Arthur Rinderknech took a moment to send a special message to Lucas Pouille following his Shanghai Masters runner-up finish as the 30-year-old Frenchman gave credit to his fellow compatriot for encouraging him to keep going when he was thinking about stopping his career.
In early February, Pouille suffered a brutal luck when he ruptured his tendon during the Lille Challenger final. While out for the rest of 2025, the former world No. 10 found himself a new job after Rinderknech officially joined his team during the grass season.
Throughout the entire first part of 2025, Rinderknech struggled with his form – which resulted in him picking up numerous early exits. But shortly after adding Pouille to his team, the 30-year-old started to play better as he made the Kitzbuhel semifinal and also reached the second week at the US Open.
That was before Shanghai, where Rinderknech won six matches – including wins over Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev – to make his first Masters final. In the final, the Frenchman was up by a set before 204th-ranked qualifier sensation Valentin Vacherot (who happens to be his cousin) came back to win 4-6 6-3 6-3.
Rinderknech to Pouille: I was below the floor but you believed in me
"Thank you to Lucas. We started and I was below the floor five months ago. I was thinking about stopping tennis at some point because I wasn't seeing the point anymore and you believed in me, you gave me a chance, you trusted me. We moved forward and here we are, top 30-something for the end of the season. I hope its only the beginning. I can't thank you enough," the Shanghai Masters runner-up said during his speech.
"Rose (Pouille's four-year-old daughter) gave me a lucky charm, and I think it's a good one. Merci… Thank you to my wife, she's amazing. Thank you to your parents (Vacherot's), thanks to my parents because we're here because of them. Thank you to all my family."
Arthur Rinderknech said some beautiful words after his loss to his cousin Valentin Vacherot in the Shanghai final:
"Thank you to Lucas [Pouille] We started and I was below the floor five months ago. I was thinking about stopping tennis at some point because I wasn't seeing the… pic.twitter.com/l53Qt7f5Ik
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 12, 2025
Rinderknech entered Shanghai ranked at No. 54 in the world. On Monday, the Frenchman will improve 26 spots and achieve a new career-high ranking of No. 28 in the world. His previous career-high ranking was world No. 42.
