French tennis prodigy picks Roger Federer over Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal if given a choice for a hitting partner

Luca Van Assche gives an honest answer to a complicated question.

French tennis prodigy picks Roger Federer over Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal if given a choice for a hitting partner

Luca Van Assche and Roger Federer (Via Imago)

Frenchman Luca Van Assche has made waves in the tennis scene since 2023. He reached the third round of the Australian Open this year, getting the better of Lorenzo Musetti and James Duckworth at just 20 years of age. 

Van Assche came close to winning the Next Gen ATP finals last year, going down in the semifinal to compatriot Arthur Fils, proving that French tennis is in the good hands of the modern-day Gasquet and Monfils. In a recent interview, Van Assche was put in an impossible situation as he was made to pick between members of the big three to hypothetically practice with for a week.

Admitting that Roger Federer has always been his idol, Van Assche said he couldn’t miss out on training with him, provided the opportunity presented itself. 

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It's a complicated question, but I must admit that I couldn't do without training with my idol, Roger Federer.
Luca Van Assche said in issue 88 of We Love Tennis

The Junior French Open champion mentioned that playing with Federer would be a joy by itself, but he would also like to have a knock with Rafa to gauge the quality of his heavy topspin shots, which are a nightmare for many on tour.

I have always admired the Swiss and playing with him would be a real joy. Afterwards, I would ask to interrupt the session for at least a few minutes to be able to test Rafael Nadal's ball quality, because it must be so crazy. 
Luca Van Assche added

In conclusion, he wishes to play Federer but wants to skirt around the rules of the game a little and get a hit with Nadal as well.

When Luca Van Assche took Novak Djokovic’s spot, but not on the rankings table

Luca Van Assche, who is ranked just inside the top hundred now, after a difficult season following the Australian Open, is barely making the cut into the main draws of major tournaments. This means he is relying on wildcards or withdrawals if he does not qualify for the main draw using just his ranking.

Luca Van Assche (credits- Wikipedia)
Luca Van Assche (Via Imago)

He was ranked as high as 63 but has now fallen to 97 in the world. This ranking fell agonizingly short of what was needed to make it into the Madrid main draw, but he was set to play in the qualifying rounds. 

However, Novak Djokovic decided to withdraw from the tournament and take some time to improve his physical and mental conditions before the French Open. This left a legend-sized hole in the main draw, with Jannik Sinner then assuming the position of the top seed. This withdrawal made room to accommodate Van Assche, who was announced to replace Djokovic post the latter’s withdrawal. Van Assche has played Djokovic once in the Srpska Open 2023 when he managed to get a set off of the world number one.

The Frenchman, who was injured in Barcelona just a week earlier, showed his resilience in making it past Zhang Zhizhen in the first round. It was a tight game with a scoreline of 7-5, 6-2. The second round, too, was a marathon, and the underdog, Van Assche, gave it everything he had against the 18th seed, Sebastian Baez of Argentina, but fell just short of the finish line, 4-6, 7-6, 3-6. Baez now has the record for most wins on clay courts in 2024 so far.

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