‘Started to Have a Darker Side’ – On the Verge of Retirement, French Tennis Player Reveals Ill-Fated Naomi Osaka-Like Tale

French tennis player Lucas Pouille has recently opened up about returning to the ATP Tour after battling a dark phase in his life. Lucas Pouille witnessed his best Grand Slam performance at the Australian Open in the year 2019. In the tournament, he was defeated by Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. However, soon afterwards, Pouille had multiple injuries and had to miss out on the top level of the ATP Tour. Immediately after that, he was drowned in depression and alcohol issues.

Lucas Pouille opens up on the worst phase of his career

Lucas Pouille was under treatment following a rib fracture at the start of 2022. In an interview with L’Equipe, he stated, “I started to have a darker side and go into a depression that led me, after Roland-Garros, in England, to sleep only one hour a night and drink alone.”

Amid depression, Pouille realized the problems faced by both Thiem and Wawrinka. Despite giving up on the sponsors, he was more worried about the reputation that he had earned throughout his career.

Further talking about the same, he said, “Every morning, Felix asked me: ‘Don’t you sleep?”- Yes, yes I have allergies, carpet, pollen, grass…” I was lying to him.

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In this difficult phase, Pouille’s ranking dropped to 459 as he was away from the court. The French star realized his wrongdoings in the past and now regrets that period. He believes that his ego has been his greatest enemy, and it stopped his progress toward the game.

Now, Pouille has been in an excellent frame of mind with an improved mindset, giving all credit to his daughter. He mentioned that he is more mature and happy with simple things.

Naomi Osaka was also suffering from depression in 2021

Naomi Osaka, the Japanese tennis star, who was the first Asian player to hold the top ranking in singles, also famously suffered from depression in 2021. The highest-paid female athlete in the world at the time went through a tough period at the peak of her career.

She revealed that she had battled “long bouts of depression” after marking a victory in her first major tournament, the U.S. Open, in 2018. By revealing her struggle, she enlightened the masses that depression is a serious issue where a person refuses to be normal and do routine stuff.

It proved to be a significant move from the Japanese star as depression and mental health started receiving much more attention in the world of sports after her revelation.

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