Frenchman Luca Van Assche is soaking in a powerful begin to the season on the ATP Challenger Tour. At simply 18 years previous, the #NextGenATP participant is doing all of it whereas persevering with a traditional teenage life: learning college homework and having fun with his passions other than tennis, reminiscent of Formula One Racing, which Van Assche started to observe after watching the Netflix collection Drive To Survive.
Should Van Assche sometime rise to stardom on the ATP Tour, maybe he’ll discover himself within the Netflix collection Break Point, which premiered in January and options gamers reminiscent of Nick Kyrgios, Matteo Berrettini, and Taylor Fritz. If followers got a behind-the-scenes look of Van Assche, they might discover {the teenager} stays busy along with his varied hobbies.
“I listen to a lot of French rap. There are a lot of good rappers in France, like Ninho,” Van Assche stated. “I like Paris Saint-Germain, their stadium is near my house. I also love Formula One, since I started watching the Netflix series [Drive To Survive] a few years ago. I follow a bit of rugby too.”
In December, the Brussels-born participant had his breakthrough second, successful his maiden Challenger title in Maia, Portugal throughout the closing week of the season. This previous week, Van Assche collected one other Challenger crown in dramatic vogue.
Van Assche escaped countryman Ugo Humbert within the longest Challenger closing in historical past (three hours, 56 minutes) on the Terega Open Pau Pyrenees. After heading off two championship factors, the #NextGenATP star lifted his palms within the air to rejoice an exciting 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6(6) victory.
“It was a crazy match, an amazing fight against Ugo,” Van Assche stated. “I’m very pleased. Plenty of feelings throughout this match. I used to be main, then dropping. I used to be match level up, then match level down. It was a incredible match with nice assist from the gang.
Luca Van Assche triumphs on the Challenger 125 in Pau. Credit: Alexis Atteret
“At 4/6 in the [deciding-set] tie-break, I was hoping he wouldn’t hit an ace! I was playing point by point, just focussing on every point. I was a little bit exhausted so I was not thinking too much, just playing my game.”
If it weren’t for his skilled tennis profession, Van Assche might have pursued a profession in arithmetic, which he’s learning on-line at Paris Dauphine University. Even finally week’s Pau Challenger, the World No. 110 was engaged on homework on his days off.
“I passed my exams in December,” Van Assche stated. “I’m doing two or three subjects in a semester. When I had days off in Pau, I was doing a little bit of homework on Tuesday and Thursday. It’s a little complicated because when you’re in the tournament, you’re focussed and sometimes tired.”
Math + Tennis = Winning Formula For Van Assche
Van Assche has loved success on the Challenger Tour following his standout junior profession. In 2021, Van Assche captured the Roland Garros boys’ singles title. In the championship match, he defeated countryman and shut pal Arthur Fils, who’s presently No. 111 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, only one spot behind Van Assche. The French youngsters are holding a pleasant competitors to see who cracks the Top 100 first.
“I hope to be in the Top 100 sooner than him!” Van Assche joked. “I know Arthur very well and I’m very happy for him and his results. I’m practising with him almost every day, so we’re talking about it. I’m pretty close to the Top 100 and I hope to be there soon.”
Van Assche is the fourth Frenchman to win a number of Challenger titles earlier than turning 19, becoming a member of Richard Gasquet, Gael Monfils, and Fabrice Santoro, who all surpassed the Top 20. Monfils and Gasquet, who’re nonetheless lively on Tour, have been as excessive as No. 6 and seven, respectively.
Can Van Assche observe in his countrymen steps and rise to the highest ranges of the game? “I hope so,” Van Assche stated. “It’s the aim of my profession to be within the Top 10 and battle for the massive titles. It’s an honour to be in comparison with these guys, they’re legends in France. I need to proceed like them.
“Gasquet is practising in Paris and I’m in Paris so I practise a lot with him. We’ve talked a little bit about his life on Tour. When a player like him tells you that you play very well and that you have a big future, it gives you a lot of confidence because they are very famous players.”
Van Assche now shifts his consideration to the clay-court swing as he makes an attempt to make his maiden Roland Garros main-draw look. The teen will subsequent be in motion on the purple grime on the Sanremo Challenger, which begins 27 March.
Source web site: www.atptour.com
