The Functional Tennis Podcast Luca Van Assche: Building Belief, Beating Pressure, and Loving the Grind
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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