The resurrection of Luca Van Assche: "I started to wonder if I wanted to continue being a tennis player"

Luca Van Assche has become the great hope of French tennis in this ATP Masters 1000 Paris 2026, but also a testament that you should never give up and that life offers second chances when you least expect it. After defeating Musetti, he emotionally recounted the journey that led him to this great success.

Talent in abundance, tactical intelligence, technical skills, and an unwavering will to evolve. All of this is embodied by Luca Van Assche, a 22-year-old young tennis player who amazed everyone when he broke into the top 60 at just 18, only to later fall to the depths of world tennis, dropping beyond the top 200 in the ATP ranking.

A back injury, insecurity in his game, structural changes to his style that he struggled to adjust to... A lethal mix of factors caused this elegant French player to lose momentum in his progress. His resurgence in the ATP Masters 1000 Paris 2026 is absolute and promises to keep his entire country excited.

This is how Luca Van Assche narrates his odyssey to reach the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters 1000

What he feels about this success and what he considers his greatest virtue

"I am very happy to have reached the quarter-finals for the first time in my career. I hope it won't be the last and that it will be the first of many. I am satisfied with my performance today as well as the match I played yesterday in the third round. It has been a fantastic week for me so far."

"I think that one of my great qualities is my ability to fight until the end, and I've demonstrated that in many matches. I’m glad to feel so combative, especially when I face a player who has a similar playing style to mine because if I don't fight for every point, he can score a lot."

The need to change his tennis to be competitive

"Some people may consider me a player who only excels due to my solidity, but with matches and experience, you realize that simply returning the ball to the other side of the court is not enough."

"I am lucky to have a powerful serve, but that requires a lot of work and effort. I know my game needs to be aggressive. I need to dominate the rallies, and today I served very well."

"With some players, it is more complicated than with others. Lorenzo plays from the baseline and also has a very good serve. At moments, I managed to impose my game, and I am happy about that."

The most difficult moments in Van Assche's career

"It was a complicated moment because when you drop so low in the ranking, you start to question a lot of things. I wasn't used to having problems. At 19, I was already among the top hundred, and suddenly I started racking up defeats that were tough to accept."

"Last year was difficult. I frequently suffered injuries, and I couldn’t maintain consistency over an extended period. I began to ask myself what I wanted to do and, if I wanted to continue playing, how I should do it to perform well."

His coach, Sebastian Villette, gave him back his love for tennis

"Let’s not kid ourselves: satisfaction is obviously very related to victories. We started working together at the beginning of this year, before the season began, and we hit it off very well right from the start."

"He is someone who has a good vision of my game and trusts me a lot. That helps me a great deal. It has allowed us to build a good relationship and work hard because results don't come without hard work."

"He has supported me throughout the year. We have managed to evolve my game, and I have also learned a lot from defeats and difficult moments. We are working very well together."

Doubts about his worth as a tennis player when he was at his lowest

"For a while, I didn't feel well. I had returned to the Challenger circuit, which has a very high level, and I wasn't winning many matches."

"You lose on Monday, have to wait a week, and lose again the following Monday. The tournaments don't have the same prestige as ATP events or Grand Slams, and I began to wonder if I really wanted to dedicate myself to this."

"Then I realized that my satisfaction depended mainly on the results. I was asked if I would have the same questions if I were among the top twenty in the world, and I thought no. But it’s not just about being in the top 20. It’s about playing tennis."

"I understood that I love tennis, I like the circuit, and I want to continue competing. We worked a lot with my team and those around me to change that mentality and focus not only on the victories and losses but also on the learning process itself. That helped me immensely."

The unexpected romance with the indoor hard courts of Paris

"Yes, even though I don't play much on grass, I like all surfaces. I feel best on clay, but I am also achieving good results and delivering solid performances on indoor hard courts."

"I am aware that my game has adapted to these conditions. I used to struggle more with my forehand, but I have worked a lot on that shot and now I feel comfortable. I’m delighted to be able to play here indoors."

Luca Van Assche seems to be reaping at the ATP Masters 1000 Paris 2026 everything he has sown over the years. He is a survivor of tennis who has managed to reinvent himself and rediscover his love for this sport after having to reconsider many things. He will seek to reach the semi-finals against the Australian Rinky Hijikata.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La resurrección de Luca Van Assche: "Llegué a preguntarme si quería seguir siendo tenista"