Paris (AFP)
Lucas Pouille, ex-No. 10 world today 60th, still recovering after a right elbow operation in July, will not play Roland Garros, which begins exceptionally in ten days (September 27-October 11), but hopes to return to the competition at the end of October, his entourage announced Thursday.
This package of Pouille (26 years old) for the Parisian Grand Slam, rescheduled in the fall due to the coronavirus pandemic, comes the day after that of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, bothered him by persistent pain in the pelvis.
"The rehabilitation phase following the operation on his right elbow continues to go very well: Lucas has recently been able to return to the training courts. Unfortunately, despite the rapid progress made, it is still too early to hope. resume competition in optimal conditions, "the statement said.
"In agreement with his team and with the medical profession, Lucas has therefore decided not to line up at Roland Garros. If all goes well, he still hopes to play again before the end of the 2020 season, normally at the end of October, ”he adds.
"Having to give up playing Roland Garros when you're a French player is heartbreaking, admits the semi-finalist of the 2019 Australian Open in this press release. But I must be realistic and reasonable: the priority is the total healing of my elbow, as well as the necessary period of preparation for my return to the circuit. "
Pouille, trained by Amélie Mauresmo since the end of 2018, has not played a single match on the main circuit in 2020.
He gave up the start of the season because of his painful elbow after having already put an early end to the previous one in mid-October.
His attempt to return to the Indian Wells Challenger (secondary circuit) in early March, just before the Covid-19 pandemic crippled professional tennis for five months, ended in an entry defeat.
He was then operated on at the end of July.
© 2020 AFP