stayed focused and generated two break points in game nine. Lucas denied them before experiencing an injury that ruined an entertaining match.
We wish Pouille all the best and the strength to endure and return to tennis injury-free. He deserves that more than anyone!
Tennis World USA