This week I’m joined by Luca Van Assche, one of France’s top young players and a former Roland Garros junior champion. We chat about his fast rise to the ATP top 70, what it really takes to make the jump from juniors to the pros, and how Futures helped build his resilience and confidence. Luca opens up about the pressure of expectations, how he’s managing a ranking drop, and why balancing university studies with tennis keeps him grounded. There’s loads of insight here into how belief, hard work, and enjoying the game really shape a career.

🗣️ 3 Key Quotes

1. “You can win 20 junior Slams and not win matches in the pros.”

2. “Sometimes you’re in a bad place and you say, maybe just one year as a normal person would be nice.”

3. “If you’re not 100 percent from the first point, you’re out in 40 minutes.”

✅ 5 Takeaway Points:

• Winning a junior Slam is just the beginning, not the end goal

• Futures helped him build confidence and mental focus

• The ATP level demands intensity from the very first point

• Balancing school and tennis adds purpose beyond rankings

• Long-term goals fuel motivation during tough stretches

This podcast is sponsored by ASICS. ASICS is a Japanese company founded in 1949 to give more people the opportunity to experience how sports and movement can have a positive impact on mental well-being.

To learn more about ASICS visit their website here: https://www.asics.com/nl/en-nl/sports/tennis/

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Foreign.

Welcome to the Functional Tennis Podcast brought to you by my favorite tennis shoe company, Asics.

And I'm your host, Fabio Molli.

And I bring you insights and lessons from players, coaches, parents and experts who are ingrained in the world of high level tennis.

This week I'm joined by Luca Vanache, one of France's top young talents.

We talk about his journey from winning the Junior Grand Slam to the challenges of transition to the pro tour.

Luca shares how playing futures helped build his confidence, what it takes to compete at the ATP Tour level, and how he balances school with life on tour.

He also talks about the mindset needed to keep improving and why enjoying the game is key to his long term success.

It's a great insight into the mindset and work it takes to rise to the ranks in today's game.

Finally, a shout out to our podcast sponsors, Asics.

I've been enjoying wearing shoes and clothing from their latest collab with lifestyle company apc.

You may have actually seen Lorenzo Musetti rocking it recently during his great runs in Monte Carlo and Madrid.

You can head over to asics.com to check out the full collection.

I recommend it.

Okay, here's Luca.

Hi, Luca.

Welcome to the Functional Tennis Podcast.

How are you?

Good and very.

I'm very good.

And you?

I'm very good.

I'm very good.

Happy to speak into you.

So tell me what's going on?

You're in Paris now.

How's the tennis these days?

Yeah, it's been good this week it's a little bit cold in Paris, but last week it was very, very hot.

So it's a good weather to practice and yeah, I'm just practicing at Roland Garros.

It's good because I can play, you know, on the side where the tournament is to be 100% ready also for the tournament.

And tell me, Roland Garas, this year, are you getting a wild card?

You have to qualify, obviously your rankings.

A bit out of main draw at the moment.

Yeah, no, I will play the qualifying and then I asked for the wildcard, but you know, the French federation didn't give the names yet, so we don't know yet who will have the wildcards for the main draw.

But of course in my head I will pay the quality and if by chance I have a wild card, it will be a bonus.

Great.

And Roland Garris for you is like your back garden, I feel.

You've obviously played a lot there as a junior.

I'm sure.

And then plus you were the junior Roland Garros champion.

What what does that feel like for a French boy or man to win there?

It was incredible.

I'm French, my family is in Paris, so you know, my friends are in Paris and everybody was in Paris.

So I played the French Open junior.

You know, you play in front of your family, you play in front of French fans and everybody's for you.

So it's cheering for you.

And you know, I was, I was I think 16 or 17.

It was like for me it a bit the first time that you play in front of so many people.

Yeah, I had the chance, you know that.

To play in front of the home crowd and yeah, it's amazing feeling.

And of course when I was, I think it was 17 when you win like Grand Slam Junior, you know, it's.

For you it's incredible because at that age it's very important.

Yeah, for me it was a great achievement.

Got into that tournament.

Were you expecting to win it?

I didn't expect to win it like this, but I, I knew that I had the chances.

I was, I think I was like 16, the junior ranking.

So I was seeded, but I didn't play juniors that much at that time.

I started to play a little bit with some futures, with the pros and it was, you know, I played some juniors just before Roland Garros to try to make some points and to be seeded on the slams.

That's what I did.

And in juniors I won a lot of matches at the end of the year before I won and the year I won.

And so I knew that I had the level to win the tournament.

But of course I was not the only one.

And there were like so many great players and yeah, I just took like match by match and yeah, I arrived to a third round.

I beat, I think I beat the seed number three and I was to the qualifiers to the semifinals.

And then when you are the semifinals, you know, I played.

We were four French players, so you know, we were very, very close.

Tough tournament, but yeah, great one, great memories.

I know you played Arthur Fee in the final.

So who were was Perry Card one of the other French players.

Who were the other two?

Yes.

So there was Mir and Fis in the final and in the semi final I played against Sean Quino and then Fiz, he played against Mpech Berga.

Okay, nice, that's strong for obviously you guys are doing quite well now on the tour and I saw even with that team you were under 18 junior champions with those guys as well.

What a team.

Like you, unstoppable.

It was great.

I think it was a good moment also for the French tennis because it was a period where French players in, let's say, the pros, they weren't as much as matches at, you know, Monfi Songa before, in the press, in the French press, they were like, criticizing a lot the French players to say, like, we don't have French players anymore.

We don't deserve Orangaros to be in France and everything.

And then the same year, there were four French players in the semifinal of the junior.

So, you know, it was also a big hype with us.

So it was.

Yeah, it was fun.

That's pretty impressive.

Now, it doesn't get much better than that for a country.

And tell me, did winning Roland Garros, did that put extra pressure on your shoulders?

How did you handle that?

No, it was okay, you know, because I had.

And I have.

I still have a wonderful team, you know, with me.

And, you know, they always said me, like, you know, like the juniors, even if I win, if I lose and everything, it's not, let's say, like, the goal of your career.

It just need to be a step, you know.

Of course, it was incredible to win French Open because it helped me, you know, to.

In France to have some wildcats to the challengers and because I won French Open and then I played well and then I did a big step forward.

But, you know, when I won, it was a great achievement that even before and even after my coach helped me because, of course, for me it was like, oh, I am the king, you know, But.

But my coach asked me a lot to say, to say, me, like, you know, like, you can win French Open, but it's not, you know, it's just the beginning.

Like, let's say the real career is in the pro side.

You know, you can win like 20 junior slams and don't win, you know, the matches in the pro.

So it's a big step.

And yeah, I saw that, like a great achievement for me, and I was like, okay, like, now my junior career is done.

And because I, for me, I did the best thing I could have done in the.

In the juniors, because winning a slam is incredible in France.

Like, it was for me the best thing.

And I can, you know, do everything now in the pro.

Yeah, I didn't have much pressure on it.

Of course, my.

My image, let's say in France, was growing up, but yeah, I was just focused on what I needed to do.

Was it good for sponsorship?

Yeah, of course, because, you know, you're like, known a little bit in France, but not in the world and even in France, a little bit like the people they watch a little bit, but they don't really know.

But the fact that the press were criticizing a lot the French players, because I think in the main draw nobody reached the third round, I think this year.

And then just two weeks, one week after we were like four in the semifinals, they talked about it a lot in the press.

So, you know, like a lot of people were recognizing me after and yeah, it was good.

And just go back, when did you start playing future tournaments?

How old were you?

I was young.

Did you play a lot of futures then?

Was, was your main focus as a 16 year old was we need to play a lot of futures, not junior tournament.

It depends.

I talked about it a lot with my coach because I think at that moment it was good for me because, you know, with the juniors you learn a lot, but the pros, it's a different level and it's a different, let's say, approach of the match.

The pros are very tough, even in futures and everything.

And it was good.

I think we talked about it a lot.

And for me it was good to mix a little bit between the futures and the juniors because if, let's say, if you play only pros, you know that you will lose a lot.

And sometimes, you know, when you're young, it's good, you know, to have confidence to win matches.

And it was good to mix a little bit, like to play some juniors, to win some matches, to build some confidence and then to play some futures where, let's say they will push my level of tennis up, but not too much because if you lose, you lose, you lose, you lose.

Then, you know, you start to feel like, ah, maybe my game is not that good.

And it was very good because I was still very young, but to mix it, it was very interesting for me.

So you play the juniors for the confidence and the seniors, the futures, to raise your game and to become more resilient.

Yeah, exactly, exactly.

So playing futures made you a better junior because junior players are soft.

Yeah, I don't want to say that the juniors players are soft, but you know, it's, it's different.

You know, when you're against a junior, let's say you're relaxed a little bit or the pressure that you have playing juniors is different.

The pros, let's say that from the first point to the last point, you know, it's a real war.

You Know, from the beginning to the end.

And sometimes it can happen that in juniors, the beginning of the match, you know, you're not very focused.

You can do some mistakes and.

But let's say, like, even if you're not focused at that, at that moment, if I play juniors with my level, you know, you can still win the match because your game is better than his.

But in pros, let's say at this moment, if I was not focused 100%, I was not.

From the first punch in the match, you lose like 6:1, 6:1 and finish in one hour.

So it was good, you know, to raise my level, up, my focus.

And yeah, it was very interesting for me.

And when did you stop playing futures?

I stopped really quickly because I always told myself, like, if you get in some tournaments that are better, you need to play, it's better to play, I don't know, quality in the challengers, then Mandro infusions or something like this.

I didn't play that much because I played a little bit before, so the French Open title and then.

But I didn't have some good results.

I had maybe three points, four points.

I did some.

I think my best thing was like, maybe second round twice, three times, something like this.

I was playing, you know, the qualities and everything, but it was, you know, the real world for me.

So it was good.

And then after the French Open, I played Wimbledon junior because I had never played on grass before, so it was a good experience.

And then I played, I think I played maybe two or three futures before the European Championship that I played with Giovanni and Artur.

And then I went on holidays.

And just after the holidays, I practiced and I played some challengers.

I had some wild cards, main draw and two challengers.

And I did second round and quarter finals.

So, you know, at that time I had two points in two tournaments.

I did like 20 points.

So it was like a big jump up.

Then I think I played another futures.

I did final, and then I played another challenger.

I did qualify.

So I went up, like, at the end of the year, I started to play, like, for only pros at, I think in August or in September.

I was like, 1,000, something like this.

And at the end of the year, I was like 500.

So it was very fast.

I played the future in France.

I won it on clay.

It was my first title.

And then from that on, I played only challengers.

I played, you know, Qualis, so only Qualys.

But I preferred, you Know, to play quality of challengers because the level is still better than in futures.

With my type of game, when I play against better players, they push me to play a certain way.

It was better for me.

So always a good sign when you can get out of futures quickly.

You don't want to be doing futures for three years because nobody wants that because you're so.

Yeah.

So you proved you have a good game.

Yeah, I had also a lot of opportunities with the French Federation to, you know, I had, I think some wild cards and some challengers and then, yeah, I won matches.

But, you know, without these world cards I couldn't play these tournaments and I didn't to play some futures.

But with them, with the wild cards, you know, playing a main draw in the future in challengers, I won two, three matches and suddenly you won like 20 points.

And so it was no more easy.

But of course my level needed to be there because if you don't have the level, even if you had wild cards every week, you don't win a matches.

Yeah.

And then the confidence gets eroded.

And so you got up to about just over 60 in the world.

Was it pretty quickly?

Yes.

What's, what's the secret for like a guy come out of juniors to be able to get up to that rank and really you're winning matches.

But what were you doing well at a young age to win matches because we don't often see that.

It was very, very fast.

I was 63 in the world and I was like 19, I think.

So it was very, very fast.

I don't know how, but I just played some challengers and for me at that time, it was like in my head, normal, you know, like, oh, yeah, I'm 300, it's good, you know, but I can be better.

But now that, you know, I can see also the guys after me, you know, to be like 60 at 19, it was, it's crazy, you know.

So, yeah, I just played some challengers and you know, for me it was a new world.

I was just like learning and I didn't have like fear.

I was just playing without thinking because, yeah, it's like just, just so fast that I was not realizing, let's say that all what was happening with me, I played some challengers, I was just, you know, focused on my game.

On, yeah, this match, yeah, I can win this match and then I win and then the next match, ah, this, this match will be tough, but I can win it.

And then I win, I win, I win, I win.

And when you win A lot of matches.

Then you, you know, you have confidence and everything and yeah, it was, it was great.

And what's happened since, you know, you've gone a bit the other way to about 200 now.

Reverses.

What has the fear come in?

No, but you know, I was 60, I went 60 in the world, winning, let's say almost only in challengers.

I think in the ATP world I won some matches, but I think I did like only twice qualifiers.

So yeah, you know, when I was 60, I started to play only ATP matches.

You know, for me it was the first like, the first time I was like losing a lot because of course when I was playing challengers at the end to be 60, I won like, I think, I don't know, I did like for maybe six finals, two wins, like something crazy.

Then I played only ATP matches and of course it's more difficult, you don't play finals every week.

So yeah, there is one year I finished 60, but winning, I don't know, 50 matches in Challengers and maybe three in ATP Tour.

And the other year I played only ATP tours and I won maybe, I don't know, 10 matches.

So it was more than first week.

But I didn't play challengers, so of course I won less matches.

Then I had a little bit of injuries and yeah, that's why.

But I think now my body is ready, you know, to, to compete.

And you know, and also let's say in your mind at that time I was 18, 19 and I wasn't, let's say, realizing, you know, just like playing okay, now I play this, I play this and now, you know, like I know that I have the level, so it's, I also to stabilize it a bit, my mind that yes, this is my world, let's say this is my level.

Confidence is such a huge part of it, isn't it?

Like it seems to me, especially for you, it's quite obvious you need to be winning matches and then it can translate to the top level.

But one question in your eyes, what is the difference between that top level, challenger level and the ATP level?

What are the main differences?

It's close because, you know, sometimes you see some players, they win a lot of challenges and they play ATP tours and they still win a lot.

I think the main thing is that when you play some ATP toes from the first point of the first match, you need to be 100% and if you, if you are not 100% of the first part of the first match, you're out like in 40 minutes in challenger Sometimes, you know, when you're seeded, when you're, you know, the first match you can, every time you can win even if you play like, you know, not your best game and everything.

And ATP Tour is.

Well, my sensation was that.

My feeling was that yeah, every match was very, very tough from the beginning.

One ATP Tour match, do you remember which one did you come off court and you feel you got a school lesson?

I think maybe playing Djokovic in Banjaluka, it was, it was just a great lesson because he was number one in the world and I played him in Banja Luca, so almost home for him.

So for me it was crazy to play him and it was just the beginning of my career and yeah, it was incredible this moment and I learned a lot because I lost in three sets and you know, I was 18, I played number one in the world in a center court of big tournament and I do three sets, you know, for me it was, it was great.

And to feel that, let's say I didn't have the level to win, but I had the level to compete of course because like I won the first set and everything, you know, it's like okay, this is, this can be my level, you know, because sometimes you just play, you know, ah day because these players, especially Djokovic, I watch him on television since I'm a kid and to face them, you know, it's a little bit strange, you know, like oh, it's really Djokovic on the next side of the net and then you know, you feel like oh, but he's like, let's say a human, you know, like he's not like unplayable and you lose.

C0, C0.

You can face him, you know.

And it was great for the confidence.

Great.

And on your junior, when you were a young junior started to play tennis, who was your hero?

Yeah, it was Federer.

For since I'm a kid I always watch Federer.

Yeah, now he doesn't play anymore.

Almost every match of him your probably.

Timing was a bit off.

Did you ever get to practice with him?

No, I.

But yeah, when I arrived on the pros I was like playing challengers.

So he didn't play challengers.

But he was not playing.

Yeah, that's unfortunate.

I, I even looked through my videos.

We've functional tennis archive all the videos we have and only more.

The past four years we've been saving videos, we very little videos of Federer, which is crazy.

Like, you know.

Yeah, it's.

So he's, he's been gone a few years now and yeah, sometimes I search for federal clips and we don't have many.

But for you, it's unfortunate that he just retired as you're breaking through.

Yeah, it's unfortunate.

But yeah, he retired.

That's there when I, when I arrived.

So I didn't have the chance to play him, but I had the chance to play a lot of very, very good players.

Yeah, for a moment, I'm okay.

I played Djokovic, I played Aranka Murray before they retired.

So it's good.

Who's your goat?

Of course, for me, I am a Federer fan, so for me it has to be Federer.

But I need to say that Djokovic is next level.

Yeah, no, I agree.

I agree.

And we hear a lot from players.

I ask them, like, what did you have to sacrifice to get where you are today?

And some say, I love what I do.

So for me it's not a sacrifice, you know, when you love what you do for you.

Do you feel.

Have you sacrificed anything to get where you are today?

Yeah, I think I, I have the same vision as these players because I never felt my life like a sacrifice because I do what I love to do.

Like, you know, for me, it's the best life.

For me, I think, let's say the only, sometimes the only sacrifice that you can do is that you can feel is that when your friends or your family during the summer, they go to holidays, you know, and they do like two weeks, the pool or the beach, you know, taking the sun and everything.

You know, sometimes you're in a tournament, I don't know, and sometimes like in a bad place, something.

Yeah, I would like sometimes, you know, just like for one year to be like a normal person, to see what they feel much.

Now in general, I don't.

For me, it was not some sacrifices, just the only thing sometimes can be a little bit like, let's say bad is that you travel the whole year so you don't see your family and see a lot your friends and everything.

But for me, like, I love my family, but it's.

I'm not like crying if I, if I not at home for three weeks, you know, for me, it was not A sacrifice and playing tennis, traveling, seeing some new places was, for me, great.

And when, let's say when it is tough, when you may be missing your family, you may be on the road three or four weeks, five weeks, you're like, I want to go home.

What do you tell yourself to just stay motivated?

I think it's difficult because I never said to myself, I want to go home, like.

Because if you say this like, you know that you will lose the next match, because doing stuff.

But sometimes, yes, sometimes when you go, like retirement for a long period of time, it can be tough, you know, when you lose first round the Monday, and you need to wait one week to play the next Monday, sometimes can be long, but you just need to see, you know, your career, like on a long term, you know, I'm practicing every day to reach my goal.

You know, you can lose every week, but if every day you're motivated to practice, it's the best thing.

Nice, nice.

And are you still studying now, by the way?

Yes.

So are you in a full university program or what are you studying, first of all?

And how does it work with tour life?

Yeah, it's tough.

I'm studying mathematics in a university here in Paris.

So, yeah, it's tough.

I started, I think, three years ago, but I'm not following, like, let's say, the normal schedule of the exams, because I cannot, like, do anything like the others because, like, I have another job and I don't have the whole day to work for this.

So I'm just doing, like, one exam at a time.

So I'm focusing on this subject.

Then when I'm ready, I do the test, then I'm focusing on the next subject, and when I'm ready, I do the test and everything.

So, yeah, it's tough.

So I never go to the university because now I don't.

I don't live in Paris anymore.

I came here to practice because there is the round garros here, so the clay is better, but they do the.

The, let's say, the classes, not by phone, but by video with a teacher.

And I work sometimes when I'm in a tournament.

Sometimes it's tough, you know, in tournaments because, like, you're focused on your tents, of course.

But when I am on practice weeks and everything, I try to maximize the time that I have to work a little bit.

And then when I'm ready, the test, the exam, I need to pass it at the university.

So I need to come in Paris and go to university to pass the exam.

That's tough.

How many years do you think you've done it?

Three years.

How many years do you think it'll take you to finish it?

I don't know yet.

I think I already finished.

I almost finished the second year.

I think I did one year and a half for the moment.

But then let's say that for me it's not important if I finish in two years, in three years, in five years, in 10 years.

Because I hope that in the next 10 years I will be, you know, on the tour.

So the good thing for me is to do something different than tennis.

And also that when I will finish my career, I will have already a diploma for something and.

Nice.

Yeah.

And if you weren't a tennis player today, had you not have become a pro, what do you think you'd be doing right now, apart from being on holidays?

Maybe something in the finance.

Something like this.

Working.

Working a lot, you know, I think.

Yeah, I would have done that.

Great.

Something in finance, I think.

Yes, maybe that.

I think that's something that I would like to maybe discover also after my career.

Yeah, tennis players are good in finance.

There's loads of ex tennis players doing well in finance, which is good.

Something.

Actually, I just thought of there.

We.

Every time we interview players, then people ask me, do you ask about his racket?

And I don't.

What racket are you using?

Right now I'm using a Wilson Blade specs.

Is it 98?

I think it's 100.

100, okay.

That's the nicer one, I think.

Is it standard or do you have a customized?

It's a customized.

Okay.

Pro stock or just a 100?

Customized?

Yes, it's pro stock.

And I think it's like 3, 310 grams.

Okay.

Not so heavy.

This average.

Net average.

Yeah, I have it on my phone especially how is my racket, but in memory I don't have.

What string do you use?

I play with the 4G Luxilon.

Okay, nice.

It's okay.

On the arm, the 4G, not too.

Not too stiff.

No, at the beginning, when I was young, because I'm playing with the same racket since I am, I think 13.

Oh, wow.

So at the beginning I played with the 4G soft because when I'm 13, 14, you know, if I play with the 4G, my arm is dead.

So.

Yes, I think now the 4G, I'm playing with it since I'm like 17, something like this.

And before I was playing with the 4G soft.

Yeah, 4G is a nice string.

It's a good feel from it, but I tried one times, and my arm, if you just come new to it and use it a lot, it's actually quite tough on your arm.

So, yeah, it's a good stream.

It's really nice.

Finally, what advice do you have for juniors out there who want to be a professional tennis player?

What's one piece of advice that they need to know?

First of all, they need to enjoy it, because, of course, it can be your job.

It's.

Sometimes it's tough, but, like at the beginning when you started to play tennis, it was for fun, you know, it was a game you play with your friends and everything.

So you still need, you know, to have this part of yourself that enjoy, you know, playing tennis, because if you don't enjoy it anymore, you will not be able to, you know, to dedicate yourself 100% to it.

And then I think so I think this is the most important thing, to enjoy it.

And then with my, let's say, my game and everything, the best thing was to work a lot and with my entirety, you know, I was ready to work a lot.

So I was just working, working, working, you know, and, you know, to have a goal, you know, in your mind.

Oh, but, you know, I want to win Roland Garros.

And, you know, you just work every day with your.

In your mind, you know, I want to win Warren Garros.

Oh, whatever is your goal.

But, yeah, it can help, you know, with some bad period, you know, if you're still having money.

Ah, I know I'm in a bad period, but I want.

I want to achieve this goal.

So, you know, it motivates you.

Yeah.

Okay.

Well, thank you very much, Luca.

I hope to see you in Roland Garrus for a few practice videos and.

Yeah, appreciate it.

Best of luck this year.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.