Lucas Pouille celebrated first birth in January and now aims to craft career rebirth this spring.
The 27-year-old French wild card played his best tennis of the season today powering past Guido Pella 6-3, 6-4 advancing to the second round of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.
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After enduring a year of right elbow pain, things may be starting to turn around for Pouille, whose wife Clémence gave birth to the couple's first child, daughter Rose, on January 20th. Family and fatherhood have provided Pouille with perspective after that nagging elbow injury prompted some doctors to speculate it could threaten his playing career.
"It started in September 2019. I stopped in October. After clinical tests, injections, I listened to the doctors, I did everything they said," Pouille said of his elbow pain. "Every time it was relapsing. After a while there was a doubt that I would ever be able to play again normally.
"That's when I decided to have the surgery. Of course, the doctor was very confident. For them it was just a small surgery. But on an elbow, for a tennis player, we know it's always a bit difficult. Well, it took a lot of time."
Posting his first clay-court win in a couple of years, Pouille says he's finally playing pain-free and thrilled by the prospect.
"Everything is fine with my elbow. I have no pain. I'm not afraid," Pouille said. "I can serve normally. During more than a year I was not able to serve 100%, so that was a long time.
"This is the most difficult shot I have to adjust now. I have to find the rhythm, the whole movement, to be able to serve at my best level. This takes time, a lot of repetition. But now everything is fine. I have no pain at all. This is positive."
The world No. 86 will try to post back-to-back wins for the first time this season when he faces qualifier Alexei Popyrin in round two.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve