Ex-Wimbledon quarter-finalist Lucas Pouille has urged more male tennis players to break tradition and hire female coaches.
Very few men on the ATP Tour have worked with female coaches, with Pouille among those who have.
The Frenchman turned to compatriot Amelie Mauresmo after splitting from long-time coach Emmanuel Planque in 2019.
It was under the watchful eye of Mauresmo, who also worked with Andy Murray, that Pouille enjoyed his best Grand Slam finish, reaching the semi-finals of the 2019 Australian Open.
And during a tell-all interview with CLAY, Pouille insisted that more male tennis stars should break the taboo and work with women coaches.
The 30-year-old commented: “I don’t know why it’s not common, for me it doesn’t matter if it’s a man or a woman. It’s only about knowledge, and for me, Amelie was the right person at that time.
“She brought something extra to my tennis. I don’t care about the gender of the members of my work team. I just want people who are able to bring me good things to my game, to my career, positive energy and positive mindset.
“A winning mindset. Amelie had everything, so for me she was definitely the right coach.”
Pointing towards the discrepancies between men coaching women on the WTA Tour, Pouille continued: “Maybe we’ll see more and more women coming soon
“But it’s true that on the opposite way doesn’t happen like that. In the WTA Tour there are a lot of men coaching women, but not a lot of women coaching men, so maybe that will change.
“I’d encourage players and young players to be surrounded by the right people, and if the right people is a woman, then you have to choose a woman, and that’s it.
“You know, you can pick a male coach or fitness trainer and they could be very bad; you can choose a lady to be your manager, she maybe work well or maybe not.”
Pouille currently sits 96th in the ATP rankings but has enjoyed a career-high of 10th in the past.
He’s reached the semi-final of the Australian Open once, as well as the quarter-finals of Wimbledon and the US Open on one occasion.
In his most recent appearance, Pouille made it to the final of the Open Saint Brieuc, losing to fellow countryman Benjamin Bonzi despite entering the event as the top seed.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk