May 20, 2025 • 32 mins
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/
Find us on Social Media:
Instagram: Instagram.com/FunctionalTennis
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Foreign.
(00:21):
Welcome to the FunctionalTennis Podcast brought to you by
my favorite tennis shoecompany, Asics.
And I'm your host, Fabio Molli.
And I bring you insights andlessons from players, coaches, parents
and experts who are ingrainedin the world of high level tennis.
This week I'm joined by LucaVanache, one of France's top young
talents.
We talk about his journey fromwinning the Junior Grand Slam to
(00:44):
the challenges of transitionto the pro tour.
Luca shares how playingfutures helped build his confidence,
what it takes to compete atthe ATP Tour level, and how he balances
school with life on tour.
He also talks about themindset needed to keep improving
and why enjoying the game iskey to his long term success.
It's a great insight into themindset and work it takes to rise
(01:08):
to the ranks in today's game.
Finally, a shout out to ourpodcast sponsors, Asics.
I've been enjoying wearingshoes and clothing from their latest
collab with lifestyle company apc.
You may have actually seenLorenzo Musetti rocking it recently
during his great runs in MonteCarlo and Madrid.
You can head over to asics.comto check out the full collection.
(01:29):
I recommend it.
Okay, here's Luca.
Hi, Luca.
Welcome to the FunctionalTennis 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 weekit's a little bit cold in Paris,
(01:50):
but last week it was very,very hot.
So it's a good weather topractice 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 forthe tournament.
And tell me, Roland Garas,this year, are you getting a wild
(02:11):
card?
You have to qualify, obviouslyyour rankings.
A bit out of main draw at the moment.
Yeah, no, I will play thequalifying and then I asked for the
wildcard, but you know, theFrench federation didn't give the
names yet, so we don't knowyet who will have the wildcards for
the main draw.
But of course in my head Iwill pay the quality and if by chance
(02:33):
I have a wild card, it will bea bonus.
Great.
And Roland Garris for you islike your back garden, I feel.
You've obviously played a lotthere as a junior.
I'm sure.
And then plus you were thejunior Roland Garros champion.
What what does that feel likefor a French boy or man to win there?
(02:55):
It was incredible.
I'm French, my family is inParis, 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 ofyour family, you play in front of
French fans and everybody'sfor you.
So it's cheering for you.
(03:15):
And you know, I was, I was Ithink 16 or 17.
It was like for me it a bitthe first time that you play in front
of so many people.
Yeah, I had the chance, youknow that.
To play in front of the homecrowd and yeah, it's amazing feeling.
And of course when I was, Ithink it was 17 when you win like
(03:39):
Grand Slam Junior, you know, it's.
For you it's incrediblebecause 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 likethis, but I, I knew that I had the
chances.
I was, I think I was like 16,the junior ranking.
(03:59):
So I was seeded, but I didn'tplay juniors that much at that time.
I started to play a little bitwith some futures, with the pros
and it was, you know, I playedsome juniors just before Roland Garros
to try to make some points andto be seeded on the slams.
That's what I did.
(04:20):
And in juniors I won a lot ofmatches at the end of the year before
I won and the year I won.
And so I knew that I had thelevel to win the tournament.
But of course I was not theonly one.
And there were like so manygreat players and yeah, I just took
like match by match and yeah,I arrived to a third round.
(04:42):
I beat, I think I beat theseed number three and I was to the
qualifiers to the semifinals.
And then when you are thesemifinals, 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 Feein the final.
So who were was Perry Card oneof the other French players.
(05:05):
Who were the other two?
Yes.
So there was Mir and Fis inthe final and in the semi final I
played against Sean Quino andthen Fiz, he played against Mpech
Berga.
Okay, nice, that's strong forobviously you guys are doing quite
well now on the tour and I saweven with that team you were under
(05:27):
18 junior champions with thoseguys as well.
What a team.
Like you, unstoppable.
It was great.
I think it was a good momentalso for the French tennis because
it was a period where Frenchplayers in, let's say, the pros,
they weren't as much asmatches at, you know, Monfi Songa
(05:48):
before, in the press, in theFrench press, they were like, criticizing
a lot the French players tosay, like, we don't have French players
anymore.
We don't deserve Orangaros tobe in France and everything.
And then the same year, therewere four French players in the semifinal
of the junior.
So, you know, it was also abig hype with us.
(06:09):
So it was.
Yeah, it was fun.
That's pretty impressive.
Now, it doesn't get muchbetter than that for a country.
And tell me, did winningRoland 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.
(06:29):
And, you know, they alwayssaid me, like, you know, like the
juniors, even if I win, if Ilose 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 incredibleto win French Open because it helped
me, you know, to.
In France to have somewildcats to the challengers and because
(06:53):
I won French Open and then Iplayed well and then I did a big
step forward.
But, you know, when I won, itwas a great achievement that even
before and even after my coachhelped me because, of course, for
me it was like, oh, I am theking, you know, But.
But my coach asked me a lot tosay, to say, me, like, you know,
(07:13):
like, you can win French Open,but it's not, you know, it's just
the beginning.
Like, let's say the realcareer is in the pro side.
You know, you can win like 20junior slams and don't win, you know,
the matches in the pro.
So it's a big step.
And yeah, I saw that, like agreat achievement for me, and I was
(07:37):
like, okay, like, now myjunior career is done.
And because I, for me, I didthe best thing I could have done
in the.
In the juniors, becausewinning a slam is incredible in France.
Like, it was for me the best thing.
And I can, you know, doeverything now in the pro.
Yeah, I didn't have muchpressure on it.
(07:59):
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, youknow, you're like, known a little
bit in France, but not in theworld and even in France, a little
bit like the people they watcha little bit, but they don't really
(08:23):
know.
But the fact that the presswere criticizing a lot the French
players, because I think inthe main draw nobody reached the
third round, I think this year.
And then just two weeks, oneweek after we were like four in the
semifinals, they talked aboutit a lot in the press.
So, you know, like a lot ofpeople were recognizing me after
(08:47):
and yeah, it was good.
And just go back, when did youstart playing future tournaments?
How old were you?
I was young.
I think the first time Iplayed a future it was, I think in
2020, so I was 16.
Did you play a lot of futures then?
Was, was your main focus as a16 year old was we need to play a
(09:11):
lot of futures, not junior tournament.
It depends.
I talked about it a lot withmy coach because I think at that
moment it was good for mebecause, 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, approachof the match.
(09:35):
The pros are very tough, evenin futures and everything.
And it was good.
I think we talked about it a lot.
And for me it was good to mixa 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.
(09:58):
And sometimes, you know, whenyou're young, it's good, you know,
to have confidence to win matches.
And it was good to mix alittle bit, like to play some juniors,
to win some matches, to buildsome confidence and then to play
some futures where, let's saythey will push my level of tennis
up, but not too much becauseif you lose, you lose, you lose,
(10:20):
you lose.
Then, you know, you start tofeel like, ah, maybe my game is not
that good.
And it was very good because Iwas still very young, but to mix
it, it was very interestingfor me.
So you play the juniors forthe confidence and the seniors, the
futures, to raise your gameand to become more resilient.
Yeah, exactly, exactly.
(10:40):
So playing futures made you abetter junior because junior players
are soft.
Yeah, I don't want to say thatthe juniors players are soft, but
you know, it's, it's different.
You know, when you're againsta junior, let's say you're relaxed
a little bit or the pressurethat you have playing juniors is
(11:02):
different.
The pros, let's say that fromthe first point to the last point,
you know, it's a real war.
You Know, from the beginningto the end.
And sometimes it can happenthat in juniors, the beginning of
the match, you know, you'renot very focused.
You can do some mistakes and.
But let's say, like, even ifyou're not focused at that, at that
(11:22):
moment, if I play juniors withmy level, you know, you can still
win the match because yourgame is better than his.
But in pros, let's say at thismoment, if I was not focused 100%,
I was not.
From the first punch in thematch, you lose like 6:1, 6:1 and
finish in one hour.
So it was good, you know, toraise my level, up, my focus.
(11:46):
And yeah, it was veryinteresting for me.
And when did you stop playing futures?
I stopped really quicklybecause I always told myself, like,
if you get in some tournamentsthat are better, you need to play,
it's better to play, I don'tknow, quality in the challengers,
(12:06):
then Mandro infusions orsomething like this.
I didn't play that muchbecause 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 waslike, maybe second round twice, three
times, something like this.
(12:27):
I was playing, you know, thequalities and everything, but it
was, you know, the real worldfor me.
So it was good.
And then after the FrenchOpen, I played Wimbledon junior because
I had never played on grassbefore, so it was a good experience.
And then I played, I think Iplayed maybe two or three futures
before the EuropeanChampionship that I played with Giovanni
(12:51):
and Artur.
And then I went on holidays.
And just after the holidays, Ipracticed and I played some challengers.
I had some wild cards, maindraw and two challengers.
And I did second round andquarter finals.
So, you know, at that time Ihad two points in two tournaments.
I did like 20 points.
So it was like a big jump up.
(13:12):
Then I think I played another futures.
I did final, and then I playedanother challenger.
I did qualify.
So I went up, like, at the endof the year, I started to play, like,
for only pros at, I think inAugust or in September.
I was like, 1,000, somethinglike this.
(13:33):
And at the end of the year, Iwas like 500.
So it was very fast.
And I played my last futurethe first week of 2022.
I played the future in France.
I won it on clay.
It was my first title.
And then from that on, Iplayed only challengers.
I played, you know, Qualis, soonly Qualys.
(13:56):
But I preferred, you Know, toplay quality of challengers because
the level is still better thanin futures.
With my type of game, when Iplay against better players, they
push me to play a certain way.
It was better for me.
So always a good sign when youcan get out of futures quickly.
You don't want to be doingfutures for three years because nobody
(14:19):
wants that because you're so.
Yeah.
So you proved you have a good game.
Yeah, I had also a lot ofopportunities with the French Federation
to, you know, I had, I thinksome wild cards and some challengers
and then, yeah, I won matches.
But, you know, without theseworld cards I couldn't play these
(14:40):
tournaments and I didn't toplay some futures.
But with them, with the wildcards, 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 neededto be there because if you don't
have the level, even if youhad wild cards every week, you don't
(15:03):
win a matches.
Yeah.
And then the confidence gets eroded.
And so you got up to aboutjust over 60 in the world.
Was it pretty quickly?
Yes.
What's, what's the secret forlike a guy come out of juniors to
be able to get up to that rankand really you're winning matches.
But what were you doing wellat a young age to win matches because
we don't often see that.
(15:24):
It was very, very fast.
I was 63 in the world and Iwas like 19, I think.
So it was very, very fast.
I don't know how, but I justplayed some challengers and for me
at that time, it was like inmy head, normal, you know, like,
oh, yeah, I'm 300, it's good,you know, but I can be better.
(15:47):
But now that, you know, I cansee 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 somechallengers and you know, for me
it was a new world.
I was just like learning and Ididn't have like fear.
(16:07):
I was just playing withoutthinking because, yeah, it's like
just, just so fast that I wasnot realizing, let's say that all
what was happening with me, Iplayed some challengers, I was just,
you know, focused on my game.
On, yeah, this match, yeah, Ican win this match and then I win
and then the next match, ah,this, this match will be tough, but
(16:29):
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 haveconfidence and everything and yeah,
it was, it was great.
And what's happened since, youknow, 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, Iwent 60 in the world, winning, let's
(16:53):
say almost only in challengers.
I think in the ATP world I wonsome matches, but I think I did like
only twice qualifiers.
So yeah, you know, when I was60, I started to play only ATP matches.
You know, for me it was thefirst like, the first time I was
(17:16):
like losing a lot because ofcourse when I was playing challengers
at the end to be 60, I wonlike, I think, I don't know, I did
like for maybe six finals, twowins, like something crazy.
Then I played only ATP matchesand of course it's more difficult,
you don't play finals every week.
So yeah, there is one year Ifinished 60, but winning, I don't
(17:38):
know, 50 matches inChallengers and maybe three in ATP
Tour.
And the other year I playedonly 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 ofinjuries and yeah, that's why.
But I think now my body isready, you know, to, to compete.
(18:02):
And you know, and also let'ssay in your mind at that time I was
18, 19 and I wasn't, let'ssay, 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 ismy world, let's say this is my level.
(18:26):
Confidence is such a huge partof it, isn't it?
Like it seems to me,especially for you, it's quite obvious
you need to be winning matchesand then it can translate to the
top level.
But one question in your eyes,what is the difference between that
top level, challenger leveland the ATP level?
What are the main differences?
(18:46):
It's close because, you know,sometimes you see some players, they
win a lot of challenges andthey play ATP tours and they still
win a lot.
I think the main thing is thatwhen you play some ATP toes from
the first point of the firstmatch, you need to be 100% and if
you, if you are not 100% ofthe first part of the first match,
(19:08):
you're out like in 40 minutesin challenger Sometimes, you know,
when you're seeded, whenyou're, you know, the first match
you can, every time you canwin 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
(19:32):
from the beginning.
One ATP Tour match, do youremember which one did you come off
court and you feel you got aschool lesson?
I think maybe playing Djokovicin Banjaluka, it was, it was just
a great lesson because he wasnumber one in the world and I played
(19:56):
him in Banja Luca, so almosthome for him.
So for me it was crazy to playhim and it was just the beginning
of my career and yeah, it wasincredible this moment and I learned
a lot because I lost in threesets and you know, I was 18, I played
(20:18):
number one in the world in acenter court of big tournament and
I do three sets, you know, forme it was, it was great.
And to feel that, let's say Ididn't have the level to win, but
I had the level to compete ofcourse because like I won the first
set and everything, you know,it's like okay, this is, this can
(20:38):
be my level, you know, becausesometimes you just play, you know,
ah day because these players,especially Djokovic, I watch him
on television since I'm a kidand to face them, you know, it's
a little bit strange, youknow, like oh, it's really Djokovic
on the next side of the netand then you know, you feel like
(21:01):
oh, but he's like, let's say ahuman, 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 youwere a young junior started to play
tennis, who was your hero?
Yeah, it was Federer.
For since I'm a kid I alwayswatch Federer.
(21:23):
Yeah, now he doesn't play anymore.
Almost every match of him your probably.
Timing was a bit off.
Did you ever get to practicewith him?
No, I.
Because when I arrived on thejuniors in 2021 when they won the.
I think it was I think hislast time in Wimbledon, I guess in
2021 I think or 2022, I don't remember.
(21:46):
But yeah, when I arrived onthe pros I was like playing challengers.
So he didn't play challengers.
When I arrived on ATP tour itwas in 2023, I think 2023 and he
was already finish well, hedidn't retire yet at this moment.
But he was not playing.
(22:07):
Yeah, that's unfortunate.
I, I even looked through my videos.
We've functional tennisarchive all the videos we have and
only more.
The past four years we've beensaving videos, we very little videos
of Federer, which is crazy.
Like, you know.
Yeah, it's.
So he's, he's been gone a fewyears now and yeah, sometimes I search
for federal clips and we don'thave many.
But for you, it's unfortunatethat he just retired as you're breaking
(22:28):
through.
Yeah, it's unfortunate.
But yeah, he retired.
That's there when I, when I arrived.
So I didn't have the chance toplay 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 playedAranka Murray before they retired.
So it's good.
Who's your goat?
(22:48):
Of course, for me, I am aFederer fan, so for me it has to
be Federer.
But I need to say thatDjokovic is next level.
Yeah, no, I agree.
I agree.
And we hear a lot from players.
I ask them, like, what did youhave to sacrifice to get where you
are today?
(23:09):
And some say, I love what I do.
So for me it's not asacrifice, you know, when you love
what you do for you.
Do you feel.
Have you sacrificed anythingto get where you are today?
Yeah, I think I, I have thesame vision as these players because
I never felt my life like asacrifice because I do what I love
(23:30):
to do.
Like, you know, for me, it'sthe best life.
For me, I think, let's say theonly, sometimes the only sacrifice
that you can do is that youcan feel is that when your friends
or your family during thesummer, they go to holidays, you
know, and they do like twoweeks, the pool or the beach, you
(23:52):
know, taking the sun and everything.
You know, sometimes you're ina 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, tosee what they feel much.
Now in general, I don't.
(24:14):
For me, it was not somesacrifices, 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'tsee your family and see a lot your
friends and everything.
But for me, like, I love myfamily, but it's.
I'm not like crying if I, if Inot at home for three weeks, you
(24:39):
know, for me, it was not Asacrifice and playing tennis, traveling,
seeing some new places was,for me, great.
And when, let's say when it istough, when you may be missing your
family, you may be on the roadthree or four weeks, five weeks,
you're like, I want to go home.
What do you tell yourself tojust stay motivated?
(24:59):
I think it's difficult becauseI 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, sometimeswhen you go, like retirement for
a long period of time, it canbe tough, you know, when you lose
(25:21):
first round the Monday, andyou need to wait one week to play
the next Monday, sometimes canbe long, but you just need to see,
you know, your career, like ona long term, you know, I'm practicing
every day to reach my goal.
You know, you can lose everyweek, but if every day you're motivated
to practice, it's the best thing.
Nice, nice.
And are you still studyingnow, by the way?
(25:44):
Yes.
So are you in a fulluniversity 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 auniversity here in Paris.
So, yeah, it's tough.
I started, I think, threeyears ago, but I'm not following,
(26:06):
like, let's say, the normalschedule of the exams, because I
cannot, like, do anything likethe others because, like, I have
another job and I don't havethe whole day to work for this.
So I'm just doing, like, oneexam at a time.
So I'm focusing on this subject.
(26:30):
Then when I'm ready, I do thetest, then I'm focusing on the next
subject, and when I'm ready, Ido the test and everything.
So, yeah, it's tough.
So I never go to theuniversity because now I don't.
I don't live in Paris anymore.
I came here to practicebecause there is the round garros
(26:52):
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'min a tournament.
Sometimes it's tough, youknow, in tournaments because, like,
(27:13):
you're focused on your tents,of course.
But when I am on practiceweeks and everything, I try to maximize
the time that I have to work alittle bit.
And then when I'm ready, thetest, the exam, I need to pass it
at the university.
So I need to come in Paris andgo to university to pass the exam.
(27:34):
That's tough.
How many years do you thinkyou've done it?
Three years.
How many years do you thinkit'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 ahalf for the moment.
(27:55):
But then let's say that for meit's not important if I finish in
two years, in three years, infive years, in 10 years.
Because I hope that in thenext 10 years I will be, you know,
on the tour.
So the good thing for me is todo something different than tennis.
And also that when I willfinish my career, I will have already
(28:17):
a diploma for something and.
Nice.
Yeah.
And if you weren't a tennisplayer today, had you not have become
a pro, what do you think you'dbe doing right now, apart from being
on holidays?
Maybe something in the finance.
Something like this.
Working.
(28:38):
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 thatI would like to maybe discover also
after my career.
Yeah, tennis players are goodin finance.
There's loads of ex tennisplayers doing well in finance, which
(29:00):
is good.
Something.
Actually, I just thought of there.
We.
Every time we interviewplayers, 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 WilsonBlade specs.
Is it 98?
I think it's 100.
(29:20):
100, okay.
That's the nicer one, I think.
Is it standard or do you havea 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.
(29:40):
Not so heavy.
This average.
Net average.
Yeah, I have it on my phoneespecially 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 Iwas young, because I'm playing with
(30:03):
the same racket since I am, Ithink 13.
Oh, wow.
So at the beginning I playedwith the 4G soft because when I'm
13, 14, you know, if I playwith the 4G, my arm is dead.
So.
Yes, I think now the 4G, I'mplaying with it since I'm like 17,
(30:26):
something like this.
And before I was playing withthe 4G soft.
Yeah, 4G is a nice string.
It's a good feel from it, butI tried one times, and my arm, if
you just come new to it anduse 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 youhave for juniors out there who want
(30:48):
to be a professional tennis player?
What's one piece of advicethat they need to know?
First of all, they need toenjoy 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 forfun, you know, it was a game you
(31:10):
play with your friends and everything.
So you still need, you know,to have this part of yourself that
enjoy, you know, playingtennis, because if you don't enjoy
it anymore, you will not beable to, you know, to dedicate yourself
100% to it.
And then I think so I thinkthis is the most important thing,
to enjoy it.
And then with my, let's say,my game and everything, the best
(31:36):
thing was to work a lot andwith 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, youknow, in your mind.
Oh, but, you know, I want towin Roland Garros.
And, you know, you just workevery day with your.
In your mind, you know, I wantto win Warren Garros.
(31:56):
Oh, whatever is your goal.
But, yeah, it can help, youknow, with some bad period, you know,
if you're still having money.
Ah, I know I'm in a badperiod, 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 RolandGarrus for a few practice videos
(32:18):
and.
Yeah, appreciate it.
Best of luck this year.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Foreign.
(00:21):
Welcome to the FunctionalTennis Podcast brought to you by
my favorite tennis shoecompany, Asics.
And I'm your host, Fabio Molli.
And I bring you insights andlessons from players, coaches, parents
and experts who are ingrainedin the world of high level tennis.
This week I'm joined by LucaVanache, one of France's top young
talents.
We talk about his journey fromwinning the Junior Grand Slam to
(00:44):
the challenges of transitionto the pro tour.
Luca shares how playingfutures helped build his confidence,
what it takes to compete atthe ATP Tour level, and how he balances
school with life on tour.
He also talks about themindset needed to keep improving
and why enjoying the game iskey to his long term success.
It's a great insight into themindset and work it takes to rise
(01:08):
to the ranks in today's game.
Finally, a shout out to ourpodcast sponsors, Asics.
I've been enjoying wearingshoes and clothing from their latest
collab with lifestyle company apc.
You may have actually seenLorenzo Musetti rocking it recently
during his great runs in MonteCarlo and Madrid.
You can head over to asics.comto check out the full collection.
(01:29):
I recommend it.
Okay, here's Luca.
Hi, Luca.
Welcome to the FunctionalTennis 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 weekit's a little bit cold in Paris,
(01:50):
but last week it was very,very hot.
So it's a good weather topractice 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 forthe tournament.
And tell me, Roland Garas,this year, are you getting a wild
(02:11):
card?
You have to qualify, obviouslyyour rankings.
A bit out of main draw at the moment.
Yeah, no, I will play thequalifying and then I asked for the
wildcard, but you know, theFrench federation didn't give the
names yet, so we don't knowyet who will have the wildcards for
the main draw.
But of course in my head Iwill pay the quality and if by chance
(02:33):
I have a wild card, it will bea bonus.
Great.
And Roland Garris for you islike your back garden, I feel.
You've obviously played a lotthere as a junior.
I'm sure.
And then plus you were thejunior Roland Garros champion.
What what does that feel likefor a French boy or man to win there?
(02:55):
It was incredible.
I'm French, my family is inParis, 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 ofyour family, you play in front of
French fans and everybody'sfor you.
So it's cheering for you.
(03:15):
And you know, I was, I was Ithink 16 or 17.
It was like for me it a bitthe first time that you play in front
of so many people.
Yeah, I had the chance, youknow that.
To play in front of the homecrowd and yeah, it's amazing feeling.
And of course when I was, Ithink it was 17 when you win like
(03:39):
Grand Slam Junior, you know, it's.
For you it's incrediblebecause 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 likethis, but I, I knew that I had the
chances.
I was, I think I was like 16,the junior ranking.
(03:59):
So I was seeded, but I didn'tplay juniors that much at that time.
I started to play a little bitwith some futures, with the pros
and it was, you know, I playedsome juniors just before Roland Garros
to try to make some points andto be seeded on the slams.
That's what I did.
(04:20):
And in juniors I won a lot ofmatches at the end of the year before
I won and the year I won.
And so I knew that I had thelevel to win the tournament.
But of course I was not theonly one.
And there were like so manygreat players and yeah, I just took
like match by match and yeah,I arrived to a third round.
(04:42):
I beat, I think I beat theseed number three and I was to the
qualifiers to the semifinals.
And then when you are thesemifinals, 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 Feein the final.
So who were was Perry Card oneof the other French players.
(05:05):
Who were the other two?
Yes.
So there was Mir and Fis inthe final and in the semi final I
played against Sean Quino andthen Fiz, he played against Mpech
Berga.
Okay, nice, that's strong forobviously you guys are doing quite
well now on the tour and I saweven with that team you were under
(05:27):
18 junior champions with thoseguys as well.
What a team.
Like you, unstoppable.
It was great.
I think it was a good momentalso for the French tennis because
it was a period where Frenchplayers in, let's say, the pros,
they weren't as much asmatches at, you know, Monfi Songa
(05:48):
before, in the press, in theFrench press, they were like, criticizing
a lot the French players tosay, like, we don't have French players
anymore.
We don't deserve Orangaros tobe in France and everything.
And then the same year, therewere four French players in the semifinal
of the junior.
So, you know, it was also abig hype with us.
(06:09):
So it was.
Yeah, it was fun.
That's pretty impressive.
Now, it doesn't get muchbetter than that for a country.
And tell me, did winningRoland 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.
(06:29):
And, you know, they alwayssaid me, like, you know, like the
juniors, even if I win, if Ilose 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 incredibleto win French Open because it helped
me, you know, to.
In France to have somewildcats to the challengers and because
(06:53):
I won French Open and then Iplayed well and then I did a big
step forward.
But, you know, when I won, itwas a great achievement that even
before and even after my coachhelped me because, of course, for
me it was like, oh, I am theking, you know, But.
But my coach asked me a lot tosay, to say, me, like, you know,
(07:13):
like, you can win French Open,but it's not, you know, it's just
the beginning.
Like, let's say the realcareer is in the pro side.
You know, you can win like 20junior slams and don't win, you know,
the matches in the pro.
So it's a big step.
And yeah, I saw that, like agreat achievement for me, and I was
(07:37):
like, okay, like, now myjunior career is done.
And because I, for me, I didthe best thing I could have done
in the.
In the juniors, becausewinning a slam is incredible in France.
Like, it was for me the best thing.
And I can, you know, doeverything now in the pro.
Yeah, I didn't have muchpressure on it.
(07:59):
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, youknow, you're like, known a little
bit in France, but not in theworld and even in France, a little
bit like the people they watcha little bit, but they don't really
(08:23):
know.
But the fact that the presswere criticizing a lot the French
players, because I think inthe main draw nobody reached the
third round, I think this year.
And then just two weeks, oneweek after we were like four in the
semifinals, they talked aboutit a lot in the press.
So, you know, like a lot ofpeople were recognizing me after
(08:47):
and yeah, it was good.
And just go back, when did youstart playing future tournaments?
How old were you?
I was young.
I think the first time Iplayed a future it was, I think in
2020, so I was 16.
Did you play a lot of futures then?
Was, was your main focus as a16 year old was we need to play a
(09:11):
lot of futures, not junior tournament.
It depends.
I talked about it a lot withmy coach because I think at that
moment it was good for mebecause, 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, approachof the match.
(09:35):
The pros are very tough, evenin futures and everything.
And it was good.
I think we talked about it a lot.
And for me it was good to mixa 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.
(09:58):
And sometimes, you know, whenyou're young, it's good, you know,
to have confidence to win matches.
And it was good to mix alittle bit, like to play some juniors,
to win some matches, to buildsome confidence and then to play
some futures where, let's saythey will push my level of tennis
up, but not too much becauseif you lose, you lose, you lose,
(10:20):
you lose.
Then, you know, you start tofeel like, ah, maybe my game is not
that good.
And it was very good because Iwas still very young, but to mix
it, it was very interestingfor me.
So you play the juniors forthe confidence and the seniors, the
futures, to raise your gameand to become more resilient.
Yeah, exactly, exactly.
(10:40):
So playing futures made you abetter junior because junior players
are soft.
Yeah, I don't want to say thatthe juniors players are soft, but
you know, it's, it's different.
You know, when you're againsta junior, let's say you're relaxed
a little bit or the pressurethat you have playing juniors is
(11:02):
different.
The pros, let's say that fromthe first point to the last point,
you know, it's a real war.
You Know, from the beginningto the end.
And sometimes it can happenthat in juniors, the beginning of
the match, you know, you'renot very focused.
You can do some mistakes and.
But let's say, like, even ifyou're not focused at that, at that
(11:22):
moment, if I play juniors withmy level, you know, you can still
win the match because yourgame is better than his.
But in pros, let's say at thismoment, if I was not focused 100%,
I was not.
From the first punch in thematch, you lose like 6:1, 6:1 and
finish in one hour.
So it was good, you know, toraise my level, up, my focus.
(11:46):
And yeah, it was veryinteresting for me.
And when did you stop playing futures?
I stopped really quicklybecause I always told myself, like,
if you get in some tournamentsthat are better, you need to play,
it's better to play, I don'tknow, quality in the challengers,
(12:06):
then Mandro infusions orsomething like this.
I didn't play that muchbecause 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 waslike, maybe second round twice, three
times, something like this.
(12:27):
I was playing, you know, thequalities and everything, but it
was, you know, the real worldfor me.
So it was good.
And then after the FrenchOpen, I played Wimbledon junior because
I had never played on grassbefore, so it was a good experience.
And then I played, I think Iplayed maybe two or three futures
before the EuropeanChampionship that I played with Giovanni
(12:51):
and Artur.
And then I went on holidays.
And just after the holidays, Ipracticed and I played some challengers.
I had some wild cards, maindraw and two challengers.
And I did second round andquarter finals.
So, you know, at that time Ihad two points in two tournaments.
I did like 20 points.
So it was like a big jump up.
(13:12):
Then I think I played another futures.
I did final, and then I playedanother challenger.
I did qualify.
So I went up, like, at the endof the year, I started to play, like,
for only pros at, I think inAugust or in September.
I was like, 1,000, somethinglike this.
(13:33):
And at the end of the year, Iwas like 500.
So it was very fast.
And I played my last futurethe first week of 2022.
I played the future in France.
I won it on clay.
It was my first title.
And then from that on, Iplayed only challengers.
I played, you know, Qualis, soonly Qualys.
(13:56):
But I preferred, you Know, toplay quality of challengers because
the level is still better thanin futures.
With my type of game, when Iplay against better players, they
push me to play a certain way.
It was better for me.
So always a good sign when youcan get out of futures quickly.
You don't want to be doingfutures for three years because nobody
(14:19):
wants that because you're so.
Yeah.
So you proved you have a good game.
Yeah, I had also a lot ofopportunities with the French Federation
to, you know, I had, I thinksome wild cards and some challengers
and then, yeah, I won matches.
But, you know, without theseworld cards I couldn't play these
(14:40):
tournaments and I didn't toplay some futures.
But with them, with the wildcards, 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 neededto be there because if you don't
have the level, even if youhad wild cards every week, you don't
(15:03):
win a matches.
Yeah.
And then the confidence gets eroded.
And so you got up to aboutjust over 60 in the world.
Was it pretty quickly?
Yes.
What's, what's the secret forlike a guy come out of juniors to
be able to get up to that rankand really you're winning matches.
But what were you doing wellat a young age to win matches because
we don't often see that.
(15:24):
It was very, very fast.
I was 63 in the world and Iwas like 19, I think.
So it was very, very fast.
I don't know how, but I justplayed some challengers and for me
at that time, it was like inmy head, normal, you know, like,
oh, yeah, I'm 300, it's good,you know, but I can be better.
(15:47):
But now that, you know, I cansee 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 somechallengers and you know, for me
it was a new world.
I was just like learning and Ididn't have like fear.
(16:07):
I was just playing withoutthinking because, yeah, it's like
just, just so fast that I wasnot realizing, let's say that all
what was happening with me, Iplayed some challengers, I was just,
you know, focused on my game.
On, yeah, this match, yeah, Ican win this match and then I win
and then the next match, ah,this, this match will be tough, but
(16:29):
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 haveconfidence and everything and yeah,
it was, it was great.
And what's happened since, youknow, 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, Iwent 60 in the world, winning, let's
(16:53):
say almost only in challengers.
I think in the ATP world I wonsome matches, but I think I did like
only twice qualifiers.
So yeah, you know, when I was60, I started to play only ATP matches.
You know, for me it was thefirst like, the first time I was
(17:16):
like losing a lot because ofcourse when I was playing challengers
at the end to be 60, I wonlike, I think, I don't know, I did
like for maybe six finals, twowins, like something crazy.
Then I played only ATP matchesand of course it's more difficult,
you don't play finals every week.
So yeah, there is one year Ifinished 60, but winning, I don't
(17:38):
know, 50 matches inChallengers and maybe three in ATP
Tour.
And the other year I playedonly 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 ofinjuries and yeah, that's why.
But I think now my body isready, you know, to, to compete.
(18:02):
And you know, and also let'ssay in your mind at that time I was
18, 19 and I wasn't, let'ssay, 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 ismy world, let's say this is my level.
(18:26):
Confidence is such a huge partof it, isn't it?
Like it seems to me,especially for you, it's quite obvious
you need to be winning matchesand then it can translate to the
top level.
But one question in your eyes,what is the difference between that
top level, challenger leveland the ATP level?
What are the main differences?
(18:46):
It's close because, you know,sometimes you see some players, they
win a lot of challenges andthey play ATP tours and they still
win a lot.
I think the main thing is thatwhen you play some ATP toes from
the first point of the firstmatch, you need to be 100% and if
you, if you are not 100% ofthe first part of the first match,
(19:08):
you're out like in 40 minutesin challenger Sometimes, you know,
when you're seeded, whenyou're, you know, the first match
you can, every time you canwin 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
(19:32):
from the beginning.
One ATP Tour match, do youremember which one did you come off
court and you feel you got aschool lesson?
I think maybe playing Djokovicin Banjaluka, it was, it was just
a great lesson because he wasnumber one in the world and I played
(19:56):
him in Banja Luca, so almosthome for him.
So for me it was crazy to playhim and it was just the beginning
of my career and yeah, it wasincredible this moment and I learned
a lot because I lost in threesets and you know, I was 18, I played
(20:18):
number one in the world in acenter court of big tournament and
I do three sets, you know, forme it was, it was great.
And to feel that, let's say Ididn't have the level to win, but
I had the level to compete ofcourse because like I won the first
set and everything, you know,it's like okay, this is, this can
(20:38):
be my level, you know, becausesometimes you just play, you know,
ah day because these players,especially Djokovic, I watch him
on television since I'm a kidand to face them, you know, it's
a little bit strange, youknow, like oh, it's really Djokovic
on the next side of the netand then you know, you feel like
(21:01):
oh, but he's like, let's say ahuman, 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 youwere a young junior started to play
tennis, who was your hero?
Yeah, it was Federer.
For since I'm a kid I alwayswatch Federer.
(21:23):
Yeah, now he doesn't play anymore.
Almost every match of him your probably.
Timing was a bit off.
Did you ever get to practicewith him?
No, I.
Because when I arrived on thejuniors in 2021 when they won the.
I think it was I think hislast time in Wimbledon, I guess in
2021 I think or 2022, I don't remember.
(21:46):
But yeah, when I arrived onthe pros I was like playing challengers.
So he didn't play challengers.
When I arrived on ATP tour itwas in 2023, I think 2023 and he
was already finish well, hedidn't retire yet at this moment.
But he was not playing.
(22:07):
Yeah, that's unfortunate.
I, I even looked through my videos.
We've functional tennisarchive all the videos we have and
only more.
The past four years we've beensaving videos, we very little videos
of Federer, which is crazy.
Like, you know.
Yeah, it's.
So he's, he's been gone a fewyears now and yeah, sometimes I search
for federal clips and we don'thave many.
But for you, it's unfortunatethat he just retired as you're breaking
(22:28):
through.
Yeah, it's unfortunate.
But yeah, he retired.
That's there when I, when I arrived.
So I didn't have the chance toplay 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 playedAranka Murray before they retired.
So it's good.
Who's your goat?
(22:48):
Of course, for me, I am aFederer fan, so for me it has to
be Federer.
But I need to say thatDjokovic is next level.
Yeah, no, I agree.
I agree.
And we hear a lot from players.
I ask them, like, what did youhave to sacrifice to get where you
are today?
(23:09):
And some say, I love what I do.
So for me it's not asacrifice, you know, when you love
what you do for you.
Do you feel.
Have you sacrificed anythingto get where you are today?
Yeah, I think I, I have thesame vision as these players because
I never felt my life like asacrifice because I do what I love
(23:30):
to do.
Like, you know, for me, it'sthe best life.
For me, I think, let's say theonly, sometimes the only sacrifice
that you can do is that youcan feel is that when your friends
or your family during thesummer, they go to holidays, you
know, and they do like twoweeks, the pool or the beach, you
(23:52):
know, taking the sun and everything.
You know, sometimes you're ina 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, tosee what they feel much.
Now in general, I don't.
(24:14):
For me, it was not somesacrifices, 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'tsee your family and see a lot your
friends and everything.
But for me, like, I love myfamily, but it's.
I'm not like crying if I, if Inot at home for three weeks, you
(24:39):
know, for me, it was not Asacrifice and playing tennis, traveling,
seeing some new places was,for me, great.
And when, let's say when it istough, when you may be missing your
family, you may be on the roadthree or four weeks, five weeks,
you're like, I want to go home.
What do you tell yourself tojust stay motivated?
(24:59):
I think it's difficult becauseI 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, sometimeswhen you go, like retirement for
a long period of time, it canbe tough, you know, when you lose
(25:21):
first round the Monday, andyou need to wait one week to play
the next Monday, sometimes canbe long, but you just need to see,
you know, your career, like ona long term, you know, I'm practicing
every day to reach my goal.
You know, you can lose everyweek, but if every day you're motivated
to practice, it's the best thing.
Nice, nice.
And are you still studyingnow, by the way?
(25:44):
Yes.
So are you in a fulluniversity 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 auniversity here in Paris.
So, yeah, it's tough.
I started, I think, threeyears ago, but I'm not following,
(26:06):
like, let's say, the normalschedule of the exams, because I
cannot, like, do anything likethe others because, like, I have
another job and I don't havethe whole day to work for this.
So I'm just doing, like, oneexam at a time.
So I'm focusing on this subject.
(26:30):
Then when I'm ready, I do thetest, then I'm focusing on the next
subject, and when I'm ready, Ido the test and everything.
So, yeah, it's tough.
So I never go to theuniversity because now I don't.
I don't live in Paris anymore.
I came here to practicebecause there is the round garros
(26:52):
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'min a tournament.
Sometimes it's tough, youknow, in tournaments because, like,
(27:13):
you're focused on your tents,of course.
But when I am on practiceweeks and everything, I try to maximize
the time that I have to work alittle bit.
And then when I'm ready, thetest, the exam, I need to pass it
at the university.
So I need to come in Paris andgo to university to pass the exam.
(27:34):
That's tough.
How many years do you thinkyou've done it?
Three years.
How many years do you thinkit'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 ahalf for the moment.
(27:55):
But then let's say that for meit's not important if I finish in
two years, in three years, infive years, in 10 years.
Because I hope that in thenext 10 years I will be, you know,
on the tour.
So the good thing for me is todo something different than tennis.
And also that when I willfinish my career, I will have already
(28:17):
a diploma for something and.
Nice.
Yeah.
And if you weren't a tennisplayer today, had you not have become
a pro, what do you think you'dbe doing right now, apart from being
on holidays?
Maybe something in the finance.
Something like this.
Working.
(28:38):
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 thatI would like to maybe discover also
after my career.
Yeah, tennis players are goodin finance.
There's loads of ex tennisplayers doing well in finance, which
(29:00):
is good.
Something.
Actually, I just thought of there.
We.
Every time we interviewplayers, 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 WilsonBlade specs.
Is it 98?
I think it's 100.
(29:20):
100, okay.
That's the nicer one, I think.
Is it standard or do you havea 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.
(29:40):
Not so heavy.
This average.
Net average.
Yeah, I have it on my phoneespecially 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 Iwas young, because I'm playing with
(30:03):
the same racket since I am, Ithink 13.
Oh, wow.
So at the beginning I playedwith the 4G soft because when I'm
13, 14, you know, if I playwith the 4G, my arm is dead.
So.
Yes, I think now the 4G, I'mplaying with it since I'm like 17,
(30:26):
something like this.
And before I was playing withthe 4G soft.
Yeah, 4G is a nice string.
It's a good feel from it, butI tried one times, and my arm, if
you just come new to it anduse 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 youhave for juniors out there who want
(30:48):
to be a professional tennis player?
What's one piece of advicethat they need to know?
First of all, they need toenjoy 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 forfun, you know, it was a game you
(31:10):
play with your friends and everything.
So you still need, you know,to have this part of yourself that
enjoy, you know, playingtennis, because if you don't enjoy
it anymore, you will not beable to, you know, to dedicate yourself
100% to it.
And then I think so I thinkthis is the most important thing,
to enjoy it.
And then with my, let's say,my game and everything, the best
(31:36):
thing was to work a lot andwith 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, youknow, in your mind.
Oh, but, you know, I want towin Roland Garros.
And, you know, you just workevery day with your.
In your mind, you know, I wantto win Warren Garros.
(31:56):
Oh, whatever is your goal.
But, yeah, it can help, youknow, with some bad period, you know,
if you're still having money.
Ah, I know I'm in a badperiod, 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 RolandGarrus for a few practice videos
(32:18):
and.
Yeah, appreciate it.
Best of luck this year.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Popular Podcasts
United States of Kennedy
United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris go into one aspect of the Kennedy story.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com