Follow us on Google Discover Arthur Rinderknech has been taking many of the headlines at the Shanghai Masters this year.
Rinderknech beat Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach his first career Masters 1000 final.
That is where he would play his cousin Valentin Vacherot, who beat Rinderknech in the Shanghai Masters final.
Vacherot is not the only player linked to Rinderknech who has achieved big things in tennis, with his current coach once knocking Rafael Nadal out of the US Open.
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty ImagesArthur Rinderknech’s coach stunned Rafael Nadal at the US Open in 2016
The year of 2016 was a challenging one for Nadal, with a wrist injury forcing him to withdraw from his third round match at Roland Garros and Wimbledon altogether.
Making his Grand Slam return at the US Open, Nadal would ease into the fourth round without dropping a single set.
That is where he would play Lucas Pouille, the 24th seeded Frenchman who Nadal had comfortably beaten in their only previous meeting.
Pouille reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon that year and was looking to do the same thing again in New York.
Despite leading Nadal by two sets to one, Pouille found himself down a break in the deciding set.
This was not enough for Nadal, who was beaten by Pouille, 6-1 2-6 6-4 3-6 7-6 (6), in a four hour and seven minute classic on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Pouille admitted that it was a dream come true in his on-court interview, “My first match on the center court against Rafa. Yeah, I could not dream better than this.”
This capped off the worst Grand Slam season of Nadal’s career since 2004, while Pouille would go on to achieve even bigger things.
Has Lucas Pouille retired from professional tennis?
Pouille would lose his US Open quarterfinal against compatriot Gael Monfils, but that would not be his last deep run at a Grand Slam.
The Frenchman would win his first ATP title shortly after his US Open run and finished the 2016 season at a career-high ranking of world number 15.
Pouille would collect three more titles in 2017, including the ATP 500 event in Vienna, and in March 2018 would make his top 10 debut.
World number 10 was the highest ranking that Pouille has ever reached, but his best Grand Slam run came in 2019 when he reached the Australian Open semifinals.
It has not been so smooth sailing for Pouille since then, having undergone elbow surgery in 2020 and falling out of the top 600.
Pouille started to find some form on the ATP Challenger circuit in 2024 and briefly returned to the top 100 in November last year.
He was looking to continue climbing up the ranks in 2025, before disaster struck for Pouille in the final of the Challenger tournament in Lille when he ruptured his Achilles tendon.
Les résultats sont ce que nous pensions.. Rupture complète du tendon d’Achille.. je vous remercie du fond du cœur pour tous vos messages.
Je vais me faire opérer dans les prochains jours et tout faire pour revenir..
a très vite
😘😘 pic.twitter.com/uk7wOyRixA— Lucas Pouille (@la_pouille) February 9, 2025
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At 31 years old, Pouille admitted this could be a career-ending injury and he has not played a match since then.
Shortly after making this claim, Pouille revealed his intention to return to the match court in 2026 and since June has been coaching Rinderknech.
Whether Pouille is able to play another tennis match again, it does appear that his coaching advice is working, with Rinderknech reaching a career-high ranking after reaching the Shanghai Masters final.